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 or leave
• 3 key areas to focus on from day one
• Communication and calibration strategies
• Why Steve doesn’t use the word “associate”
• How to support and invest in associates’ growth
• The owner’s role as a mentor
• Metrics that keep associates on track
• Training for smarter scheduling and case acceptance

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

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.

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 dentist struggle with patient complaints
• How to communicate risks with empathy
• The importance of decisiveness in treatment planning
• Using AI to address post-op pain
• How to explain post-op sensitivity and possible complications
• How the DPH coaches handle retreatment and refund demands
• Learning from mistakes and addressing issues with your team

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

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

Join Etch, Steve, Henry, and 14 other growth minded practice owners at this exclusive beachfront masterminding opportunity November 7 and 8 in Destin Florida. Apply by setting up a strategy call HERE

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.

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 systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams.

Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

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 stress and more structure!

Topics discussed:

• The new challenges that come with practice growth
• Dr. Green’s biggest leadership mistake as a new owner
• Developing systems to lead instead of manage
• The structure that helped him reduce clinical days
• Core lessons in his 12-week leadership program
• Mindset shifts for cutting clinical days without guilt
• Strategies to keep associates happy and accountable
• Key metrics that show you’re ready for another associate
• How to easily cut down to three clinical days

Grab Dr. Chris Green’s book, The Plan, The Project, The Practice: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0D37YZBKN/allbooks/

Learn more about Dynamic Dental Ascension:
https://dynamicdentalascension.com/

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

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

Join Etch, Steve, Henry, and 14 other growth minded practice owners at this exclusive beachfront masterminding opportunity November 7 and 8 in Destin Florida. Apply by setting up a strategy call HERE

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.

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 through discomfort. When he hired a trainer who taught him that growth only happens during those painful final reps, everything changed. This same principle applies perfectly to practice ownership.

Through vulnerable storytelling, Dr. Edgerson reveals how he faced the uncomfortable task of confronting an associate dentist about questionable clinical work, despite good production numbers and positive patient relationships. This courage to have difficult conversations, drop insurances with outdated reimbursement rates, delegate leadership responsibilities, and say no to energy-draining commitments represents the "last two reps" of practice ownership. These uncomfortable actions yield the greatest returns and differentiate growing practices from stagnant ones.

The podcast introduces a powerful framework for identifying what you're avoiding in your practice because of discomfort. Dr. Edgerson challenges listeners to "eat the frog"—tackle your most uncomfortable task first thing each day—and consider getting a "spotter" in the form of coaching or mentorship to accelerate growth. After all, you can't build strength without stress, and you can't build a better practice without embracing necessary discomfort. What uncomfortable conversations are you avoiding that might be keeping you from true practice freedom?

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 systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams.

Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

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 episode is for you!

Learn how to:

• Navigate the mental toll of ownership
• Define your “why”
• Align your culture with your vision
• Do a “stress autopsy”
• Track important data in your practice
• Keep your team accountable
• Make smarter decisions based on data

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

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

Join Etch, Steve, Henry, and 14 other growth minded practice owners at this exclusive beachfront masterminding opportunity November 7 and 8 in Destin Florida. Apply by setting up a strategy call HERE

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.

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're still taking on water, just with more people watching it happen. Many dentists are shocked to discover they actually made more money as associates than they do as owners after hiring their own associates.

For the associate model to work effectively, four critical elements must align: cultural fit, longevity, production capability (minimum $650/hour), and case acceptance skills. The responsibility for creating this environment falls entirely on you as the owner. This means implementing scheduling templates, training your team on case presentation, and—most critically—providing consistent mentorship. I learned this lesson the hard way, watching my first two associates thrive under my guidance while subsequent hires struggled when I mistakenly assumed the process would run itself.

When done right, however, associates truly unlock freedom and scalability. Imagine working just 1-3 days weekly, focusing only on procedures you enjoy, and having the flexibility to adjust your schedule without six months' notice. I've built a $6 million practice working just one day weekly through systematization and associate development—not magic, but methodical implementation.

Ready to transform the associate illusion into reality? Start by auditing your patient demand (you need at least 35 new patients per doctor), systematizing operations, committing to mentorship, and considering junior partnership models that create long-term retention without sacrificing control. Visit dentalpracticeheroes.com to discover how we can guide you through this transformation and help you achieve the practice freedom you've always wanted.

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 systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams.

Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

You know what’s worse than not having an office manager? Having the wrong one. We all want that "perfect" hire, but perfect on paper rarely works in practice.

This episode explores what really makes someone the right fit, whether you're promoting from within or hiring from the outside, and how to set them up for success in their new role. You'll learn three important things: the trade-offs of hiring internally vs. externally, what you need to do before handing over the reins, and how to keep your practice running smoothly — with or without a manager.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Why most outside hires fail
• The #1 onboarding mistake
• How to successfully promote internally vs. externally
• How to interview new office managers
• How to “build your bench"

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

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 systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams.

Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.