The Thriving Dentist Show

Hosted by Thriving Dentist Show – Takacs Learning Center

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Episodes

764

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

The Thriving Dentist Show by Gary Takacs guides dental practice owners and dentists in creating a profitable practice with financial independence while delivering hallmark-level quality of care. Gary's lively discussions run the gamut from eye-opening lessons for you to become successful.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

September 9, 2026Episode 76538 min

Work-Life Balance vs. Work-Life Integration

Two thirds of dentists in the largest private dental Facebook group said they would not advise their own son or daughter to become a dentist. Gary Takacs reads that as a work-life balance problem and argues balance may be the wrong goal. Gary and Naren Arulrajah separate work-life balance from work-life integration: a practice you enjoy so much you have no reason to escape it. They work through Dan Sullivan's three-year question, and Gary makes the case that three clinical days can produce what four produces now. Plus Dr. Kristin Yont's 30-second chairside reset and Naren's marketing tip on Google reviews and call conversion. Marketing Strategy Meeting: https://ekwa.com/td Coaching Strategy Meeting with Gary: https://thrivingdentist.com/csm

September 2, 202642 min

5 Specific Scheduling Recommendations for a Thriving Practice!

Dental practice scheduling is the difference between a $2,000 day and a $7,000 day in the same eight hours. One solo dentist saw 41 patients and finished feeling like he'd been run over by a Mack truck. Gary Takacs gives five specific scheduling recommendations - a defined daily production goal, a dedicated scheduling coordinator, rock production blocks, new patient blocks, and protected time to fill the schedule - then walks through the two-column template hour by hour. Naren Arulrajah opens with the three-marketing metrics every dentist should check monthly.

August 26, 202651 min

Dental IT, Cybersecurity & HIPAA Essentials with Dr. Lorne Lavine

Dental practice cybersecurity is a patient-retention problem, not an IT problem. Health and Human Services counts a ransomware infection as a reportable breach, and Dr. Lorne Lavine has watched practices lose a quarter of their patients after mailing that notification letter. He and Naren cover why an out-of-date operating system is a HIPAA violation by definition, why patient information can never go into ChatGPT, and what AI search is doing to how patients choose a dentist. Dr. Lavine is offering listeners a complimentary security audit, no cost and no obligation: https://thedigitaldentist.com/call See how your practice shows up in AI search — book a Complimentary Marketing Strategy Meeting (Gift for our listeners) : https://ekwa.com/td Gary is taking new coaching clients (Reserve Your Free call): https://thrivingdentist.com/csm

August 19, 202641 min

Startup vs Acquisition, Which Path Actually Wins?

Gary Takacs and Naren Arulrajah on the startup vs acquisition decision that shapes a dental career. The three situations where a startup actually makes sense, and why most dentists do not qualify for any of them. A real coaching client who was collecting $700,000 on $1 million in production, replaced $300,000 in annual PPO write-offs with $15,000 in Ekwa SEO marketing, and grew collections to $1 million in year one. The 35-year client story on why you connect with patients before you renovate. The financial comparison: organic SEO at $60 per patient versus paid ads at $300 to $400. Plus Dr. Darryl Burke on the three essential CBCT views for every implant case.

August 12, 202648 min

The Strategic Planning Episode

Gary Takacs and Naren Arulrajah on the one question that separates thriving dental practices from stuck ones: if your practice was as good as it could be, what would that look like? Three real coaching case studies — Invisalign starts from 3 to 29, solo to two-doctor, PPO-heavy to fully out of network by June 30th. The 68% statistic. The office manager hallway story. Why PPO plans are 30 times more expensive than SEO. Naren on turning every Google review into a multi-channel marketing asset.

August 5, 202642 min

Is Your Marketing Actually Working? The Few Numbers Every Owner Should Watch

Gary Takacs and Naren Arulrajah on the five marketing numbers every dental practice should track and most do not. The two-chasms model. The conversion grading scale: A is 70%, national average is 33%, failing is below 50%. A coaching client who went from 12 to 38 new patients per month with zero extra marketing spend after their team's first real phone training. Plus, the bonus problems: missed calls, stale reviews, broken booking links. Dr. Greg Toback on the iPhone Send Later feature that changed how he leads.

July 29, 202645 min

How to Make Your Hygiene Exams as Effective as Possible!

In 2025, 60% of all high-value cases across Gary Takacs's coaching client base came directly out of the hygiene exam. This episode covers the full system: intraoral camera protocol, verbal pass-off, the personal detail that makes patients feel remembered, AI-powered patient note preparation, and how to balance efficiency with genuine connection. Plus, Naren on the 40% of the population actively searching for a new dentist, what makes Google reviews produce patient acquisition, and how paragraph reviews written in the patient's own voice outperform any paid ad. Dr. Darryl Burke on ridge preservation and socket grafting decisions.

July 22, 202646 min

How to Become THE Practice for the Dentistry You Love

Gary Takacs and Naren Arulrajah on the one strategic move that separates the happiest dental practices from the rest: the signature service. How to choose it by following your heart rather than market data, build it through lab-fee cases and the right ambassador patient, schedule around it with a dedicated template, and market it through consistent organic search presence, landing pages, before and after photos, and paragraph reviews. A coaching client went from 3 Invisalign starts per year to 1 per week after making it his signature service. Plus, Naren on why organic SEO at $60 a phone call produces 6x more trust than a Google ad at $400. Worth a listen!

July 15, 202646 min

5 Specific Steps to Take Before You Resign from a Single PPO Plan

Gary Takacs has coached dental practices in all 50 states through PPO resignation - and has seen what happens when it is done without preparation. One practice lost half its revenue. This episode is the checklist that prevents that. Five specific steps in sequence: know your numbers, assess your relationality, train every team member, find out the hygiene copayment plan by plan, and get your marketing producing results before the first resignation letter goes out. Plus Dr. Ekta Pandya on air abrasion and a 40% bond strength boost, and Naren on the review and phone conversion standards a practice needs before dropping any plan.

July 8, 202642 min

How to Build a Practice Growth Plan That Actually Works All Year

Most dental practice growth plans fail by January 10th. Gary Takacs and Naren Arulrajah explain exactly why, and exactly what to do about it. Four specific rocks, individual champions, a three-meeting cadence, and the team incentive that took one practice from two Google reviews a month to twenty-six. Plus, Naren on AI search for dental practices, the five benchmarks that define a real patient acquisition engine, and cost-per-lead tracking that shows which channels to scale and which to drop. A mid-year reset episode with real time left in 2026 to act on it.