Claim OwnershipDental Practice Heroes
Subscribed: 164Played: 7,721
Subscribe
© 2025 Dental Practice Heroes
Description
Where dentists learn how to cut clinical days while increasing profits - without sacrificing patient care, cutting corners, or cranking volume. We teach you how to grow a scalable practice through communication, leadership, and effective management.
Hosted by Dr. Paul Etchison, author of two books on dental practice management, dental coach, and owner of a $6M collections group practice in the south suburbs of Chicago, we provide actionable advice for practice owners who want to intentionally create more time to enjoy their families, wealth, and deep personal fulfillment.
If you want to build a scalable practice framework that no longer stresses, drains, or relies on you for every little thing, we will teach you how and share stories of other dentists who have done it!
629 Episodes
Reverse
Ever feel like your checklists are getting longer while your problems get louder? We shine a light on the quiet force that stalls growth in so many dental practices: the truth everyone knows but no one says. Borrowing the concept of “mokita,” we explore how unspoken issues infect culture, erode patient experience, and drain profit—then we show you how to end the silence without blowing up your team. We walk through a simple, repeatable framework for tough conversations: Ask permission, State...
Every time a team member asks for a raise, the pressure is instant — but it doesn’t have to be. In this episode, find out how to talk money with your team, set clear expectations, and lead raise conversations without it getting awkward. We explore inflation, bonuses, and systems that give your team a clear path for growth without blowing up your payroll. Listen now to take the stress out of every raise decision! Topics discussed: The trap of throwing money at problemsMistakes owners make when...
If you’ve ever felt like the glue holding your practice together, this conversation will challenge that belief and give you a new playbook for freedom. We unpack a counterintuitive idea—the Void Principle—where you stop filling every gap so your team has to step in, decisions spread, and systems mature. Through the story of Dr. Lance, a high-output dentist who cut his clinical days and raised income yet still feared taking more time off, we show how real autonomy arrives only when the owner s...
Most dental offices don’t have an office manager problem—they have a role definition problem. We promoted the best front desk performer, gave them a title, and then left them buried in tasks with no roadmap for leadership. In this conversation, I share the exact KPI-based bonus system that transforms a “super admin” into a true leader who aligns team behavior with the practice’s goals and delivers measurable growth. Ready to align behavior with results and build a practice that runs without ...
Trying to be the super GP who does every procedure might be making your practice harder than it should be. In this episode, Dr. Alex Sharp explains how specializing not only helps you create a model that's easier to market and scale, but also lets you spend more of your time doing the dentistry you actually enjoy. Hear where the GP model still works, how to specialize in an existing practice, and what the future of dentistry looks like! Topics discussed: Alex's journey from associate to pract...
Ever feel like your day moves at the speed of the slowest checkout lane? We unpack the hidden inefficiencies that quietly drain hours, stress your team, and shrink profit—then replace them with simple, durable systems that make your practice feel calm, fast, and predictable. We start with the most common culprit: unprepared operatories. You’ll hear how to standardize rooms for the 90% of procedures you do most, set visual par levels, and stop the scavenger hunts that interrupt care. From the...
Are you ignoring a crucial part of your practice? In this episode, we’re talking about the front desk. It’s one of the most overlooked areas in dentistry, yet can also make or break case acceptance and production. Tune in to learn how to train your front desk to talk money, close treatment, and follow up the right way! Topics discussed: Why training is crucial for front deskDo you need a treatment coordinator?Key factors to closing treatmentFollow-up systems that boost case acceptance treatme...
Ever follow a GPS with total confidence only to realize it’s steering you the wrong way? That’s how ownership can feel when mindset traps masquerade as good guidance. We dig into three hidden patterns that quietly create burnout for dental practice owners and map out a better route built on leverage, systems, and leadership. Join us for Free Live Trainings and Community Discussion in the DPH Hero Collective on the DPH App. Click Here to Join! GRAB THE FREE PLAYBOOK HERE - Discover 30 p...
What if the biggest reason patients delay necessary care isn’t price or insurance, but the quiet doubt in our own voices? We dig into the hidden driver of case acceptance—front desk mindset—and show how two simple defaults transform conversations at checkout: assume the patient can afford the treatment and assume the patient wants the treatment. When that belief is solid, tone, body language, and word choice snap into place, and patients feel confident moving forward. Join us for Free Live Tr...
When team members push back on production or growth, it’s rarely about the numbers or your systems... it’s about clarity. True buy-in comes from showing your team why growth matters and how it benefits everyone, not just the practice. In this episode, learn how to create true alignment with your team, track the right metrics, and talk about money and growth without sounding like a greedy owner! Topics discussed: Why teams are resistance to changeHow to align your team around a shared visionLe...
A crowded calendar can look like success, but what if it’s hiding slow service, low-yield work, and profit slipping through the cracks? We pull back the curtain on the “packed restaurant” illusion and share a clearer measure of health: dollar-per-hour production. By focusing on adjusted production per hour, you can design days that hit your goals on purpose, not by accident, and reclaim time without sacrificing revenue. We get specific about how to shift from busy to profitable. You’ll hear ...
You have the income, the title, even a great team, but still feel trapped. Sound familiar? This episode with Dr. Richard Low will help you take a step back and understand what’s behind your burnout — and how to fix it. We talk about his decision to leave his 35-office DSO to save his marriage and mental health, why isolation makes burnout worse, and what you can do to get out of the cycle of guilt and overwhelm. Tune in for much-needed advice and perspective on recovery, purpose, and finding ...
Ever felt like your dental practice would finally take off if you could just get a few more new patients through the door? That seductive thought might be keeping you from discovering what's really holding your practice back. I learned this lesson the hard way. Two years into practice ownership, we were consistently seeing 75-90 new patients monthly with minimal marketing effort. The schedule was packed, production was strong, and colleagues were asking for my secrets. I genuinely believed I...
It’s time for a reality check: hiring an associate isn’t a shortcut to less stress and more growth. In this episode, we break down what associates actually need to succeed and the real reasons they don’t work out or make your life easier — and it’s not usually about greed or laziness. Learn strategies to help your associates reach production goals, the metrics that will keep them accountable, and what you can do to become a better mentor! Topics discussed: Why associates struggle to produce o...
It’s the classic lose-lose situation: a patient walks in with no pain, goes home, and calls you back and says, “I’m having pain and it didn’t hurt until you touched it.” Even when you do everything right, you still get the blame. In this episode, you’ll learn exactly what you can say in appointments to avoid conflict, the treatment planning mistakes that can come back to bite you, and how to handle to patients who demand you pay to fix what’s “wrong.” Topics discussed: Why new dentists strugg...
Join us for Free Live Trainings and Community Discussion in the DPH Hero Collective on the DPH App. Click Here to Join! GRAB THE FREE PLAYBOOK HERE - Discover 30 proven strategies top-performing dentists use to increase profits, cut clinical days, and finally enjoy the freedom they originally built their practices for. https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.com/playbook Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematiz...
Tired of putting out fires all day? It’s time to start thinking like a CEO, not just a clinician. In this episode, Dr. Chris Green shares the systems that helped him cut down clinical days and lead like a CEO instead of just a manager. You'll learn how he trains strong leaders, strategies you can use to address team resistance when you step back from the chair, and the first step every owner should take to start acting like the CEO of their practice. Hear what it takes to lead with less stres...
Ever notice how those last two painful reps at the gym are what actually build muscle? Dental practice ownership works exactly the same way. Growth happens precisely when you're tired, stressed, and want to quit—but push through anyway. Dr. Paul Edgerson shares a deeply personal journey from being a 99-pound freshman football player who could barely bench the bar to building successful dental practices. The transformation didn't come from working harder, but from working smarter and pushing ...
Overwhelmed in ownership? You can’t fix everything at once, but today you'll learn where to start. Get back to the fundamentals — vision, numbers, and leadership — with simple steps that will help you get organized and out of survival mode. The DPH Coaches share the seven metrics every owner should track, the checklists that keep you and your team accountable, and how to spend less time on tasks you don't enjoy. If you feel like you're drowning in problems or stuck in decision paralysis, this...
Ever fantasized about bringing on an associate to handle all those difficult cases while you kick back and watch the profits roll in? That seductive vision—what I call "the associate illusion"—has lured countless practice owners into disappointment and financial stress. The harsh truth is that associates rarely outproduce the owner, and without proper systems in place, adding another doctor simply amplifies your practice's existing problems. It's like adding more rowers to a leaky boat; you'...
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States