Dental Practice Heroes

Hosted by Dr. Paul Etchison

Business Health Fitness

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Episodes

676

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Jun 2026

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About the show

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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60 recent

June 15, 2026Episode 67743 min

Your Team Doesn't Want More Money (They Want This) with Bree Groff

The best practices aren't built on systems and numbers — they're built on something that's easy to forget.In this episode, Bree Groff breaks down why people are the backbone of a practice and how leaders can bring out their team's best. Working with teams at Google, Microsoft, and Pfizer, she's developed simple exercises and team practices that drive performance and bring fun to any size practice.Topics discussed:The "performative exhaustion" trapWhat people need more than a paycheckThe most underrated leadership roleHow to make work fun and show that you careTwo simple tools that help teams connectShould you be friends with the people you lead?This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Check out the Growth Program Here Join our Newest and Best Coaching Program, Click Here for More InformationTake Control of Your Practice and Your LifeWe 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.

June 10, 2026Episode 67630 min

The Question Every Dentist Is Asking About w/ Dr. Alan Mead

Technology in dentistry is moving faster than ever, and it's easy to feel like you're falling behind. AI is writing chart notes, robots are helping place implants, and there's a new company pitching you every day.In this episode, Dr. Alan Mead and Paul discuss where dentistry is really headed, what's worth your attention, and what matters most even as the tools evolve.Topics discussed:Microscope dentistryHow tech in dentistry has changed over the past 30 yearsGetting patients to trust your treatment planThe dental task AI is about to automateCould robots actually replace dentists?Why you should beware of new AI toolsThis episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Check out the Growth Program Here Join our Newest and Best Coaching Program, Click Here for More InformationTake Control of Your Practice and Your LifeWe 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.

June 8, 2026Episode 67523 min

Have you Ever Asked, "Why Am I the Only One Who Cares?"

If you’ve ever looked around your dental office and thought, “Why am I the only one who cares?”, you’re not alone and you’re not crazy. We’ve felt that same disconnect between the emotional weight of practice ownership and a team that seems able to clock out and leave it all behind. That gap can turn into resentment fast, and it’s one of the quiet drivers of dentist burnout, poor practice culture, and constant frustration with accountability.We dig into a hard truth in dental practice management: your team will never care the same way you do, because they don’t carry the same risk, debt, payroll pressure, and reputation stakes. But “they don’t care like an owner” doesn’t mean they can’t care deeply. The real issue is often the environment we create, especially when every decision funnels through us or through a single fixer on the team. That pattern trains dependence, kills autonomy, and leaves the owner carrying every problem, even on weekends.From there we get practical about dental leadership. We talk about building connection outside of corrective conversations, making small relational deposits that help people feel seen, and creating psychological safety so reasonable mistakes become learning instead of fear. We also share why teams support what they help build, plus a simple framework to invite staff into solutions so they truly own results without needing equity. If you want more engagement, better communication, and a lighter emotional load as an owner, this gives you a clear starting point.If you need help building an engaged team and a healthier dental office culture, reach out for a strategy call, and if this helps you, subscribe, share the episode with another practice owner, and leave a five-star review so more dentists can find it. Join our Newest and Best Coaching Program, Click Here for More InformationTake Control of Your Practice and Your LifeWe 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.

June 3, 2026Episode 67429 min

The Most Expensive Report You're Not Looking At

The most expensive report in your practice is the one you're not opening: the AR report.This episode unpacks why your old AR keeps piling up and how to clean it up without losing patients or overwhelming the front desk. You'll learn how to collect what you're owed (and when to let go), spot problems before they spiral, and build systems that keep it from happening again.Topics discussed:AR system failures and how to prevent themCollecting old AR without losing patientsPatient AR vs. insurance ARThe "zero statement" practice (and how to build one)Weekly metrics every owner should be trackingThis episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Check out the Growth Program Here Join our Newest and Best Coaching Program, Click Here for More InformationTake Control of Your Practice and Your LifeWe 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.

June 1, 2026Episode 67324 min

The Real Reason Your New Hires Fall Short

Your new hire isn’t “bad” after three days, they’re lost in your system. When we throw someone into a busy dental office with a login, a quick tour, and a vague “just ask questions,” we create office survival training. That is not onboarding, and it is one of the fastest paths to turnover, resentment, and the feeling that you can never keep a solid dental team.I break down why dental experience doesn’t automatically translate into performance in your practice. Every office has a different pace, different expectations, different practice management software, and a different way of communicating with patients. Even talented, experienced people can struggle more when they feel pressure to prove themselves and don’t feel safe admitting what they don’t know. We talk about how inflated expectations and low psychological safety quietly destroy trust, and what to do instead if you want real employee retention.Then we get practical: assign one trainer, not a whole department, and build an onboarding system that does not live in the brain of your best employee. I share how to create a simple training framework by role, set standards without scaring good people away, and use a 30-60-90 day onboarding plan so learning happens in the right order. The goal is a practice that runs smoother, trains faster, and keeps great people because the environment makes it safe to ask questions and grow.If you want more structure like this in your dental practice management and leadership, subscribe, share this with a practice owner friend, and leave a five-star review so more dentists can find the show. What is the first change you will make to your onboarding this week? Join our Newest and Best Coaching Program, Click Here for More InformationTake Control of Your Practice and Your LifeWe 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.

May 28, 2026Episode 67232 min

When Great Employees Become Bad Leaders

Your great employee just became a bad leader... what happened?This episode unpacks why even the best employees aren't fit for leadership and how to tell if you've promoted the wrong person. From the traits that make a good lead to awkward demotions, you'll learn how to avoid expensive mistakes (and what to do when you've already made one).Topics discussed:Why great employee struggle in leadership rolesHow to tell if someone's in the wrong seatThe yearly leadership "invite"How to demote without losing themThe accountability chart that takes you out of every decisionAn exercise that reveals how unclear your roles really areSkills that every lead needsThis episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Check out the Growth Program Here Join our Newest and Best Coaching Program, Click Here for More InformationTake Control of Your Practice and Your LifeWe 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.

May 26, 2026Episode 67145 min

5 Things Missing From Your Life: Why Successful Dentists Still Aren’t Happy with Corey Keyes

Successful, functioning, but secretly miserable? There's a name for what you're feeling, and it isn't burnout.In this episode, Dr. Corey Keyes, sociologist and author of Languishing: How to Feel Alive Again in a World That Wears Us Down, breaks down what's really happening when life looks good on paper but you feel “off.”He calls it "languishing" — and you'll learn how to tell if this is you, the five things that can pull you out of it, and where to start once you know.Topics discussed:The difference between burnout and languishingWhy so many people are languishingDiagnostic criteria for languishingWhat older adults can teach us about relationshipsThe five vitamins of flourishingActive vs. passive leisure (and the cost)The 14-question self check-inGrab Dr. Corey Keyes’ book:https://www.amazon.com/Languishing-Alive-Again-World-Wears/dp/0593444620This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Check out the Growth Program Here Join our Newest and Best Coaching Program, Click Here for More InformationTake Control of Your Practice and Your LifeWe 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.

May 18, 2026Episode 67023 min

How to Talk About Dollars and Numbers and Not Sound Greedy

You’re alone in your office after hours, staring at the numbers, and you can feel it: the practice has more potential. The hard part isn’t the math. The hard part is saying “production goals” out loud without feeling like you’ve betrayed patient care or turned into a salesperson. We’ve been trained to talk dentistry, not revenue, so it makes sense that money talk can feel awkward, corporate, or even greedy. We walk through a simple but powerful reframe for dental practice management: if you don’t define what production, growth, and profit mean, your dental team will define it for you, and it often turns into pressure, discomfort, and underpresented treatment. That discomfort leaks into case acceptance, financial conversations, and patient trust. Then we use three questions to anchor the conversation in ethics and confidence: do patients need what we recommend, do we do good clinical work, and do we take great care of people through the full experience? When those are true, presenting treatment becomes clarity, not manipulation. From there, dental office metrics stop being “just numbers” and start representing value provided: pain relieved, teeth saved, disease treated, confidence restored. We also make the case that healthy dental practice profitability can improve patient care by funding better technology, training, team retention, and a calmer practice culture that isn’t desperate for every yes. If you want a stronger, more aligned team and sustainable dental practice growth, this is the mindset shift that makes the leadership conversations easier. Subscribe to Dental Practice Heroes, share this with a practice owner who hates talking about money, and leave a review so more dentists can find it. What’s the one “number” you want your team to see as patient impact? Join our Newest and Best Coaching Program, Click Here for More InformationTake Control of Your Practice and Your LifeWe 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.

May 13, 2026Episode 66933 min

The New Patient Goldmine Most Practice Owners Ignore with Michael Arias

One strategy. An almost infinite ceiling. And most of your competitors aren't willing to do it.In this episode, founder of The Dental Marketer Michael Arias breaks down the no-cost strategy he calls ground marketing. You'll learn what it actually takes to get results, from the exact scripts to use with local businesses to how to identify the person on your team built to run it.Topics discussed:The REAL framework that makes ground marketing actually workWhat most people get wrong about ground marketingThe apartment complex playbookWhat to say when you walk into a new businessHow to work events and fill your signup sheetThe locations most owners overlookTraits the person in charge needs to haveThe mindset shift that helps you overcome rejectionConnect with Michael Arias:https://thedentalmarketer.org/Listen to The Dental Marketer podcast:https://thedentalmarketer.site/podcastThis episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Check out the Growth Program Here Join our Newest and Best Coaching Program, Click Here for More InformationTake Control of Your Practice and Your LifeWe 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.

May 11, 2026Episode 66834 min

KPIs That Run the $5M Dental Practice

Most practices are either tracking nothing, tracking everything, or tracking the wrong things entirely — and the result looks the same: a busy practice you can't fully control.This episode will tell you what metrics actually matter and what they're telling you about your practice. Learn how to track KPIs without getting overwhelmed, use data to find trends, and solve problems in your practice.Topics discussed:KPIs to check every weekWhat each metric say about your practice4 scorecards for running your practiceHow to use KPIs to track team performanceLeading vs. lagging indicatorsThe dumbest data point in dentistryWhy a dashboard you check monthly is uselessThe treatment plan acceptance trapThis episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Check out the Growth Program Here Join our Newest and Best Coaching Program, Click Here for More InformationTake Control of Your Practice and Your LifeWe 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.