Over the past five years, the cost of running a dental practice — equipment, supplies, staff wages — has climbed 23%. Reimbursement has barely moved. That gap isn't a bad quarter. It's a structural squeeze, and it's quietly reshaping who owns dental practices in America.

In this episode of CEO Chairside, Dr. Greg Grillo breaks down the real numbers behind the fiscal squeeze hitting independent practices right now; tariff-driven supply costs, a hygienist shortage 91% of practices are fighting, and why dental spending is falling behind the rest of healthcare.

Then he tackles the question most owners aren't asking: why there are now more private-equity-backed DSOs in dentistry than in any other healthcare vertical, and what that means for the future of independent ownership.

But this isn't a call to panic-cut your budget. Dr. Grillo makes the case for the distinction that matters most in a year like this one — knowing the difference between an expense that just drains your margin and a lever that pays you back. Cut both with the same knife, and you don't protect your practice. You shrink its ability to ever recover.

Drawing on 30+ years of practice ownership, his time as a Navy Dental Officer, and his work inside practices nationwide through Method Pro, Dr. Grillo gives you a clear-eyed read on where the money is actually going and what to do about it before the market decides for you.

In this episode:

• The real five-year cost data behind why margins are shrinking
• Why private equity is consolidating dentistry faster than any other healthcare field
• How to tell an expense from a growth lever, and why cutting both the same way backfires
• Four moves to make this month, before the squeeze makes the decision for you

If you've felt the pressure but couldn't put numbers to it, this episode does that for you.