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Dental Practice Heroes

Dr. Paul Etchison

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!

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#704
Today · 28 min
You Might Be Wrong About Your Worst Team Member
"They're lazy." "They don't care." "This person is the problem." You probably said something like this the last time you got annoyed at the office. In this episode, the DPH coaches break down what to do the next time someone on your team drops the ball. You'll learn the difference between being decisive and being judgmental, when to act immediately or take a pause and get curious, and how to address problems without putting anyone on the defensive. Topics discussed: 00:00 Introduction 02:11 The mistake most owners make 05:26 How your team labels you too 06:23 When acting fast backfires 10:52 Judgmental, patient, or decisive — how to tell 13:40 The question that works better than "why" 16:16 Why you're really annoyed 17:03 Why addressing it now helps you later 19:07 Building your practice's constitution This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#703
Wednesday · 21 min
Retiring Early in Dentistry and the Freedom Trap
You can do everything “right” and still feel stuck: work harder, save more, invest earlier, chase a retirement number… then wake up the next day and realize nothing changed. That moment is what we’re unpacking, especially for dentists who are high achievers, practice owners, and the kind of people who won’t be happy staring at the ocean for 30 years. We walk through the core problem with traditional retirement planning for dentists: it treats your younger years like they only exist for production, and it assumes your future income drops to zero on some arbitrary date. I share why that thinking quietly creates burnout and postponement, how the goalposts keep moving, and what I learned after hitting my retirement target at 39 and feeling no real freedom. We also talk candidly about a painful money loss and why it forced a healthier relationship with wealth, security, and fulfillment. Then we make it practical. We cover how to define “enough,” set a realistic retirement target, and stop treating every dollar you don’t save as a mistake. We explore why assuming some future income (part-time dentistry, consulting, teaching, coaching, business) can change your entire plan, and how intentional spending can buy back time, reduce stress, and make ordinary Tuesdays better. Finally, we connect it to dental practice management: leadership, systems, and associates that reduce owner dependence so you can cut clinical days without your practice collapsing. If you want a retirement strategy built around optionality, flexibility, and a practice that supports your life, listen now. Then subscribe, share this with a dentist friend, and leave a review so more practice owners can find the show. Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#702
September 14 · 47 min
Why Your Team Only Follows Systems When You’re Watching (How to Fix It) w/ Dr. Gina Dorfman
Your team does the right things when you're in the building. Turn your back and... maybe not. Dr. Gina Dorfman has spent over 20 years building practices around culture, and knows exactly what makes a team follow through without being reminded. She explains what has to come first, the test candidates don't know they're taking, and what to do about a strong performer who's dragging the team down. Plus, hear her message to any woman who's been called difficult for holding her team to a standard. Topics discussed: (00:00) Introduction (02:17) Running pediatric and general under one roof (10:43) What your team needs before SOPs will stick (16:13) Getting the right people in the right seats (21:57) Gina’s crumpled paper interview test (23:32) What to do with a high performer who hurts culture (25:58) Why the best hire may have no experience (28:44) How far to take standardization in your practice (34:09) Advice for female leaders in dentistry Learn more about Yapi: https://yapiapp.com/ Connect with Dr. Gina Dorfman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gina-dorfman-dds/ https://www.instagram.com/drginad/ This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#701
September 9 · 14 min
Your Practice Will Never Give You Freedom Until Your Leaders Can Do This
If your leadership meeting turns up “no problems,” we think you should be nervous. Silence can feel like health, but it often signals something else: people are checked out, nobody is looking closely, or your team doesn’t feel safe enough to tell the truth. We unpack why great dental practices don’t win by eliminating problems, they win by getting brutally good at seeing problems early, talking about them clearly, and using them to sharpen systems, service, and team culture. We share a core mindset we teach inside our office manager mastery training: problems are good because they create improvement. That includes the dreaded upset patient. The loud complaint is often the only version of a problem you get to hear, while quieter patients simply disappear or stay unhappy in silence. We also explain why an “empty problem list” is rarely a victory, and how leaders can normalize surfacing issues by celebrating the courage it takes to speak up. Then we tackle the tension most practices feel between psychological safety and accountability. Safety does not mean nobody gets corrected, and accountability does not require shame. We break down how to correct without humiliating, how to avoid refereeing who’s right or wrong, and how to create a practice where ideas, questions, concerns, and mistakes are visible instead of hidden. If you’re serious about dental practice leadership and practice growth, build leaders around you so you can finally stop being the bottleneck. Subscribe, share this with a practice owner who needs it, leave a review, and book a free strategy call at dentalpracticeheroes.com/slash strategy. If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#700
September 8 · 39 min
You're Spending Time On the Wrong Thing...Focus on This Instead w/ Dr. George Hariri
Whatever is holding your practice back is probably not the thing you worked on this week. Dr. George Hariri, co-founder of Shared Practices and author of Dental Moneyball, went from one practice to nearly 50 and stopped practicing dentistry entirely — and the practice he left behind is performing better now than when he was in it. In this episode, he walks through where you should be spending your time as CEO and the growth lever already in your practice. Topics discussed: (00:00) Introduction (02:25) From one group practice to nearly 50 (07:03) The decision to go non-clinical (11:14) Dental Moneyball: the most underused growth lever (14:38) What makes a practice worth buying (17:57) Splitting your week between clinical and owner time (19:26) The biggest opportunity owners keep missing (21:51) How to find what's actually holding you back (23:58) KPIs, people, and culture (27:48) Why the hygiene shortage is just getting started This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#699
September 2 · 15 min
Stop Talking Your Patients Out of the Best Treatment
That split second after a patient asks “Can’t you just fill it?” can quietly decide the whole case. If you hesitate, even with good intentions, you can accidentally turn your best clinical recommendation into an “upgrade” and make the compromised option feel like the default. We dig into why that happens and how to communicate treatment plans with calm confidence, so your patients feel informed instead of sold. We unpack the difference between what you technically could do and what you would actually recommend, using a simple analogy that makes the point stick. From crown vs filling conversations to new patient exams, we talk about the trap of negotiating against your own diagnosis, and why trying to keep everyone happy can chip away at your authority, your case acceptance, and your enjoyment of dentistry. We also get practical about objections. “Just a filling” is often a placeholder for something else: fear, mistrust, confusion, low perceived value, or money. You’ll hear how to stop diagnosing the patient’s wallet, ask better questions, and give real patient autonomy by presenting the ideal plan clearly, then letting them choose with full understanding of risks, benefits, and alternatives. If you want better communication, stronger trust, and a practice that runs smoother without you feeling slimy, this is for you. Subscribe for more dentistry practice management strategies, share this with a dentist who needs it, and leave a quick review so more practice owners can find the show. If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#698
August 31 · 29 min
Simple Ways to Turn Patient Objections Into a Yes
Cost, timing, pain, insurance. These objections don't mean a patient is saying "no." In this episode, the DPH coaches share how they handle the most common patient objections and turn them into a "yes." You'll learn how to present treatment plans big and small — with confidence, and without being salesy or putting patients on the defensive. Topics discussed: (00:00) Introduction (01:51) Why even obvious treatment gets turned down (04:42) Defining an objection (and why they happen) (06:47) Handling cost objections without getting defensive (13:10) When an objection stops you cold (16:54) What happens when you're not confident in your diagnosis (20:24) How to respond to 'I need to talk to my spouse' (23:49) The wrong way to uncover objections This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#697
August 27 · 22 min
The Subtle Trap Undermining Your Practice's Success
Your front desk can look busy all day and still leak production, profit, and patience. When phones, check-ins, insurance questions, and balance collections are treated like one giant job, “urgency” wins every time. The ringing phone gets answered, the insurance fire gets put out, and the real growth work quietly disappears: filling tomorrow’s hole, following up on that $10,000 treatment plan, and building systems that keep the practice steady even when someone is out. We walk through a cleaner way to think about dental practice management by creating levels inside your admin department. Foundational front desk skills can be trained fast, which means you can hire great people with the right attitude and communication even without deep dental experience. From there, you intentionally develop advanced roles like insurance, treatment coordination, and true leadership. That structure gives your team a path to grow, makes onboarding easier, and stops your practice from depending on one superhero employee who “knows everything.” We also get honest about the office manager role. Promoting the best insurance expert and changing nothing else is not management, it is a title swap. A real dental office manager needs protected time to coach people, track KPIs, improve systems, and drive proactive work that increases case acceptance and reduces schedule chaos. If you want a front desk team that scales, you need clear ownership and redundancy so every critical function has at least two trained people. If you found this useful, subscribe, share the episode with another practice owner, and leave a review so more dentists can find the show. What role on your admin team needs the clearest definition right now? If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#696
August 25 · 16 min
Implementation Usually Fails in 1 of These 3 Areas
We break down why the same operational problems keep resurfacing even after everyone “agrees” in a meeting. We share a simple leadership framework that turns talk into implementation so our dental practice keeps improving without constant reminders. • the hidden cost of repeated meetings and drifting systems • why agreement feels good but fails without a system • a real crown charting conflict that fuels resentment • involving the team through autonomy and a clear why • making a decision without chasing the perfect solution • setting a defined trial period so everyone tests together • building revisit habits with agendas, reminders, and checklists • getting curious when a system fails instead of blaming people • the four-word framework: discuss, decide, try, revisit go to dentalpracticeheroes.com/strategy and book a free strategy call with me. If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#695
August 20 · 39 min
How to Train the Assistant Every Other Dentist Wants w/ Kevin Henry
Every dentist wants an assistant who anticipates their needs without being asked. Almost nobody does what it takes to get there. Kevin Henry, dental journalist and founder of Dental Assistant Nation, has spent 21 years advocating for dental assistants. In this episode, he shares what makes them disengage, what a good day actually looks like for them, and how to train them the right way. Topics discussed: (00:00) Introduction (03:52) Why your dental assistants aren't engaged (06:13) The skills to instill in every assistant (10:44) Dental assistant schools post-COVID (11:51) The push to turn assistants into hygienists (13:35) Staffing shortage or a retention problem (16:00) The training mistake that backfires (17:26) Setting goals for a role with no numbers (19:07) 3 things assistants actually care about (23:25) How to give your assistant a good day (25:14) The commandments of treating your assistant well (27:40) What's next for AI and staffing (30:24) Conversations to have before someone asks for a raise Check out the Dental Assistant Nation podcast: https://dentalassistantnation.com/ Learn more about what dental assistants can legally do in your state: https://www.danb.org/ This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#694
August 18 · 14 min
Your Future Practice Won't Materialize Without Protecting This
We describe the moment every practice owner knows: you block CEO time to build better systems, then lose it to nonstop interruptions and tiny fires. We share how protecting leadership time, setting clear availability rules, and focusing on KPIs turns you from the bottleneck into the builder of a practice that runs without you. • why CEO time disappears faster than clinical time • protecting leadership time like production time • the difference between reacting all day and creating real growth • a simple closed-door boundary for uninterrupted work • what to do when CEO work feels uncomfortable • starting with KPIs, a problem list, and one-on-ones • spotting repeat questions and turning them into systems • training the team to make decisions without you You can book a strategy, call it dentalpracticeheroes.com/slash strategy. And if this episode resonated with you, I would really appreciate it if you left a review. If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#693
August 12 · 45 min
The Hidden Reason Your Practice Feels So Hard to Run w/ David Maloley
Eight out of ten employees show up disengaged. The other two are doing all the work in your practice. In this episode, Dr. David Maloley explains what's really driving attrition and why a paycheck doesn't cut it anymore. You'll find out which outside forces are quietly commoditizing your practice, the burnout triggers already built in, and how to create an employee experience that holds your practice together. Topics discussed: (00:00) Introduction (03:19) David’s dream practice that turned into a nightmare (06:29) What hiring an office manager can't fix (09:18) The forces commoditizing dentistry (18:25) What a bad employee experience looks like (20:10) Three levels of a value-fluent team (21:16) What's really driving patient attrition (23:09) Burnout triggers built into dental practices (25:30) What happens when you stop chasing numbers (30:10) Why vague leadership creates attrition (36:28) The Trust Triangle decision framework Take the Commodity Threat Assessment: https://assessment.irreplaceablepractice.com/ Listen to more episodes with Dr. David Maloley: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2311108/episodes/14424320 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2311108/episodes/14423936 This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#692
August 10 · 29 min
Don't Try to Scale Your Practice Until You See This In Your Numbers
Hire another associate, open a second location, drop insurance — or maybe change nothing at all? The truth is, just because your practice can grow doesn't mean it should. In this episode, the DPH coaches will help you figure out what kind of practice actually fits the life you want. You'll hear the mistake that almost buried one of them, the steps you should take before scaling, and the honest questions that reveal whether a bigger practice is right for you. Topics discussed: (00:00) Introduction (02:26) How to make your own decision (06:45) The mistake that can break your practice (09:52) A framework for deciding whether to scale (11:40) The client who was happier staying small (13:12) What type of leader you are (and why it matters) (15:38) One thing to do whether you scale or not (18:30) How to know when you're ready This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#691
August 5 · 14 min
3 Conversations that Will Keep You from Repeating Yourself
You know the moment: you’re having the same conversation again, trying to stay calm, trying to protect psychological safety, but quietly wondering why the message still isn’t landing. When a team member keeps missing a checklist step, showing up late, skipping a pre-collect, or sending patients up front with the wrong codes, it stops feeling like a one-off mistake and starts feeling like a culture problem. That’s where accountability either strengthens your dental team or slowly erodes it. We break down a powerful tool from Crucial Accountability called CPR: Content, Pattern, Relationship. First we talk about content, the single miss that needs a quick, timely reset of expectations. Then we move to pattern, where leaders must stop re-litigating “today” and name the repetition clearly, without getting dragged into whataboutisms or excuses. Finally, we tackle relationship, the level most practice owners avoid until it hurts: when the real issue becomes trust, and the team can’t count on someone to do their part in a system that depends on everyone. You’ll leave with three tactical takeaways you can use immediately, plus a clear test for deciding which conversation you’re actually having before you open your mouth. If accountability is a constant bottleneck in your dental practice management, we also share how a trained leadership team can carry standards with you so you’re not the only person holding the line. Subscribe, share this with a practice owner friend, and leave a review so more dental leaders can find the show. If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#690
August 3 · 30 min
5 Levers That Decide How Much Your Practice Produces
"I just need to get more patients into the office." It's something almost every owner tells themselves, but it's rarely what their practice needs. In this episode, you'll learn the five levers that decide how much your practice actually produces. The DPH coaches share their own experiences of freezing in front of patients, getting honest feedback from their teams, and coaching associates who want a raise. Topics discussed: (00:00) Introduction (03:02) What to do when an associate wants more money (06:29) Why chasing new patients keeps you stuck (08:13) Are you doing comprehensive treatment planning? (09:46) Five levers that decide what you produce (12:47) Why so many doctors freeze or hold back (16:27) The honest feedback your team isn't telling you (19:05) Setting standards and measuring outcomes This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#689
July 30 · 36 min
The Doctor-Hygienist Partnership That Drives Case Acceptance w/ Janet Hagerman
Your hygienist spends more time with your patients than you do. That makes them one of the biggest case acceptance drivers you have. This episode shows you how to unlock that potential with the right systems, language, and a true doctor-hygienist partnership. Hygiene consultant Janet Hagerman breaks down how to train your team to talk about treatment, the meeting you should be having every month, and the five steps to the perfect handoff. Topics discussed: (00:00) Introduction (02:08) From hygienist to fractional hygiene officer (05:47) Why hygiene is the bedrock of your practice (08:28) Where to start with your hygiene team (13:08) How to have perio conversations with patients (18:30) Getting them involved in diagnosis and treatment (21:01) The monthly meeting that aligns your team (24:05) Disagree without making anyone look bad (26:22) The perfect handoff sequence Download Janet’s free step-be-step handoff guide: https://janethagerman.com/tpn/c/C2030/docs/DOC-5ComponentsofHandoff-c2030.pdf Connect with Janet Hagerman: Website | https://janethagerman.com/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/janethagerman/ Email | janet@janethagerman.com This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#688
July 27 · 15 min
Stop Hoping and Praying for Your Dream Team, Build Them
If you walked into your dental practice right now and asked one random team member what they’re actively trying to get better at, would they have a real answer or a long pause? That moment tells you almost everything about your culture, your leadership, and why “good people” sometimes slowly turn into disengaged people. We believe most team members don’t drift toward excellence on their own, they drift toward comfort, and it’s our job to make growth the default. We unpack why ongoing team training is one of the highest-ROI investments in dental practice management. It’s not just about clinical skills or checking boxes after onboarding. It’s about building a culture of mastery where coaching and feedback feel normal, where people know what they’re working on next, and where your assistants, hygienists, and admin team develop into stronger communicators and leaders. We also talk through the common sticking point: many owners want better systems and better performance, but they simply don’t know what to teach, who to teach, or how to structure training so it actually sticks. We share a practical approach for making development consistent, including separating operational meetings from true training time, using quarterly sessions for role-play and verbiage, and setting a 90-day skill focus for every department. If you’ve been hoping your team “just gets better,” this will give you a clearer roadmap for building skills like case presentation support, patient communication, conflict handling, and leadership at every level. If you found yourself nodding along, take a minute to subscribe, share this with a practice owner friend, and leave a five-star review so more dental teams can build a culture that never stops improving. If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#687
July 23 · 16 min
Short Staffed? Here's What to Do
Your dental practice feels like it’s barely surviving, the team is overwhelmed, and the plan sounds logical: “Once we hire one more assistant or one more hygienist, then we’ll fix the systems.” I’m challenging that idea head-on, because waiting doesn’t pause the chaos. It feeds it. When we delay training, accountability, and process improvement, we create the exact environment that drives burnout, frustration, and turnover in a short staffed dental office. I walk through the cycle I see constantly in dental practice management: we hire someone, we rush onboarding, the new team member is afraid to ask questions, mistakes pile up, coworkers get resentful, and suddenly we’re hiring again. The problem isn’t effort, it’s predictability. That’s why building a systematized dental practice is not a “nice to have.” Clear expectations, simple workflows, and consistent follow-up are powerful staff retention strategies that make the day feel doable and the job worth keeping. You’ll get a practical leadership playbook for what to do right now: talk to your team with transparency, pick one recurring friction point to fix instead of launching five projects, and protect training even when the schedule is packed. Training isn’t extra work, it’s how we reduce future work and help people feel confident, capable, and loyal. If you want help building the systems and training that keep great people, head to dentalpracticeheroes.com/slash strategy and set up a call with me. Subscribe, share this with a practice owner who’s stuck in survival mode, and leave a five-star review so more dentists can find the show. If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#686
July 20 · 34 min
What Your Front Desk Wishes the Clinical Team Understood (And Vice Versa)
Front desk versus clinical: every practice has this quiet rivalry, but it doesn't have to be that way. In this episode, the DPH coaches break down why these two sides of the office resent each other and how you as the owner might be making it worse. They share exactly what you can do to create cohesion in the office, from an exercise that breaks tension and gets people talking to an easy fix for the most common source of conflict. Topics discussed: (00:00) Introduction (02:43) What causes front and back office drama (06:55) The exercise that bonds your office (14:11) Managing unspoken expectations (15:42) How to handle team complaints without losing safety (18:55) Who should handle team conflict (21:45) The trust exercise every office needs (25:13) When getting involved backfires (27:22) What causes the most conflict and how to fix it This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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#685
July 16 · 16 min
Stop Hiring People to Solve This Problem
Your dental practice can feel like it’s drowning even when you’re fully staffed and the schedule looks reasonable on paper. The real culprit is often smaller and harder to spot: tiny steps in your systems that get skipped, “just this once,” and then explode into bigger problems for the next person downstream. I’m breaking down how that ripple effect creates the daily feeling of chaos, backlog, and burnout and what to do about it as the leader. We walk through concrete dental practice management examples that every team recognises. First, pre-collecting patient copays for larger appointments: when we avoid a brief, uncomfortable money conversation, we often create longer conversations later, more insurance re-checking, slower check-in, and weaker patient commitment that leads to cancellations and holes in the schedule. Then we talk about scheduling hygiene and recall the right way, including the simple commitment question that reduces last-minute reschedules and protects production, team bonus, and momentum. We also dig into the front office and back office handoff, and how small documentation mistakes can quietly destroy trust. When the front desk has to keep double-checking what happened in the operatory, it slows everything down and can even lower treatment acceptance because patients feel the uncertainty. The solution is not hiring another person. It’s building clear agreements, coaching the “why,” and creating a culture where each team member asks, “Did I make someone else’s job easier or harder?” If you want calmer days, stronger systems, and a team that runs smoother together, subscribe, share this with a practice owner friend, and leave a quick review so we can help more offices. What small step gets skipped most often in your practice? If you are ready to increase your new patients and start growing your practice, visit www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com and see what you've been missing with your current company. Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.
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