Dental Practice Heroes

26 episodes scanned. 66% of ad slots promote the show's own products.

Recent Episodes

1. You've Got Unscheduled Treatment. So Why Is Your Schedule Empty?

   Nov 3, 2026

   Dr. Paul Edison, a dental coach, author of two books on dental practice management, and owner of a five-doctor practice in the south suburbs of Chicago, argues that unscheduled treatment follow-up, reactivation of overdue patients, and filling near-term schedule openings are often neglected because no one owns them, no protected time is set aside, and no written standard exists. He recommends assigning one owner per outcome, blocking time during slower periods, and documenting how, when, and how often each task is done, with follow-up on the accountability itself. The episode is a solo host segment with no guest.

2. The Hygienist You Can't Afford Might Be Costing You a Fortune

   Oct 28, 2026

   Dr. Henry Ernst, a Dental Practice Heroes coach who built an 18-operatory practice from a startup, joins host Dr. Paul Edison and fellow coach Dr. Stephen Markwitz to discuss when dental practices should hire a first or additional hygienist. The conversation covers reading patient-flow and booking metrics, the opportunity cost of doctors doing hygiene themselves, and how to handle pay gaps when a new hygienist earns more than current staff. The panel also shares their own startup experiences with adding hygiene capacity and expanding the practice.

3. Why Your Team Resists Every Change You Make

   Oct 26, 2026

   Dr. Paul Edgison, a dental business coach, author of two books on dental practice management, and owner of a five-doctor practice in the south suburbs of Chicago, argues that dental teams often resist change not because they dislike improvement but because they are overloaded with rules and orders that are never followed up on. He explains how this pattern erodes morale and collaboration, and recommends that owners identify the problem, define the goal, invite the team to build the solution, follow up, and assign outcomes rather than tasks. The episode is a solo monologue that closes with a call to apologize to the team for past over-direction and to revisit unfinished changes.

4. The Missing Step Between Learning Implants and Actually Doing Lots of Them

   Oct 21, 2026

   Dr. Taher Dhoon, founder of Colorado Surgical Institute, joins host Dr. Paul Atchison to discuss how dentists can turn implant and surgical training into a working practice after the course ends. The conversation covers preparing the team before a course, choosing an implant path that fits the practice, starting with appropriate cases, and talking with patients about treatment they cannot easily afford. They also discuss full-arch dentistry, the value of singles, wisdom teeth, and sedation, and the institute's newer course offerings.

5. Production Is Down. Now What?

   Oct 19, 2026

   Dental Practice Heroes coaches Dr. Henry Erns and Dr. Stephen Markowitz join host Dr. Paul Etchison to work through a Facebook post from a solo dentist whose monthly production recently dropped. They discuss shifting from reactive to proactive practice management, tracking a short list of weekly numbers such as new patients, treatment plan acceptance, collection rate, and missed calls, and involving the team in finding causes. The episode also covers the four pillars for a struggling office (patient flow, systems, clinical strength, and leadership and communication) and common treatment presentation mistakes.

6. The $1.5M Trap that Can Break a Practice Owner

   Oct 14, 2026

   Dr. Paul Edchison, a dental practice owner, author of two books on dental practice management, and dental business coach, walks through what a solo dentist producing roughly $1.2M to $1.7M a year should do to prepare the practice for growth. He covers a five-step sequence: fixing the schedule before adding capacity, developing leaders, protecting culture, turning all-star employees into trainers, and taking an honest look at when the first associate is needed. He also warns that waiting to hire an associate carries its own risk and that the time freed up should go toward building leadership and systems rather than more clinical work.

7. Think You’re Ready for an Associate? Look at These Numbers First

   Oct 12, 2026

   Brian Hanks, a dental accountant and author of How to Buy a Dental Practice, discusses when dentists are truly ready to bring on an associate, including financial thresholds of roughly $1.2M in collections, at least five operatories, and a patient base of about 3,000. The conversation also covers why associates leave, the importance of clarifying control and ownership paths, and data showing most dentists still end their careers as owners. Host Dr. Paul Etchison and Hanks also share stories about associates hired too early and owners who regretted buying a practice.

8. Two Paths To A Dental Practice That Runs Without You

   Oct 7, 2026

   Dr. Paul Edison, dental coach and owner of a large multi-doctor practice in Chicago, discusses the two distinct paths to improving a dental practice: reactive problem-solving (fixing what's broken) versus intentional creation (designing the practice you want). Edison argues that most dentists excel at the reactive path but neglect the creation path, resulting in practices that look nearly identical year after year despite constant effort. The episode provides concrete examples of creation-based strategies—building leadership teams to reduce owner stress, designing schedule templates to hit production goals, and implementing team training for consistent patient communication—and introduces a simple diagnostic question: "Am I fixing something or am I creating something?"

9. When Your Strengths Create Dependence

   Oct 5, 2026

   Dr. Paul Etchison, a practicing dentist and dental business coach, explores the "competence trap" that ensnares dental practice owners who excel at multiple responsibilities—hiring, conflict resolution, patient management—and inadvertently become the bottleneck preventing their practice from growing. He explains how being good at something creates the false logic that you should keep doing it, which trains teams into dependence and prevents the owner from developing leadership capacity and strategic thinking. Etchison provides a practical delegation framework: audit your recurring responsibilities, ask "Does this actually require me?" rather than "Can someone do it as well as I can?", and move one meaningful task away from yourself this week by documenting it so it becomes the last time you ever perform it.

10. Why You Still Haven’t Cut Back a Clinical Day

    Sep 30, 2026

    Dr. Paul Etchison, a practicing dentist and dental business coach, discusses why practice owners postpone major decisions like reducing clinical days despite having all the necessary conditions in place. He argues that waiting for certainty is a trap that keeps dentists stuck, and that confidence comes after commitment and execution, not before. The episode provides tactical guidance on setting firm dates, planning backwards, and expecting problems as a normal part of transition rather than evidence of failure.