Dental Practice Heroes

Dr. Paul Etchison
  • 5.0 (6)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

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 3 Waiting Room Moments Most Practices Completely Miss

    2D AGO

    The 3 Waiting Room Moments Most Practices Completely Miss

    Anxiety, uncertainty, and small frictions in the waiting room can quietly drain trust before a patient ever reaches the chair. We walk through three simple, high‑leverage touch points that transform those first minutes into a calm, intentional start: orienting new patients to amenities and next steps, acknowledging delays with a clear time estimate, and setting expectations for early arrivals so the experience feels fair. These moves are easy to teach, quick to execute, and proven to raise referrals, boost case acceptance, and earn better reviews. Throughout, we connect these micro‑moments to macro outcomes: stronger trust, smoother visits, and higher acceptance of treatment recommendations. You’ll leave with a mini playbook you can implement today—roles, timing triggers, and language that fits a modern, patient‑centered dental practice. Want help building a complete, scalable experience system that runs without you? Book a free strategy call at dentalpracticeheroes.com/strategy, and if this episode helps, subscribe, share it with a colleague, and leave a quick review so more owners can find it. Come Join us at the DPH Live Retreat in Tennessee April 24th-26th.   Click Here for More Info and to Register Don't be a silly goose....Download the Dental Practice Heroes App today and access all the free resources available to you. (Awesome Android ppl Click 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
  2. The Front Desk KPIs That Protect Your Profit w/ Kiera Dent

    4D AGO

    The Front Desk KPIs That Protect Your Profit w/ Kiera Dent

    You know clinical inside out, but the front desk? It's a black box — and probably where you're losing the most money. In this episode, Dr. Paul Etchison speaks with Kiera Dent, founder of The Dental A Team, about how you can get your front office under control without becoming an insurance and billing expert. You'll learn the core KPIs you should always be tracking, how to balance competing priorities, and how to spot the red flags that your front office is silently costing you money. Topics discussed: Why the front desk is so chaotic in most practicesHow much you actually need to know about billing and insuranceSigns that your front office is costing you moneyThe 3 KPIs your front desk should hit daily and monthlyHow to build a visible scoreboard and accountability cultureWhy most teams aren’t bought in (and how to change it)This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Come Join us at the DPH Live Retreat in Tennessee April 24th-26th.   Click Here for More Info and to Register Don't be a silly goose....Download the Dental Practice Heroes App today and access all the free resources available to you. (Awesome Android ppl Click 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.

    36 min
  3. How I Cut Hygiene Cancellations from 15% to 5%

    MAR 4

    How I Cut Hygiene Cancellations from 15% to 5%

    Ever watch a full day turn into Swiss cheese before 9 a.m.? We’ve been there—and we found a fix that didn’t rely on bigger fees or tougher forms. Our hygiene cancellations fell from 15% to 5% when we stopped leading with penalties and started leading with conversations that make appointments feel scarce, personal, and important. If you’re tired of last‑minute holes and tense phone calls, start with the words your team uses before anyone thinks about canceling. Subscribe, share this with a colleague who hates no‑shows, and leave a quick review telling us your toughest cancellation scenario—we’ll tackle it in a future episode. Come Join us at the DPH Live Retreat in Tennessee April 24th-26th.   Click Here for More Info and to Register Don't be a silly goose....Download the Dental Practice Heroes App today and access all the free resources available to you. (Awesome Android ppl Click 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.

    25 min
  4. Startup vs Acquisition: Don’t Make the 5-Year Mistake

    MAR 2

    Startup vs Acquisition: Don’t Make the 5-Year Mistake

    Startup or acquisition... how do you choose? Between horror stories and conflicting advice, it’s hard to get a straight answer. This episode breaks them down in a way that actually helps you decide (and avoid getting set back years). You'll learn what to look for during the due diligence process, the non-negotiables that determine success, and the number one factor for growth. Topics discussed: The pros and cons of starting a practice from scratchWhy acquisitions can turn into “pseudo startups”Due diligence and red flags most buyers missImportant factors that drive practice growthLeadership challenges and turnover after an acquisitionWhat matters more than location, capacity, and team cultureThis episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Come Join us at the DPH Live Retreat in Tennessee April 24th-26th.   Click Here for More Info and to Register Don't be a silly goose....Download the Dental Practice Heroes App today and access all the free resources available to you. (Awesome Android ppl Click 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.

    34 min
  5. 5 Steps to Feel Rich Without Producing More

    FEB 25

    5 Steps to Feel Rich Without Producing More

    What if the reason you don’t feel wealthy has nothing to do with your income and everything to do with how your practice runs without you? We unpack why so many high-earning dentists still feel one bad month from disaster and lay out a clear path to replace anxiety with real freedom. If you’re ready to swap bigger numbers for better systems and design a practice that supports your life, not the other way around, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a colleague who needs a reset, and leave a review to help more dentists find practical, freeing strategies that work. Come Join us at the DPH Live Retreat in Tennessee April 24th-26th.   Click Here for More Info and to Register 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.

    25 min
  6. A Dentist, a Sausage, and a Student Loan Walks Into A Podcast

    FEB 24

    A Dentist, a Sausage, and a Student Loan Walks Into A Podcast

    The loan bill hits before your handpiece warms up—and it’s bigger than your first apartment. We sat down with Dr. Alan Mead of the Very Dental Podcast to unpack the sticker shock of modern dental education, the real math behind associate versus owner income, and how to build skills that actually move your take-home. No five-step frameworks, just honest stories, practical tactics, and plenty of laughs to keep it human. We start with the big question: is dentistry still worth it when new grads face $4–5k monthly payments? From there, we break down the critical early decisions—whether to chase ownership for upside or remain an associate and become indispensable. You’ll hear why leadership and communication pay as well as implants and endo, how to structure CE so it pays you back, and what case selection looks like when you need wins fast. We also talk about DSOs: why they can accelerate skill development and production, and how to spot the burnout traps before they grind your spark into dust. Skill building is a theme throughout: stacking meaningful repetitions, documenting questions in real time, and cornering instructors until ambiguity dies. We share the value of curation—picking a clear clinical lane, aligning your systems and team, and letting focus become your competitive edge. Along the way, we swap dental school war stories, joke about dentists opening doomed restaurants, and remind ourselves that humor is a survival skill when the numbers get heavy. Whether you’re a new dentist staring down a $500k note or a seasoned clinician wondering if ownership still makes sense, you’ll leave with a clearer playbook: pick a lane, get the reps, invest in communication, and let the value drive the income. If you’re ready to design a practice that buys back your time and sanity, subscribe, share this episode with a colleague, and leave us a review—then book a strategy call at dentalpracticeheroes.com/strategy. Come Join us at the DPH Live Retreat in Tennessee April 24th-26th.   Click Here for More Info and to Register Don't be a silly goose....Download the Dental Practice Heroes App today and access all the free resources available to you. (Awesome Android ppl Click 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
  7. The Cash Flow Fix Your Front Desk Hates (But Your Practice Needs)

    FEB 18

    The Cash Flow Fix Your Front Desk Hates (But Your Practice Needs)

    A last-minute cancellation shouldn’t hijack three hours of your day. We dig into a simple shift—pre-collecting before you schedule—that lowers AR, slashes cancellations, and gives your front desk a calmer, cleaner workflow without awkward money talks at checkout. By the end, you’ll have the words, the rules, and the check-ins to make pre-collections stick—and a team that sees it as clarity, not conflict. If this helped, follow the show, share it with a colleague who needs fewer no-shows, and leave a quick five-star review to help more practice owners find it. Come Join us at the DPH Live Retreat in Tennessee April 24th-26th.   Click Here for More Info and to Register 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.

    26 min
  8. The One Choice that can Set the Future of Your Practice

    FEB 16

    The One Choice that can Set the Future of Your Practice

    Tired of feeling like growth is always easier for someone else? We pull back the curtain on the real pivot point in practice ownership: not a lucky break, better reimbursements, or a unicorn office manager, but a clear decision to lead as CEO. Once that identity shifts, everything changes—how you spend your time, what you tolerate, how your team shows up, and how fast the numbers move. If you’re ready to stop reacting and start designing a team-driven, profitable practice with real freedom, join me for a live, virtual training that’s recorded for replay: dentalpracticeheroes.com/freedom. Subscribe, share this with a colleague who needs the push, and leave a review telling us the one thing you’re done tolerating. Your next chapter starts with a choice. Come Join us at the DPH Live Retreat in Tennessee April 24th-26th.   Click Here for More Info and to Register 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.

    19 min
See All (651)

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
    651
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Dental Practice Heroes
  • Show Website
    Dental Practice Heroes

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