Dental Practice Heroes

Dr. Paul Etchison
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Biweekly

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!

  1. The Real Reason Your New Hires Fall Short

    10 hrs ago

    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? Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We 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.

    22 min
  2. When Great Employees Become Bad Leaders

    4d ago

    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 Join our Newest and Best Coaching Program, Click Here for More Information Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We 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.

    31 min
  3. 5 Things Missing From Your Life: Why Successful Dentists Still Aren’t Happy with Corey Keyes

    6d ago

    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/0593444620 This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Join our Newest and Best Coaching Program, Click Here for More Information Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We 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.

    44 min
  4. How to Talk About Dollars and Numbers and Not Sound Greedy

    May 18

    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? Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We 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.

    21 min
  5. The New Patient Goldmine Most Practice Owners Ignore with Michael Arias

    May 13

    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/podcast This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Join our Newest and Best Coaching Program, Click Here for More Information Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We 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.

    33 min
  6. KPIs That Run the $5M Dental Practice

    May 11

    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 Join our Newest and Best Coaching Program, Click Here for More Information Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We 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.

    33 min
  7. Stop the Bleeding: How Cancellations Quietly Destroy Profit with Carrie Webber

    May 6

    Stop the Bleeding: How Cancellations Quietly Destroy Profit with Carrie Webber

    Cancellations are up, no-shows are almost expected — and most owners are handling it the wrong way. In this episode, Carrie Webber of Jameson Group walks through what every person in your practice can start doing today to keep patients on the schedule. You’ll learn exactly what to say to patients to get them to show up, the front desk mistake that costs you appointments, and the unexpected reason patients don’t follow through..l Topics discussed: Three issues every practice is dealing with right nowWhy cancellations and no-shows have increasedThe first step to fixing a cancellation/no-show problemThe strategy most owners try (and why it doesn’t work)Seven value-building skills every role needsThe burnout problem hurting your patient experienceHow to audit your entire patient experience in one dayThe front desk mistake that loses patients before they bookPower words that ensure patients show upThe biggest obstacle to patients getting treatmentConnect with Carrie Webber: https://jmsn.com This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Title Options: Stop Charging Cancellation Fees — Do This InsteadSay This and Watch Your No-Show Rate DropThe Words That Get Patients to Actually Show UpThe One Phrase Your Front Desk Needs to Stop SayingStop Saying This to Patients and Improve Your Cancellation RateJoin our Newest and Best Coaching Program, Click Here for More Information Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We 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.

    40 min
  8. Delegation Dilemma: Why Your Leadership Team Isn't Freeing You Up

    May 4

    Delegation Dilemma: Why Your Leadership Team Isn't Freeing You Up

    There's one thing standing between you and a practice that runs without you: delegation. And you're probably doing it wrong — even if you have a leadership team in place. In this episode, the DPH coaches break down the mistakes most owners make when they delegate and how to actually start getting things off your plate without everything falling apart. You'll get real examples of what it looks like to delegate the tasks that stress you out, from payroll to hiring, and everything in between. Topics discussed: The difference between delegation and abdicationWho belongs on a leadership team (and the role most owners get wrong)The mental side of delegation most owners ignoreHow to figure out what to delegate firstThe follow-up habit that keeps everything on trackThis episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Join our Newest and Best Coaching Program, Click Here for More Information Use the same marketing company as Dr. Etch! Get your free demo with Relevance Marketing by Clicking Here Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We 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.

    31 min
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5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

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!

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Paul Etchison
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    673
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Dental Practice Heroes
  • Show Website
    Dental Practice Heroes

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