DEO's Growth Secrets for Dental Organizations

Hosted by Emmet Scott - CEO, Growth Leader

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270

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

DEO's Growth Secrets for Dental Organizations is a dental business podcast for practice owners, operators, and dental group leaders looking to improve profitability, leadership, operations, and growth across single-location and multi-location dental practices. Whether you're running your first practice, expanding into multiple locations, or leading a growing dental organization, this show is built for you. Hosted by Emmet Scott, co-founder and CEO of the Dentist Entrepreneur Organization (DEO), along with DEO's coaches, the show features the operators who have built high-performing dental organizations and the industry experts working across thousands of practices. Every episode unpacks what's actually driving growth right now: the systems, leadership, financial discipline, and operational strategies that help dental groups scale. From practice management and patient growth to acquisitions, culture, technology, and team development, you'll hear real-world lessons from leaders who are building modern dental organizations without sacrificing ownership, culture, or clinical autonomy. Real operators. Real data. Real playbooks. New episodes help you build a business that runs on systems instead of your sweat, so you can create more profit, more freedom, and more impact.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 4, 202633 min

270: Is Your Patient Financing Helping or Hurting Your Dental Practice?

What if patients aren't saying no to treatment, but saying no to how you're asked to pay? Jordin McEntire sits down with Luke Johnson, Chief Revenue Officer at HFD, to break down what's really happening when patients leave without scheduling. Luke's family bought HFD in 2017, not as bankers, but as entrepreneurs who saw a gap most lenders weren't willing to close. They spent the next 17 years building data on the patients every financing company turns away, and what came out of that is a 99% approval rate the industry hadn't seen before. Luke explains why most financing platforms are built to deny rather than approve, what that does to your treatment coordinators' confidence, and how knowing nearly everyone can qualify changes the way you market and present care. 🔗 Website: www.gohfd.com 📲 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/gohfd 📲 Facebook: facebook.com/gohfd.us 📥 Download the Free Case Study: https://tinyurl.com/ybrc63vz 💡 HFD is part of DEO's Cost Savings Club. DEO Members can submit an interest form in the DEO App to get access. 💡 Running your practice shouldn't feel like survival mode. Join DEO's Growth Secrets Newsletter, the daily email with real tips on growth and profitability. 👉 Subscribe Now: https://deodentalgroup.com/newsletter/ Today's episode is sponsored by HFD, a partner of the DEO.

May 28, 202643 min

269: Why Two Doctors Make More Money Than Two Dental Practices

What if the single biggest money mistake you're making has nothing to do with marketing, overhead, or your fee schedule? Emmett Scott sits down with Dr. Brett Wells, CEO of Loren Dental Partners, who built nine locations — eight of them de novo startups — and spent six years grinding solo while leaving a fortune on the table. Brett shares why he waited way too long to bring in a second doctor, how that one decision took a single practice from $2M to $6M a year, and why two doctors in one location will always make more money than two separate practices. He also opens up about building and selling Dental HQ, a half-million dollar hot dog restaurant that almost made it to Shark Tank, and the communication lesson that changed how he leads. Ready to join DEO members who have already solved the challenges you are facing today? ✨ Schedule your free Growth Accelerator Call and take the first step toward becoming a DEO member 👉 https://deodentalgroup.com/interest/

May 21, 202640 min

268: How One Dental Group Went From 40% to 78% Case Acceptance

What if every conversation in your operatory is already telling you where your production is leaking...and you just can't hear it? In this episode, Jordin McEntire sits down with Danny Bessonov, CEO and co-founder of Avora, to break down why most dental groups are flying blind on case presentation, team performance, and patient experience. Danny shares how ambient AI turns every appointment into real-time coaching data, giving operators visibility into conversations they'd otherwise never hear, and a scorecard for every role that touches the patient. He walks through why case acceptance is a systems problem and not a people problem, and Jordin shares a live result from a DEO member using Avora: case acceptance went from 40% to 78% — with fewer staff than the quarter before. 📞 Connect with Danny: 🔗 Website: getavora.ai 🔗 Free Case Presentation Report: getavora.ai/report/case-presentation 📲 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dbessonov 💡 Avora is part of DEO's Cost Savings Club. DEO Members can learn more in the DEO App. Ready to join DEO members who have already solved the challenges you are facing today? ✨ Schedule your free Growth Accelerator Call and take the first step toward becoming a DEO member 👉 https://deodentalgroup.com/interest/ Today's episode is sponsored by Avora, a partner of the DEO.

May 14, 202644 min

267: How Getting Out of the Chair Tripled Their Dental Group

What if the thing that finally pulled you out of the chair wasn't a plan, but a crisis? Emmett Scott sits down with Dr. Alex and Bobby, co-founders of Halex Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, a 15-location pediatric dental and orthodontics group they've built together over nearly two decades in coastal Virginia. Bobby spent years as the lead producer while Alex ran the business. Then a sudden open heart surgery forced him out of the chair for three months, and the practice kept growing without him. That moment changed everything. They open up about rebuilding after bad partnerships and financial setbacks, why chasing revenue instead of profit is a trap, what it really looks like to hire people smarter than yourself, and how building a team bigger than any one person is what finally unlocked real growth. Ready to join DEO members who have already solved the challenges you are facing today? ✨ Schedule your free Growth Accelerator Call and take the first step toward becoming a DEO member 👉 https://deodentalgroup.com/interest/

May 7, 202642 min

266: Build Your Dental Practice to Be Sold Tomorrow but Owned Forever

What if you had to sell your dental practice tomorrow? Would it be worth what you think it is? In this episode, Brannon Moncrief, Principal and CEO of McLerran & Associates, pulls back the curtain on what dental practice buyers are actually looking for right now and why so many owners are unknowingly setting themselves up for a disappointing exit. With 35 years in the industry and roughly 400 practice evaluations a year, Brannon has seen it all...the clean, the messy, and everything in between. He breaks down EBITDA in plain English, walks through the difference between a Class A, B, and C asset, and shares what it really takes to build a practice that commands top-dollar multiples in today's market. Whether you're thinking about selling in two years or twenty, this conversation is one you need to hear. 📲 To learn more about McLerran & Associates or connect with Brannon directly: Website: www.dentaltransitions.com Call or Text: (512) 660-8505 Email: brannon@dentaltransitions.com Not a DEO member? Join over 600+ dentist entrepreneurs who have already solved the challenges you are facing today. ✨ Schedule your free Growth Accelerator Call and take the first step toward becoming a DEO member 👉https://deodentalgroup.com/interest/ Today's episode is sponsored by McLerran & Associates, a partner of the DEO.

April 23, 202649 min

265: How Dental Practice Owners Lose 3% of Revenue Without Even Knowing It

What if the data you need to grow your dental practice is already sitting right in front of you...you just can't see it yet? In this episode of DEO's Growth Secrets, Emmett Scott sits down with Emily Ryba, Co-Founder and CEO of OSDental, who started her career as a CPA specializing in dental and spent years watching practice owners make major decisions without the full financial picture. After building a $1 million data warehouse for a 42-location dental group, she realized there had to be a better way...and OSDental was born. You'll hear why most practice owners are only seeing 30% of their data and what's hiding in the other 70%, why the average dental practice loses 1 to 3% of revenue simply from lack of data visibility, and why your collections report might be telling you a story that isn't actually true. Emily also breaks down how data transparency changes team behavior, what untreated perio is quietly costing your practice, and why giving your team access to the right data is the fastest way to make them act like owners. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by your numbers or unsure what they're actually telling you...this one will change how you see your business. 📲 To learn more about OSDental, visit: https://osdental.io/ 💡 OSDental is part of DEO's Cost Savings Club. DEO Members can submit an interest form in the DEO App to get access. Not a DEO Member? 🎯 Schedule your free Growth Accelerator Call and take the first step toward becoming a DEO member 👉 https://bit.ly/4mt66YI

April 16, 202636 min

264: The Systems Every Dental Practice Owner Needs Before Opening a Second Location

What if the cracks in your dental practice were always there...and growth just made them impossible to ignore? In this episode of DEO's Growth Secrets, Kendall sits down with Karen Gray, Chief Customer Officer at Oryx Dental Software. With nearly 20 years of executive experience across vertical SaaS, Karen is a proven customer leader with a front-row seat to what actually happens when dental practices start to scale. She breaks down why the jump from one location to two exposes operational gaps most owners don't even know exist. You'll hear why being the busiest practice on the block is not always a green light to expand, the three questions every owner needs to answer before opening a second location, and why the dentist who is involved in everything is often the biggest bottleneck to their own growth. Karen also draws a clear line between having software and having real operational infrastructure, and why that difference determines whether scaling feels like momentum or chaos. 📲 To learn more about Oryx Dental Software: Website: www.oryxdental.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/OryxDentalSoftware LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/oryxdental Instagram: www.instagram.com/oryxdentalsoftware 🎯 Ready to increase your profit, build a stronger team, and finally break free from the day-to-day? Schedule your free Growth Accelerator Call and take the first step toward becoming a DEO member 👉 https://bit.ly/4mt66YI Today's episode is sponsored by Oryx Dental Software, a partner of the DEO.

April 9, 202647 min

263: How One Dental Practice Owner Almost Lost Everything and Then Built a $1.2M Practice

What happens when you do everything right...build the practice, hire the team, open a second location...and then it all starts falling apart? In this episode, Emmett Scott sits down with Dr. Nada Elsadig, a multi-location practice owner who went from a $200K acquisition to $1.2M in her first year, only to face a health crisis that left her practice vulnerable, her team working against her, and her confidence at an all-time low. She shares the raw truth about what it took to rebuild, why she almost walked away from dentistry entirely, and how the right systems and support changed everything. You'll hear how Dr. Nada approaches case acceptance through what she calls the "emotional treasure," a simple but powerful method for getting patients to say yes without pressure. She also breaks down the leadership shift that transformed her practice culture, why she stopped holding on to team members who weren't the right fit, and how she's now expanding to her third location with a clear vision for training the next generation of dentists. 🎯 Ready to increase your profit, build a stronger team, and finally break free from the day-to-day? Schedule your free Growth Accelerator Call and take the first step toward becoming a DEO member 👉 https://bit.ly/4mt66YI

April 2, 202641 min

262: The Hidden Risks of Scaling a Dental Practice

What happens when your practice is growing…and then a lawsuit or claim hits that you thought you were covered for? In this episode, Herb Ford and Kyle Wallace from Risk Strategies break down what most dental practice owners don't think about while they're focused on growth. You're adding a provider or opening another location, and naturally your attention stays on production and keeping everything moving. But as the practice grows, the risk behind it grows with it. The coverage that worked for one location doesn't always fit a second. A general policy that felt fine early on may miss the nuances of a dental practice as complexity increases. And without the right partner guiding that strategy, small gaps can build quietly in the background. Herb and Kyle walk through where those gaps tend to show up, from employee issues to liability and operational risks, and why most owners only discover them when it's already costing them. 👉 Learn more about Risk Strategies: https://www.risk-strategies.com/dental 📄 Download the free white paper here: https://bit.ly/4s7tUSZ Not a member? Join over 500+ dentist entrepreneurs who have already solved the challenges you are facing today. ✨ Schedule your free Growth Accelerator Call and take the first step toward becoming a DEO member 👉https://deodentalgroup.com/interest/ Today's episode is sponsored by Risk Strategies, a partner of the DEO.

March 26, 202638 min

261: The Three Location Trap That Kills Dental Practice Growth

Why does your dental practice get harder to run the moment you hit three locations? In this episode, Chris Hadziev from Planet DDS shares data from over 8,000+ practices on why some offices grow nearly three times faster than others. New patient flow is one of the key drivers. But the deeper story isn't just about getting more patients in the door. It's what happens next. Chris shares how one growing group had all the right tools in place, yet nothing connected. Their ops leader became the system, manually stitching together reports just to keep things running. It highlights how the 3 location mark is when systems begin to break down. What once worked at the beginning starts to create friction instead of momentum. This episode walks through what's actually driving the gap between top and bottom performers, why operational consistency beats expansion, and how small breakdowns in case acceptance quietly limit your production without you realizing it. 📍 Connect with Chris Hadziev on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-hadziev/ 🦷 Learn more about Planet DDS: https://www.planetdds.com/ 📘 Download the Scaling Smarter: Standardization Guide for DSOs and Dental Groups: https://www.planetdds.com/resources/standardization-guide/ 📊 Get the 2026 Dental Industry Outlook: https://bit.ly/4uSAyPt Not a member? Join over 500+ dentist entrepreneurs who have already solved the challenges you are facing today. ✨ Schedule your free Growth Accelerator Call and take the first step toward becoming a DEO member 👉https://deodentalgroup.com/interest/ Today's episode is sponsored by Planet DDS, a partner of the DEO.