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The Silent Gap in Dental Practices: How to Communicate With Associate Dentists as a Dental Practice Owner and the 1 Solution You Need

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Running a dental practice is no small feat, let alone learning how to communicate with associate dentists as a dental practice owner. Every day asks you to be a clinician, leader, visionary, problem-solver, and often the emotional center of your team. You’re responsible for clinical outcomes, culture, patient experience, team alignment, financial performance, compliance, all while staying afloat in the fast pace of the operatory.

So it’s no surprise that your relationship with your associate dentist, one of the most important relationships in your practice, can slip into the background. Not intentionally, and not because you don’t care, but simply because you’re carrying so much.

But here’s the truth:

Your associate relationship has the power to strengthen or strain your entire practice and communication is the determining factor.

The good news?
You don’t need to be a naturally gifted communicator to thrive in this role.
You just need a simple structure.

That’s where the DESC coaching model becomes an invaluable leadership tool.

How to communicate with associate dentists as a dental practice owner.
When you communicate with associate dentists as a dental practice owner you gain entrepreneurial freedom

Why Communication With Associates Breaks Down

If learning how to communicate with associate dentists as a dental practice owner feels challenging, it’s not because you’re doing anything wrong, it’s because you were never trained for this part of the job.

Dental school prepares you for:

  • Diagnosis
  • Treatment
  • Clinical mastery

But dental school does not prepare you for:

  • Leadership
  • Management
  • Coaching
  • Difficult conversations
  • Structured communication
  • Setting expectations
  • Navigating conflict

Owning a practice requires you to wear two hats, clinician and leader, and switching between these identities throughout the day isn’t easy. Often, it’s the associate who ends up on the receiving end of the gap.

And when communication slips, the symptoms start showing up quietly:

  • Misalignment
  • Disengagement
  • Quiet resentment
  • Cultural tension
  • Missed expectations
  • Declining performance

None of this comes from lack of intention.
It comes from lack of structure.

And structure is something you can give yourself.

What Associates Need Most (Even If They Don’t Say It Out Loud)

After coaching hundreds of dental entrepreneurs and associates across the country, we’ve learned that associates tend to want the same core things:

  • Clarity — What do you expect?
  • Connection — Are we aligned?
  • Support — Do you have my back?
  • Direction — Where are we headed?
  • Relationship — Do I matter here?

And the easiest way to deliver all of this?

Consistent, structured communication.

A simple monthly one-on-one, over coffee, breakfast, or a quiet hour in the office, can transform:

  • Trust
  • Engagement
  • Performance
  • Culture
  • Retention

You don’t need to wait until something is breaking.
In fact, the goal of these conversations is to ensure nothing ever gets that far. This is how to communicate with associate dentists as a dental practice owner, one conversation at a time.

How to Communicate With Associate Dentists as a Dental Practice Owner: Using the DESC Coaching Model

Tough conversations get avoided for one of two reasons:

  1. You don’t know how to start them.
  2. You’re afraid of how they’ll land.

The DESC coaching model takes all the fear and ambiguity out of the process. It gives you a clear, repeatable structure so the conversation feels calm, steady, and productive, not emotional or confrontational.

DESC stands for:

  • D — Describe the situation
  • E — Express how it impacts the practice
  • S — Specify new or continued behavior
  • C — Communicate the outcome

Let’s walk through the framework the way we coach it at Optimize Practice Alliance when we train on how to communicate with associate dentists as a dental practice owner.

D — Describe the Situation (Objectively, Not Emotionally)

This first step is about clarity, and clarity is kindness.

Instead of:

  • “You’re not working hard enough.”
  • “The team is complaining about you.”
  • “Your numbers aren’t good.”

You shift to:

“Over the last four weeks, I’ve noticed that three scheduled case presentations were not completed, and our treatment coordinator shared that she’s having trouble staying aligned with your plan.”

Facts. Not feelings.

This instantly lowers defensiveness and raises openness.

E — Express the Impact

People don’t change because they’re told to.
People change because they understand why.

Here you communicate the consequences respectfully:

  • “When these cases aren’t completed, patients wait longer for needed care.”
  • “The team becomes unsure how to support you.”
  • “Our flow gets disrupted, which impacts everyone’s day.”

This step forges connection.
It says, we’re in this together.

S — Specify New or Continued Behavior

This is where the conversation becomes actionable.

Instead of vague requests like:

  • “Do better.”
  • “Try harder.”
  • “Be more consistent.”

You say:

“I’d like you to complete all case presentations on the day the patient is seen and check in with the treatment coordinator at the start of each morning huddle.”

Crystal clear.
No guesswork.
No ambiguity.

C — Communicate the Outcome (What Success Looks Like, and What Happens If Nothing Changes)

This step isn’t about punishment.
It’s about giving your associate a clear sense of direction and removing the guesswork around what happens next.

You’re helping them understand:

  • What success looks like if the change is made
  • What the path forward becomes if the issue continues
  • How their actions connect to patient care, team flow, and practice goals

This is where clarity becomes accountability.

For example:

“If we get aligned here, patients move through care faster and the team works more smoothly. If we don’t resolve this, we’ll need to adjust your schedule or support structure so we can maintain consistency for our patients and team.”

You’re not threatening.
You’re communicating the outcome: the natural, practical next steps based on the results of the behavior. This makes expectations unmistakably clear while preserving trust and transparency.

Why This Framework Works

The DESC model is powerful because it:

  • Removes emotion
  • Eliminates confusion
  • Builds trust
  • Creates accountability
  • Protects the relationship
  • Gives you confidence
  • Gives your associate clarity
  • Prevents issues from compounding
  • Makes future conversations easier

And most importantly? It helps you grow your leadership identity.

At Optimize Practice Alliance, we’ve seen practices transform dramatically when owners embrace a structured, predictable communication rhythm built on DESC. It opens the door to better culture, better retention, and better performance, without tension or confrontation.

A Leadership Opportunity That Pays Off

Stepping into the owner–leader role doesn’t require sharp elbows or top-down management. It simply requires:

  • presence
  • intention
  • communication
  • structure

Your associate dentist is one of the best people to practice these skills with because the relationship directly impacts your culture and operational outcomes.

Regular conversations aren’t about correcting problems.
They’re about preventing them.
They’re about mentoring, aligning, and building a stronger practice, together.

And yes, this is a new muscle for many dental entrepreneurs.
But it’s one of the most rewarding leadership shifts you can make.

How Better Communication Strengthens Culture and Sets the Stage for Growth

When you communicate clearly, consistently, and confidently with your associate dentist, you’re not just improving one relationship, you’re strengthening the entire structure of your practice. A well-supported associate becomes:

  • more engaged
  • more accountable
  • more aligned
  • more consistent
  • more connected to the mission

And when that happens, something powerful unfolds:

Your team feels the stability.
Your culture tightens.
Your systems strengthen.
Your daily operations become smoother.

This is the foundation every growing practice needs.

When associates are aligned, supported, and communicated with effectively, you create the cultural and operational strength required to scale. It’s nearly impossible to grow a practice, or add providers, locations, or services, when the core leadership relationship is shaky.

Better communication doesn’t just solve today’s problems.
It unlocks tomorrow’s possibilities.

Want support preparing for your next tough conversation?

If communicating with your associate feels overdue, unclear, or awkward… you are not alone. And you don’t have to figure it out without support. We built a tool specifically for moments like this and we’re making it available to you for free, the DESC Coaching Template.

This template helps you structure your next difficult conversation with clarity, confidence, and calm, so you can lead your practice forward with intention instead of hesitation.

The tough conversations don’t get easier on their own.
But with the right framework, you, and your associate, get stronger together.

Download Your DESC Coaching Template

Dental Practice Success in Uncertain Times: 3 Lessons from the Great Recession

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In 2008, I had a choice to make about my dental practice organization. The world was melting down, people were just beginning to lose their homes. Banks were beginning the process of foreclosing on thousands of homes in default. People were losing their jobs and our government was scratching its head wondering what to do. I made a decision to do something well outside my comfort zone at the time. That moment seemed to call for caution, preservation, reaction.
Not survive.
Not pause.
Scale.

Dental practice scaling

While most of the market was pulling back, I opened three additional practices and built the foundation of what would become the most profitable phase of my entire career.

This isn’t a story about luck or timing.
It’s about mindset. It’s about systems.
And it’s about making bold moves when others freeze.

If you’re feeling the pressure right now, if inflation, rising costs, or tightening margins are making you question your next move, I want you to know something:

You don’t have to retreat.
You can build in this environment.
You can grow right now.

Here’s how I did it—and how you can too.

Many People React. Entrepreneurs Prepare.

During the Great Recession, I watched good doctors crumble—not because they weren’t skilled or passionate, but because they were reactive. They:

  • Slashed marketing and growth budgets
  • Froze hiring
  • Put expansion plans on indefinite hold
  • Pulled back into survival mode

And I get it. That kind of fear response is human. But it’s not strategic.

I realized early on: if I wanted to build something that could survive any storm, I needed to stop reacting—and start leading. That mindset shift changed everything.

Step 1: I Built Systems That Didn’t Rely on Me

The first thing I did was take a hard look at my operations. The truth?
There were many areas where I was the bottleneck.

Too many decisions ran through me. Too much depended on me showing up and putting out fires. That’s a problem for any dental practice in any season—but in a downturn, it’s a business killer.

So I systemized everything I could:

  • Clinical and operational SOPs
  • Training paths for every team role
  • Metrics that told me whether my systems were working
  • Incentives that built trust, enthusiasm and loyalty

That shift created predictability.
And predictability creates profit.

I also learned some invaluable lessons with each dental practice I opened. I document these lessons in my book, Extraction: The Surprising New Formula to Systemize, Scale and Sell Your Business. It’s got some great exercises, tips, strategies and recommended books for you.

Lesson #1: Don’t be the bottleneck. Scaling or growing your dental practice means your role shifts from strictly practicing dentistry to becoming a leader, investor and CEO of your practice. That means becoming the path to success, not the obstacle in front of it. Learn to extract yourself, little by little, from the day-to-day to focus on the 10,000-foot view so you can lead.

Step 2: I Doubled Down on People

When you’re in a tough economy, it’s tempting to cut your team to save money. But I believe this:

The strength of your practice is a reflection of the strength of your people.

Even in the recession, I prioritized hiring and training A-players. I gave my team a clear vision, I treated them with respect, and I created a culture where everyone knew their role in the mission. Everybody on the right bus and in the right seats.

That kind of leadership doesn’t just retain people—it unlocks their potential.

Lesson #2: Great teams aren’t a luxury in a downturn—they’re your survival strategy. In hard times, cutting your team might save money—but investing in the right people builds a business that can weather anything.
When your team understands the mission, feels trusted, and is trained to lead, not just follow, they become your greatest asset in any economy.

Step 3: I Made Every Decision from Data

If you’re leading a business based on how you feel, you’ll ride the same roller coaster as the economy. But when you use data, you get clarity—and clarity breeds courage.

Before opening a new practice, I made sure:

  • My systems were replicable
  • My overhead was under control
  • My production-per-chair was profitable
  • My KPIs told me it was time to grow

No guesswork. No gambling. Just informed execution.

Lesson #3: Emotions are unpredictable. Data isn’t. In uncertain times, data-driven decisions replace guesswork with growth. When you know your numbers, you lead with confidence—not chaos. Clarity creates courage. KPIs create control. If you can’t measure it, don’t bet your business on it.

Hard Times Are Mirrors—Don’t be Afraid to Look into Them

If you’re anxious about the economy right now, let me tell you: you’re not alone. I’ve coached hundreds of doctors through this exact feeling.

And here’s what I always say:

Hard times are mirrors. They show you exactly what needs to be fixed, rethought, or leveled up.

So instead of asking, “How does my dental practice I survive this?”
Ask constructive questions designed to help you find answers:

  • “Where are my inefficiencies?”
  • “What systems are missing?”
  • “What does my team need from me right now?”
  • “Where can I get better?”

At Optimize Practice Alliance, this is what we do. We help doctors turn their anxiety into strategy.

Because economic downturns aren’t barriers—they’re filters. And those dental entrepreneurs who are prepared will rise.

Here’s What I Recommend Right Now

If you’re running a dental business in 2025 and feeling uncertain, you’re not alone. But don’t let that stop you from moving forward with your plan or dream. These are the same steps we guide our Optimize clients through—and they’re the same principles I used in 2008.

1. Audit Your Systems

What are you still doing manually that could be automated or delegated? Do you have SOPs that a new team member could follow without confusion?

2. Know Your KPIs Cold

To truly lead your dental practice through uncertainty, you need to know your numbers. Revenue per provider tells you how productive your team is. Overhead ratio shows how lean or bloated your expenses are. Patient retention reveals the strength of your relationships and systems. And case acceptance shows how well patients understand and commit to care. These aren’t just numbers—they’re signals. When you track the right ones, you lead with clarity, not guesswork.

3. Overcommunicate With Your Team

Fear thrives in silence. Let your team know the plan. Share the wins. Share the challenges. Build trust and they’ll follow you anywhere.

4. Invest in What Moves the Needle

Now is the time to double down on what works—whether that’s leadership training, marketing that actually brings in patients, or improving your patient education process.

5. Protect Your Mindset at All Costs

You can’t lead in fear. You can only lead in focus. I built my growth mindset during the worst of the economy—and it’s the one thing that’s never failed me.

If You Want Help, That’s What We’re Here For

I built Optimize Practice Alliance so other doctors wouldn’t have to figure this out the hard way like I did.

We help dental entrepreneurs:

  • Cut out inefficiencies
  • Build strong, self-led teams
  • Systemize their operations
  • Develop real growth plans
  • And eventually exit at top value

We’ve walked this road—and we walk it every day with clients across the country.

If you’re ready to build a recession-resistant practice that runs with confidence, not chaos, let’s talk.

Final Thought

When the economy gets shaky, your business doesn’t have to.
You can grow now.
You can lead now.
You can build your most profitable phase right now.

I did it in 2008.
And I promise you—you can do it now.

Let’s get to work.

Schedule a Consulting Call

A Vision for your Dental Practice: 12 Key Areas of Value

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You didn’t build your dental practice without some sort of plan. And you didn’t create a plan without first having a vision. You know how I know that? Because no one ever wakes up and says, “I want to give myself a whole bunch of work without knowing if that work will ever lead to anything.” Amiright?  

You gotta have a plan if you’re going to be successful but you gotta have a vision of where that plan will lead you. Think of it this way, your plan is how you will get where you want to go, your vision is the place you want to end up at, your point B, if you will. So, in this post, let’s break down what a vision is and how to define it, outline it and make sure it’s on solid ground before you strategize a plan for it.  

Your vision is your point B for your dental practice. It’s where you want to end up at the end of all that hard work. Your vision can be personal or professional or a mix of both so that you’re as satisfied personally as you are with your business results.  

In fact, with the doctors I consult, I make sure they include and prioritize their personal well-being as well as their family’s and team’s well-being. If you don’t prioritize that in your vision, you will watch yourself run ragged for a dream that you’ve come to despise because it’s made too many demands on your mental and physical health. You must be mindful of what you’re capable of and what you need to delegate.   

Along with how you’re feeling personally you want to have a clear picture of what every aspect of your business looks like and where your practice(s) will be when you arrive at your vision. That is typically a 3-year period. So, what is it and how do you use it?  

What is the Vivid Vision® method for your Dental Practice?  

I was introduced to the Vivid Vision method a few years back when I started working with my coach, Cameron Herold. Cameron is the author is Vivid Vision: A Remarkable Tool for Aligning Your Business Around a Shared Vision of the Future and he introduced me to using his Vivid Vision® method in figuring out where I wanted to take my organization. Using that process allowed me to create a vision based on my values, my passions and how I wanted to live my life.  

Cameron Herold on his Vivid Vision® Process

So, what does creating a Vivid Vision® entail? There are 12 key areas of focus that you will need to address in creating your Vivid Vision®. Remember, this vision is your point B, it’s where you want to end up in 1 year, 3 years or 5 years, depending on the current state of your practice.  

I highly recommend doing a full audit of your point A, how your practice is performing right now, so you get a clear idea of how long it might take to get to your point B.

Read this article about assessing your practice, Clarify your Dental Practice Vision: Assess your Point A and Launch your Legacy 

Once you’ve done a thorough assessment of the state of your practice, then you can begin to craft your vision. As I mentioned, there are 12 key areas of focus that you will want to pay attention to as the first steps in crafting your vision. Check out some wonderful examples and a checklist here for some ideas of how to begin and where to put your focus.  

These 12 areas are fundamental to your practice, but they also encompass how you want to live and operate within the boundaries of your organization. This process asks a lot of you in the beginning but watching my organization transform and grow because of this foundation I created has been the most rewarding experience of my professional life. I urge you to take the time to do your due diligence and answer all these questions fully.   

The first thing that goes on the blank page is the statement –  

“It’s December 31, 20__ …”  

This beginning will help put you in the future and let you see what your practice can look like in that year, typically that year will be 1 year, 3 years or 5 years from the day you begin writing your vision. Be generous with yourself, don’t try to solve every issue, transform your culture and double your annual revenue in one year. Give yourself time to fulfill this vision.  

Your Personal ‘Why’  

Why I do what I do – These 1 to 3 sentences are a description of why you started your practice and what you hope to achieve with it. This comes from the heart. Keep it simple and short.  

Core Values – Paired with your personal ‘why’, your core values are what will guide your vision. You don’t want to put yourself in the position of going against your values even and especially in business. Identifying your core values will help you make decisions about your practice while crafting your vivid vision. Do you know your core values?  Check out James Clear’s list of core values here.  

The People in your Dental Practice 

Culture – What do you want your team culture to look like? How do you want to interact with people in your offices? How do you want them to interact with the public and your vendors? What kind of cohesion do you want to build within your teams? How do you want to build that cohesion?   

Team/Employees – Write down every key role in your practice. Do you have the right people in the right seats? Is everyone doing the job they are best at and most passionate about? Do team members work and live with purpose? 

What You Do – Your Dental Practice Focus 

Core Business Activity – What does your dental practice specialize in? Emergency care? Cosmetic dentistry? Are you a concierge practice? Detailing your USP or unique selling proposition will help you create offers, messaging and services in alignment with your core business activities.  

How the World Sees Your Dental Practice 

Operations – How do your patients see your practice? What do your reviews and testimonials say about your services, operations and in-office experience?  

Offices/Headquarters – What does your office feel like walking into your practice? Does the office reflect the types of services you offer? A comforting environment for emergency dentistry? Or a sleek, upscale vibe reflective of a cosmetic dentistry practice? A homey feeling for a more traditional hygiene practice? Does your office aesthetic reflect your practice’s services and values?  

How Your Dental Practice Communicates with the World 

Sales/Marketing – How do you communicate with the world to attract patients to your practice? Do you have a marketing strategy? Is it based on your core values and mission? Is your social media presence reflective of your core values? Is your marketing strategy successful?  

Community Involvement & Giving Forward – Does your dental practice support local and community-based charities or organizations? Do you have sponsorships, scholarships or dental intern programs? How do you give back to your community?  

How Media Portrays your Dental Practice 

Media & Awards – What has the media said about your dental practice organization? How are you portrayed to the public? Have you been recognized in local or national publications?  

The KPIs of your Dental Practice  

Financials – This aspect of your vision is your chance to see the actual heartbeat of the dental practice. What are your sales, yearly revenue and profit? What is your annual growth rate? Have you done an EBITDA analysis of your practice?  

From Dental Practice Owner to Investor and Leader 

Founder Feeling – Although this is the last key area of your vision, I consider it one of the most important ones because this is where you take time to evaluate how you want to show up in the practice, your day-to-day interaction with your practice and your mindset.  

Ask yourself, “how do I want to spend my time?” “What does my daily activity look like?” “How do I want to feel every day?”  

You can also take time to write down your mentors, how you became a dentist, what your core motivation was, your initial passion for starting your business and what personal growth looks like now to you. Take your time. Write down from the heart, where it all began, how it’s going and where you truly want to be by December 31st, 20___.  

This is an incredibly transformative experience if you dare to embark on the journey of crafting your Vivid Vision®. This brief overview that I’ve laid out here is only the beginning. If you would like more information, I recommend checking out Jennifer Hudye and her site Conscious Copy & Co. And here’s more info on my Vivid Vision® process, check out my book, Extraction: The Surprising New Formula to Systemize, Scale and Sell Your Business.

Remember, to get to point B, you need to start at point A, define where you want to end up, your point B, and then develop a strategy for how you’re going to get there. But the first step is always to define what point B looks like for you. Similar to a GPS system, you punch in where you want to go, then punch in where you are, once you have both of those coordinates you can devise or choose a strategy for getting there from here.  

One More Tool for your Toolkit 

At first glance, creating a comprehensive vision for your dental practice might seem overwhelming—another big task on top of everything else you do to keep your business running. But there’s a powerful reason to take this step: to design the life and practice you truly wanted when you started this journey.

As a practice owner, you quickly discover you’re not just a dentist, you’re also the CEO, the strategist, and the visionary. If you’re feeling the weight of burnout or wondering how to recapture that original spark, you’re not alone. Many dentists face these same challenges as their practice grows.

That’s why we developed the Extraction GPS Template. This free, step-by-step worksheet helps you clarify your vision, define your values, assess where you are now, and set clear goals for your practice’s next chapter. With the Extraction GPS, you can turn those 12 key areas of value into a concrete, actionable plan, so you can build the business and the life you’ve always envisioned.

Ready to take control of your future and lead with clarity?
Download your free Extraction GPS Template now and start mapping out a vision that works for you, your team, and your family.

DOWNLOAD YOUR EXTRACTION GPS TEMPLATE

Strategic Planning for your Dental Practice: A 10- Point Roadmap to Achieve Success  

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Do you have any big plans for your dental practice this year? If so, do you have a strategic plan for those plans? Last week, we talked about the difference between a vision and a strategic plan. In this post, let’s look at how to create a strategic plan for your big goals.  

When you create a Strategic Plan, what you are really creating is a roadmap that bridges the gap between where you are right now and what you want to achieve. Your Strategic Plan is what my partner, Dr. Jack Bayramyan, likes to call your Growth Positioning System.  

The planning process is a way of reverse engineering your vision into measurable goals and then developing a written plan with a clear understanding of the obstacles in your path, investments you need to make and the resources and capabilities you need to have to achieve these goals.  

For Your Dental Practice to Grow, first you Need a BHAG 

The steps laid out below are the exact steps that Dr. Jack used to develop and reach his BHAG or Big, Hairy Audacious Goal. The BHAG concept was developed by Jim Collins in his book Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies.  

One of the advantages of having a huge goal is that it gets you out of bed in the morning. We can utilize the Goldilocks effect here: your goal can’t be so small that it’s easily achievable and offers no excitement or challenge to you or your team; but it also can’t be so big that it’s seemingly impossible to achieve or too intimidating for your team to even think about. Your BHAG must be right.  

And you’ll know that your goal is just right when you can easily reverse engineer it and can build the roadmap to achieving it.  

BHAG for your Dental Practice

This image illustrates how you can break a goal down into achievable parts over time. This particular goal is for a multi-site practice. The BHAG is growing the practice to “Serving 50k patients in 3 years.” We break this goal down into yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily goals.

In order to achieve the daily goal of 65 appointments per practice, you can reverse engineer that to see how you’ll achieve it. Do you need more operatories? Do you need to hire more hygienists or associate dentists? Do you need to overhaul your patient management software?

And remember, you don’t want to create a goal that is so big it feels unachievable or so small that you and your team aren’t inspired or challenged. It should feel a little scary but not terrifying. The same goes for your resources. Don’t over-commit your resources or take on something that will cost you or your organization more than you can afford in time or money. That’s why a plan is necessary, it will help you see what is achievable and what might need to wait.

Your Dental Practice Strategic Plan 

Ok, so you’ve got your BHAG. Now what? Let’s look at the exact plan Dr. Jack followed to reach his goal. This is a breakdown of steps you need to take and questions you need to answer for your strategic plan.  

Clarify what you want to achieve in your Dental Practice 

  • You need to be very clear about where you want your practice to end up when you achieve your goal. For instance, you may want to increase the number of patients seen by a certain amount. You will need to know how many patients your team, practice and operations can handle and what the limit is so you can plan to face the challenges that will arise as more patients come into the practice.  

Write down your measurable goals into a well- developed measurable scorecard to be shared with your team  

  • Very similar to the goal chart [see image above] that Jack created for his team, you can break down that goal into increments to see how to reach it, how to delegate the different tasks to your team, and how to create the correct strategies for measuring those goals.  

Set deadlines by breaking down your three-year goals into annual, quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily objectives  

  • One of the most helpful tools I’ve found as a CEO is insisting on my teams keeping a regular meeting cadence. Meetings dedicated to one topic, in this case your BHAG will keep everyone focused on the objectives and cohesive in your strategy.   

Identify and list all the obstacles in your path preventing you from reaching your goals and objectives 

  • Taking the example above, of “increasing patients seen,” you can begin to see where your practice is optimized to receive new patients and where you may face challenges when that number increases. For instance, you may not have a big enough team. You may need to hire an associate or another hygienist. These are the specifics that you will become aware of when you create your plan and look for the obstacles to reaching BHAG.  

List all the resources and capabilities you need to transform those obstacles into growth 

  • These resources may be a more robust CRM (customer relationship management system); You might consider hiring a marketing agency to help you attract, retain and track new patients; with these changes, you may find that your accounting software needs updating. Fleshing out the details of what you already have on hand and where you may need to expand, fund or source new resources or capabilities will save you money and time in the long run.  

Organize your goals into a sequence of priorities  

  • Follow the 80/20 rule which states that 80 percent of your results will come from 20 percent of your activities. It’s important to list them in order of priority and sequence with detailed steps, dates and timelines.

Build an accountability structure for your team 

  • Create a visual accountability chart with specific goals and deadlines for each critical role in your business: most importantly, marketing/sales, operations, and finance. That way, each person knows exactly what part of the BHAG they are responsible for while also knowing the timeline for execution and completion.  

Assign a member of your leadership team to each role. Note that some leaders may have multiple roles 

  • Make sure that each team member knows not just what and when to execute and complete their responsibilities but how they’ll get your vision completed. They will need the proper resources and hands to get the job done. Another quick tip is reviewing that accountability structure in your monthly or quarterly meetings.  

Calculate the investments you need to make to acquire the resources and capabilities listed above  

  • Reaching your BHAG will most likely take a lot of resources including money. You may need to take a business loan, source investors or find revenue in your business. No matter how you source and acquire that money make sure it’s accounted for and earmarked for your BHAG and not simply quotidian funds in your practice. You must keep your eye on the ball.  

The investment you make is a critical part of strategic planning. This investment is not only money, but your time and energy towards the commitment of achieving your BHAG and ultimately realizing your vision for your dental practice.  

Undermining the value of investments and confusing investments with expenses has been the greatest bottleneck to growth for many entrepreneurs and organizations. It’s a good rule of thumb to remember we must invest before we can unlock the benefits of growth.  

Your Dental Practice Strategic Plan Needs A Framework 

Now that you’ve designed your strategic plan, the real work begins… execution. Setting a bold goal, enrolling your team, allocating resources, and committing to the journey ahead can feel intimidating. Big visions tend to do that. But when you know exactly how you’re getting from Point A to Point B, much of that fear fades into focus.

A clear roadmap is essential, but it only works if it’s supported by the right mindset. Belief, discipline, and follow-through are what turn plans into progress. Without them, even the best strategy stays stuck on paper.

That’s why we created the Extraction GPS. This tool helps dental entrepreneurs clarify their values, assess their current reality, and define a clear, intentional path forward. It turns strategic planning into something usable, something you can return to when decisions get hard, momentum slows, or distractions creep in.

Vision plus effort is powerful. Vision plus effort and clarity is unstoppable.

Ready to turn your strategic plan into intentional action?

Download Your Extraction GPS

For Dental Practice Owners: 3 Scary Mindsets that Stifle Growth 

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As a dentist, dental practice owner, entrepreneur and now the founder and president of OPS, I talk with other dentists all the time. More to the point, I to listen to dentists. And one thing I’ve come to realize is that much of what holds dentists back from growing and scaling is their own mindsets.

The Biggest Obstacle to Growth and Opportunity

In my experience, there is one type of mindset that destroys hope and possibility in professionals and entrepreneurs in every industry. I call it growth fear and it is a very real phenomenon. I want to address 3 limiting growth fear mindsets in particular in this post.  

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” 
~Dale Carnegie 

Fear is an effective action-killer. Once fear has its grip on you, you’ve stopped before you’ve even begun. It’s one of the most time-consuming and pointless wastes of energy. Yes, fear is a useful emotion not to be ignored. It alerts us to immediate and long-term danger whether physical or emotional. It can also teach us a lot about ourselves. We need to pay attention to fear when it arises.  

However, paying attention to it is not the usual focus we take in business. When fear arises in us or in our business dealings, we usually don’t immediately understand it, address it or remove the cause of it. When we feel fear in business we ignore it, push it aside or belittle ourselves for having it if we do acknowledge it at all.  

Why is that?

Fear is the First Step in a Challenging Situation

I think the answer is that we don’t recognize fear for what it is when it comes up while we’re working. Fear shows itself in other ways in our business lives: we push plans aside; we repudiate ideas from others as unattainable or far-fetched; or we conveniently forget or ignore valuable insights that can spur growth, risk or investment.

All these responses can be justified as “safe” or “down-to-earth” or “rational” choices. And sometimes they are. But sometimes, many times, these responses are not ‘rational’ but an unconscious reaction to the fear that arises in us when we think about the risk, the work, or the delegation it would take to achieve a goal that triggers fear in us.  

Let’s look at these three fundamental fears and how they affect our business growth and dental practice function.  

The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” 
~Nelson Mandela 

Growth Fear #1: Nothing Will Be in My Control in My Dental Practice

When you’re feeling out of control in your business that is a sign of fear or trepidation. It’s time to take a pause. Step back from your duties, your work and your busy day. It’s very easy to get into a groove, or more accurately, a rut in our businesses and get stuck. This experience has plagued every business owner at one time or another. You get stuck working in your business and forget or ignore working on your business.  

What’s the difference?  

Working in your business means you’re sitting in the chair looking into mouths day after day. This is a fine place to be until your dental practice is coming apart at the seams because you haven’t hired a new associate in months; you haven’t thought about raises for your team and they’re starting to revolt; appointments are dropping because you haven’t paid attention to training your staff on a recall program.

There is a part of you that knows action needs to be taken but you are not taking the action required because it means monetary investment, or stepping up and out of your dental chair which is where you’re most comfortable; or you rationalize that the time away from the chair will hurt your income and profit. But that’s where the thinking stops because you’re too afraid to dig into the feelings and discomfort that these situations bring up.  

The solution is to give yourself time and patience to learn to work, not just in your dental practice, but to work on your dental business. Sometimes, taking the leap from dentist to dental entrepreneur is scary and uncomfortable. But it is a necessary step for your success.  

Growth Fear #2: Growing My Dental Practice Means More Work for Me 

This is a big and often unconscious fear for dental practice owners. The thinking goes, “if I try to grow or scale my dental practice, I will just be giving myself more work.” So, they put that idea aside for “one day.”  

More work with growing your practice is a distinct possibility. However, that is not the only possibility. It is possible, preferable and optimal to grow your dental practice after having identified and delegated the goals and responsibilities for growth to your team. This step requires that you get agreement and buy-in from your team members. And asking them to see and agree to your vision and assist you in that attainment is scary. It means putting yourself, your dreams and your personal desires on display and asking people to agree with you and fight for your vision alongside you.  

That’s a big ask and it requires your vulnerability. So scary. I remember coaching a dentist on this very issue. And it took a while to uncover that this was actually the issue. We were working on ways to establish more revenue and profit for his practice. I offered up the idea of scaling his business and almost immediately started offering excuses as to why it wouldn’t work.  

We took a break from our coaching session for lunch where we both got a chance to breathe and relax. I asked him why he didn’t think scaling was an option for him and in all honesty, he said that it would mean more work for him while he was already feeling spread too thin in his current responsibilities. There it was. We got to the core of his fear – more work. I explained that this need not be the case and we went back into our coaching session focusing on solutions that ensured no added responsibilities to his workload. It turned out to be a very productive session for him.  

Growth Fear #3: Growing My Dental Practice Will Cost Me Big 

The final area where fear stealthily stifles growth is the thinking that growing your practice cuts into profit and revenue with no guarantee of ROI. You may have had thoughts of growing your practice in the past and the minute you have those thoughts you think, “welp, it’ll be too expensive to implement those changes. Never mind.” And you move on as quickly as you start thinking about it.  

On the face of it, that thinking is logical, obvious and safe. Yes, growing your practice does incur expense and require investment, but that is the initial short-term aspect of all growth. If you were to stop there then, of course, you would never see the ultimate results of your investment or work.  

But I challenge you to look at this fear in another way. Your fear of not seeing a return on your financial investment might very well be rooted in your lack of confidence in your or your team’s ability to see your actions through to the end.  

Why do I say that?  

Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.“ 
~Marie Curie  

Because a financial investment in your dental practice is a bet on your abilities. Full stop. You’re betting that you’ve got the courage, the know-how and the endurance to build, test and grow your systems until they start yielding the results you want. So, what’s the real fear? The real fear here is you wondering if you’ve got what it takes. But once again, you can’t grow your practice alone or in a vacuum. It takes an entire team to bring your vision into reality.  

And the sooner you can be honest with yourself about the root causes of your fear the sooner you can address them and begin to take effective action in the direction of your choosing. And that is what real freedom is about, isn’t it? The ability to respond as you choose.

It’s Only the Entrepreneurial Unknown You Fear

In fact, all these fears are rooted in questioning yourself and your abilities. Why? Because, most likely you’ve never done this before! You leave dental school striving to be an expert in dentistry and then spend years perfecting your craft. Where is that same level of expertise, perfection and mastery for your business??  

Many dentists come by their business acumen through trial and error and many mistakes and missteps. It takes years of exhaustive efforts to build a successful dental practice. So, when you start to ask yourself bigger questions about growth, the fear leaps up and instantly quashes the hope and then camouflages itself as something else: non-interest, overwhelm, logic or practicality.  

Conquer Growth Roadblocks with Clarity, Not Fear

After exploring the mindset traps that quietly sabotage progress, it’s clear that lasting growth doesn’t come from wishful thinking or simply hoping things will get better. It comes from bringing clarity to your business—understanding what’s working, what’s not, and having the confidence to act on real data.

If you’re ready to stop letting uncertainty or fear dictate your next move, the fastest way forward is to measure what matters most in your practice. When you know your numbers, you can spot early warning signs, address challenges before they become costly, and empower your team to reach new levels of performance.

That’s why we developed the OPA KPI Tracker, a practical, user-friendly tool designed specifically for dental entrepreneurs. This is the very tool we use when we consult with our partner practices so they gain real insight into how the business of their practice is actually going. With it, you can:

  • Track your production, case acceptance, scheduling efficiency, and more, all in one place.
  • Identify the small tweaks that can make a big impact on your growth.
  • Turn unknowns into actionable next steps, so you always know where you stand.

Ready to move past fear and lead with clarity?
Download your free OPA KPI Tracker now and take the first step toward a more resilient, data-driven, and successful practice.

You don’t have to navigate this journey alone. With the right tools and a mindset focused on progress, you can transform uncertainty into opportunity, starting today. 

Download Your KPI Tracker

The #1 Most Powerful Secret Ingredient for Scaling Your Dental Practice

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Are you planning on scaling your dental practice? Whether you are or you’re not, keep reading because I will be making the case for growing your practice no matter what your plans.  

One of the most difficult aspects of being an entrepreneur is your mindset. Bet you didn’t think I’d say that, right? There are a lot of challenges and obstacles when it comes to being an entrepreneur, but every single solution starts in the same place…a growth mindset.  

If you don’t have a growth mindset, every single challenge will be exponentially harder to defeat because you will be meeting that challenge with a never-ending supply of resistance. 

 

Growth Mindset for your Dental Practice

What’s that saying? “There’s as many as excuses as there are…” you get the idea. If you’re going to scale, grow, expand or do anything of importance for your business, yes dentistry is a business, you’ve got to start at the root of stagnation…your mindset.  

That’s a nebulous, cloudy proposition, though, isn’t it? How do you change your mindset? Glad you asked! There are all kinds of ways to get started in creating a mindset shift. You can read some wonderful books on entrepreneurism and mindset; You can attend lectures, conferences and retreats dedicated to this topic; You can hire a coach; In fact, one of the most effective ways to challenge an old mindset and shift your thinking is by joining a mastermind. More on that a little later.  

All these solutions are effective because they allow you to take action without taking any risks in the business; and they allow you to learn and grow from others who have done exactly what you want to do. These two qualities: action and proximity to opportunity and knowledge help you build the courage to take the risks you need to grow your dental practice organization.

The #1 Strategy for Scaling Your Dental Practice 

I have another strategy for shifting your mindset in addition to the ones above. This strategy allows you to bounce ideas off someone else, just like a mastermind does; you get the opportunity to brush up on new skills, just like going to a retreat or conference would; and this strategy allows you to work on your business, not just in your business, much like working with a coach would.  

But the quality that makes this secret strategy the most effective one is…this strategy will actually make you money as opposed to all the other strategies which will cost you money. Now, tbh, the above strategies are fantastic and effective and the cost is worth the Investment. But this strategy is designed to increase sales, expand your practice and change your mindset. So, what is it?  

If you want to scale your practice, but you can’t even envision what that will look like much less begin executing a plan, start with hiring an associate dentist. Hiring an associate dentist is the fastest way to grow your practice while allowing you the time to evolve your thinking and shift to a growth mindset. How?  

Josh Gwinn, Co-founder, CEO of OPS on the advantages of hiring an associate for your dental practice

Learning to Shift into a Growth Mindset in Your Dental Practice  

With an associate, you will have someone to bounce ideas off of when you start thinking about making changes to your practice. In fact, just making room for an associate may bring up other areas of your practice that need your attention. You may have to do a bit of remodeling; you’ll need to make room on your website for the new addition to your team; this might be a good time to talk about your pricing structures, making sure they’re up-to-date and comprehensive; and the new associate may bring her own ideas and inspirations to the discussions. Opening discussions with your new associate will allow you both to engender trust, share ideas, troubleshoot problem areas and brainstorm on solutions.  

Learn New Leadership Skills for Your Dental Practice 

When you take on an associate, there may be some subtle shifts in the power dynamics within your team structure. This is totally normal. Questions from your team may arise, like, “who do we answer to now?” “Does this mean you are stepping back?” “Are we getting a new hygienist?”  And there will definitely be questions coming from your new associate as well.  

This period of transition offers you an opportunity to step into a leadership role. If you have not already taken on a leadership role in your practice now is the time for you to step up. You went to dental school; you may have started out as an associate yourself; you started your own practice; but all of that doesn’t necessarily allow you to flex your leadership muscles.  

Taking on a new associate means your team just got bigger; you will be looked at to make the big decisions. Your leadership may have up to this point seemed almost like a by-product of your dental practice, a necessary aspect that you need to revisit from time to time. However, with an associate, there will be no mistaking that you are the person in charge, and you are the one who makes the big decisions.  

This can feel uncomfortable at first, but with time, you will accept this new role and more importantly, so will your team and your new associate. Leadership takes practice and having a new associate will allow you to figure out what kind of leadership style fits you best. Enjoy the process and everyone will be that much more comfortable while you grow into your new authority.  

Learning to Delegate will Improve Your Dental Practice 

The last area of growth that comes with taking on a new associate is in delegation. You will now have someone else who can take on more work! This will free up your brain in so many ways. You will finally get the opportunity to start thinking bigger when it comes to your practice. Why? Because now you’ll have the time and mental clarity to start working ON your business, not just IN your practice.  

This is a huge leap forward when it comes to expanding or scaling your practice. Now, you’ll watch the creative juices start flowing when it comes to ways your practice can expand and grow. This will be an exciting time because this is one of the most immediate and expansive results of taking on a new associate. You will suddenly start to look for other ways you can grow your dental practice as well we your mindset.  

Expanding your dental practice = expanding your mindset. You can’t have one without the other. Whether you want to scale your practice by adding new locations or expand your single practice by adding more dentists and operatories, taking the leap and welcoming a new associate will give you the growth mindset you need to achieve your goals and reach your vision. By taking on the responsibility of hiring a new associate to join your team you’re already taking the steps to expand your mindset, and when you expand your mindset, you expand what is possible for your business.  

One More Way to Activate a True Growth Mindset

A growth mindset isn’t just about thinking differently, it’s about giving your ambition a direction. Without clarity, even the most motivated dental entrepreneurs can find themselves working harder without making real progress.

That’s why we created the Extraction GPS. This tool helps you clarify your values, assess where your practice is today, and define a clear path forward, so your growth mindset is supported by a real plan. When you know where you’re going and why it matters, momentum becomes sustainable instead of exhausting.

Scaling your practice requires more than optimism. It requires intention, alignment, and a roadmap that keeps you focused when challenges show up.

Ready to turn your growth mindset into purposeful action?

Download Your Extraction GPS