Dental Unscripted | Getting into Ownership and Practice Management Insights

Michael Dinsio & Paula Quinn | Dental industry coaches & Education leaders
  • 4.9 (15)
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The dental practice ownership podcast for dentists ready to start, buy, or grow their dental business. Mike Dinsio, MBA and Paula Quinn, BSDH have joined forces. Now combining past shows from "Startup Unscripted" and "Dental Acquisition Unscripted" into one. They bring 30+ years of dental industry experience together with a modern approach to "the business of dentistry." Each episode features unscripted conversations with expert guest content. They share real life experiences, proven strategies, and actionable insights on dental practice ownership. Whether you're new to ownership, planning a dental startup, or navigating a practice acquisition—we've got you covered. CHANNEL TOPICS INCLUDE: ✓ How to start a dental practice from scratch ✓ Buying a dental practice: What you need to know ✓ Practice management hacks, tips, and tricks ✓ Dental marketing and SEO strategies that work ✓ Financial planning and profitability for practice owners ✓ Building and leading high-performing dental teams ✓ Industry trends: DSOs, technology, and the future of dentistry Next Level Consultants is Michael and Paula's consulting firm. Their approach to working with dentists? Customized strategies that are tailored to your unique market, team, and goals—no cookie-cutter packages. Visit: https://nxlevelconsultants.com/resources/digital-downloads/ To get our FREE resources and don't hesitate subscribing to the show! Join our growing community of dental practice owners and entrepreneurs. Watch LIVE on YouTube & ask questions directly. Subscribe on Apple or Spotify. New episodes weekly. No scripts. Just real talk about running a successful dental practice. Rate the show 5 stars and help other dentists discover us! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

  1. Aug 21

    A Dental Practice's Profitability Starts Before You Sign a Purchase Agreement

    Your broker pulled the reports and your CPA checked the financials but neither of them dig into the practice operationally at the ground level, you know where the reality of how a practice operates is hiding in plain sight. This episode breaks down "the chart audit that actually protects dental buyers."  Michael Dinsio, MBA and Paula Quinn, BSDH walk through the due diligence layer, the operational chart audit that reveals whether a dental practice acquisition will support or sink its new owner after closing day. What you'll discover: Why a broker reported 1,500 active patients but the real number was closer to 1,000The 18-month rule for separating true hygiene patients from inflated software countsHow pre-appointment rates predict whether your schedule will be full or empty in six monthsWhy $200K in ortho revenue became a liability for a buyer who couldn't do the proceduresHow transition plans quietly eat cash flow when nobody re-runs the projectionsWhat procedure code clusters reveal about complex cases you may not be able to replicateWhy AR reports and collection protocols expose front office problems before you closeThe difference between validating broker data and auditing real operational riskPerfect for dentists in the acquisition process, first-time buyers navigating due diligence, and anyone focused on dental practice profitability before and after the close. The real risk in buying a dental practice isn't in the numbers your CPA already checked, it's in the operational patterns nobody examined. This episode gives you the framework to audit what actually matters before you sign. Subscribe and watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DentalUnscripted Website: https://dentalunscripted.com 🌟 If this episode helped you feel more prepared for your acquisition, leave a rating and review, it helps other dentists find us. 🫶 Keywords: dental practice profitability, buying a dental practice, dental practice acquisition, dental practice management, practice acquisition, dental practice operations, dental practice finances, dental practice challenges, owning a dental practice, practice ownership journey, dental business, dental practice tips, dental practice hacks, running a dental practice, dental coach Production by © Dental Unscripted 2026The content provided in this episode is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or tax advice. Always consult with a qualified professional regarding your specific situation.

  2. Aug 14

    2-Minute Drill - Owning a Dental Practice? You Need These 2 Policies First

    Most dentists close on a practice, lock in the business overhead policy, and assume they're fully covered. But that policy pays your staff, your lease, your equipment loans, and after all of that, there's nothing left for your mortgage, car payment, or family expenses. Michael Dinsio and Paula Quinn break down the insurance gap that catches practice owners off guard and the two-policy setup that closes it. What you'll discover: why business overhead insurance leaves your personal income completely exposed, the surprising stat, dentists face nearly the same disability risk as construction workers, how relying on one policy leaves you short on both sides, the two-policy action plan every buyer and startup owner should lock in before closing day, and why personal disability coverage is the piece most docs skip until it's too late. Perfect for dentists buying a dental practice, planning a dental startup, or already running a dental practice without both policies in place. Here's the reality: disability risk doesn't care that you went to dental school. The physical demands of clinical work, awkward positioning, fine motor repetition, neck and shoulder strain, add up fast. Owning a dental practice means protecting it and yourself, and the time to get both policies locked in is before you close, not after. Head to nxlevelconsultants.com to book a consultation. Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DentalUnscripted Website: https://dentalunscripted.com If this episode helped you rethink your coverage, leave a rating and review. It helps other dentists find the show. 🌟🫶 Keywords: owning a dental practice, starting a dental practice, running a dental practice, dental practice finances, dental startup, dental practice expenses, dental financial planning, dental practice financial tips, practice ownership journey, dental entrepreneur advice, buying a dental practice, dental practice ownership, dental practice challenges, dental practice operations Production by © Dental Unscripted 2026. The content provided in this episode is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or tax advice. Always consult with a qualified professional regarding your specific situation.

    2-Minute Drill - Owning a Dental Practice? You Need These 2 Policies First

  3. Aug 7

    The 3 Insurance Policies Every Dental Practice Owner Needs: Disability, Business Overhead & Life Insurance EXPLAINED

    Your lender may not require insurance for disability or life anymore, but skipping them could cost you your practice, your estate, and your family's financial security. Michael Dinsio and Paula Quinn sit down with Stephanie Pearson, MD, FACOG (Pearson-Ravitz / Earned Wealth), a former OBGYN whose own career-ending injury turned her into one of the leading insurance advisors for dentists and physicians. LISTEN TO DISCOVER:Why 1 in 4 professionals file a disability claim and dentists carry injury risk comparable to construction workers, the critical difference between personal disability insurance and business overhead insurance and why you need both, what business overhead actually covers (associate salaries, leases, equipment, up to 3 loans — but not your paycheck), how much emergency savings practice owners should really have (hint: more than two months), why women pay roughly double for disability and should lock in coverage before family planning, the fire sale scenario that happens when an owner dies without life insurance on the practice loan, how convertible term life insurance locks in your health class forever, and the residency discount that stays on your policy for life. SPECIAL GUEST ON THIS EPISODE:Stephanie Pearson, MD, FACOG - Managing Director of Insurance at Pearson-Ravitz (Earned Wealth). Former OBGYN turned insurance specialist after a career-ending shoulder injury. Co-founded Pearson-Ravitz, now part of Earned Wealth's integrated financial platform for healthcare professionals. https://www.earned.com/insurance Perfect for dentists buying a practice, dental startup owners, associates planning for ownership, and anyone navigating dental practice finances and dental practice ownership decisions. KEY TAKEAWAY: Lenders relaxing their insurance requirements doesn't mean you don't need protected, it means you're more exposed!Personal disability, business overhead, and life insurance aren't optional line items. These three policies keep your income flowing, your doors open, and your family's assets out of the bank's reach. Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DentalUnscripted Visit our Website: https://dentalunscripted.com Rate and review the show! it helps us reach more dentists on the ownership journey! 🌟 🫶 Production by ©Dental Unscripted 2026.The content provided in this episode is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or tax advice. Always consult with a qualified professional regarding your specific situation. Topics we cover on this show:dental practice ownership, disability insurance dentist, business overhead insurance, life insurance dental practice, buying a dental practice, dental practice finances, dental financial planning, dental startup, dental practice expenses, owning a dental practice, dental entrepreneurship, dental practice challenges, practice management, dental practice profitability, dental startup advice

  4. Jul 29

    Starting a Dental Practice: The Financial Fear Is Worse Than the Reality (2 Minute Drill)

    Starting a dental practice sounds expensive, until you see the actual numbers. The real financial trap isn't the startup. It's chasing acquisition cash flow. Mike Dinsio breaks down the thought process behind dental startups and why the fear of a startup is holding most dentists back. He explains how the break-even point with a lean team makes more sense than buying a practice. Sometimes buying quietly turns into a big investment you never expected. EBOOK!https://nxlevelconsultants.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Starting-Up-E-Book.pdf

    Starting a Dental Practice: The Financial Fear Is Worse Than the Reality (2 Minute Drill)

  5. Jul 24

    Dental Practice Startups vs Acquisitions: Why Chasing Cash Flow Can Be a Deal w/ the Devil

    Think a dental startup means no income? The real financial trap is chasing acquisition cash flow. Mike Dinsio and Paula Quinn break down the real math behind dental startups and why the financial fear is almost always worse than the reality. What you'll discover: clients break even timeline - industry average is 6-8 monthsThe 2-employee, 3-day lean model that controls overhead without sacrificing patient experienceHow $80-100K first-year income + your associate pay matches what most dentists are already earningThe "startup inside an acquisition" trap – Visionary dentists keep falling into this trapWhy startup owners learn every piece of their business and scale fasterPerfect for associate dentists considering ownership, startup-curious dentists stuck on the financial fear, and anyone debating acquisition vs building from scratch. Chasing cash flow is doing a deal with the devil. If you know what kind of practice you want to build, a startup isn't the risky path, it's the only one that doesn't compromise your vision. Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DentalUnscripted Website: https://dentalunscripted.com 🌟 Love the show? Rate and review on Apple or Spotify - it helps other dentists find us! 🫶 TOPICS WE COVER ON THIS SHOW: dental startup, starting a dental practice, dental practice startup, buying a dental practice, dental startup tips, dental practice ownership, owning a dental practice, practice ownership journey, dental entrepreneurship, dental business, dental practice management, dental consulting, dental startup advice, practice management, dental practice challenges Production by © Dental Unscripted 2026.The content provided is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or tax advice. Always consult with a qualified professional regarding your specific situation.

  6. Jul 16

    Growing a Dental Practice Starts Inside Out | Marketing Episode PART3

    Most dental practices blame marketing for low patient flow, but the real problem is an internal one - "How to audit and fix your front office conversion leakage!"  Mike Dinsio and Paula Quinn sit down with Guido Tebano, CMO of Market My Market, to explore the #1 thing nobody is paying attention to: What happens inside your practice when a lead calls.  This is part 3 of a marketing deep dive revealing why office execution (not just lead generation) determines your practice growth and profitability.What you'll discover in this episode: • Why most dental offices lose 70% of incoming leads before they ever schedule • The art of phone answering and why it's the highest-ROI skill in your practice • How to identify your best phone closer and strategically route calls to them • Why tracking call metrics exposes the real bottleneck (front office vs. marketing vs. dentist) • The customer service failures that kill conversions (and how to build a playbook to fix them) • How AI and call recording can pinpoint exactly where callers drop off • Why patient experience starts at "hello"—and how tone of voice impacts case acceptance Perfect for practice owners scaling to $1.5M+, startup dentists optimizing their front office, and anyone frustrated with marketing ROI who hasn't measured their internal conversion rate. SPECIAL GUEST ON THIS EPISODE: Guido Tebano is CMO and founder of Market My Market, specializing in data-driven patient acquisition and practice profitability analysis. His demographic studies help dentists determine whether their market can support their growth goals, and if their internal systems can close those leads. Visit https://marketmymarket.com to get more info about working with them. Marketing is only half the equation. Your practice's real competitive advantage lives in how your team converts the opportunities that walk through the door. This episode gives you the framework to audit, measure, and fix your biggest revenue leak. Subscribe to Dental Unscripted: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DentalUnscripted Website: https://dentalunscripted.com 🌟 Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts and Spotify 🫶 It helps us reach more practice owners. growing a dental practice, dental practice growth, practice management, dental business, practice efficiency, dental practice leadership, patient experience, dental practice challenges, conversion optimization, dental startup tips, practice acquisition, dental entrepreneurship, practice profitability, patient conversion, front office management Production by © Dental Unscripted 2026. The content provided in this episode is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or tax advice. Always consult with a qualified professional regarding your specific situation.

  7. Jul 6

    PPO vs. Fee-for-Service: A Practice Ownership Journey Decision | 2 MIN DRILL Episode

    Should you drop PPO insurance or negotiate harder for fee-for-service rates? The 60% rule tells you when a write-off crosses into insulting territory. But it only makes sense if you can answer these 3 questions: #1. Is your chair full?#2. What is your patient experience like? #3. What is your plan for patients with no 'out-of-network' benefits? Get an informal and informative review of your practice's insurances! Reach out to Paula Quinn and her front office team!https://nxlevelconsultants.com/contact/

    PPO vs. Fee-for-Service: A Practice Ownership Journey Decision | 2 MIN DRILL Episode

  8. Jun 19

    The Real Cost of Marketing for New Dental Patients in a Practice Startup (Most Get it Wrong)

    Most dental startups guess at their marketing budget and end up either starving for patients or wasting money. Guido Tebano of Market My Market breaks down real numbers for SEO, ads, and mailers. In this episode of the Marketing Series, Michael Dinsio and Paula Quinn sit down with Guido Tebano to answer the question every startup dentist asks: how much should you actually spend on marketing, and where should that money go? They cover the real difference between SEO and paid ads, how long a new dental website takes to start ranking, what a qualified implant lead actually costs, whether direct mail still works in 2026, and the calls to action that convert new patients on a website or mailer. Why a marketing budget can’t be copied from another office The real timeline for SEO and organic ranking Cost per lead and cost per patient, broken down by platform Are dental directories like ZocDoc worth the markup Do direct mail campaigns still work?The five calls to action that actually convert new patients General budget benchmarks for a dental startup by market type Why the first 90 days matter mostCHAPTER MARKERS 0:00 Intro: budgeting for marketing 1:04 Meet Guido Tebano 2:13 Why budgets can’t be cookie cutter 3:18 SEO vs paid ads timeline 5:38 How long a website takes to rank 8:23 Cost per new patient compared 9:46 Are directories worth the markup 11:24 Cost per implant lead and ROI 13:00 Do mailers still work 16:04 Why mailer messaging matters 18:01 5 CTAs that convert patients 21:35 Promotion vs production costs 23:51 General budget benchmarks 26:01 Spending your first $3,500/mo28:15 When to turn ads on 29:35 Why your first 90 days matter Learn more about Guido Tebano and Market My Market at https://marketmymarket.com This episode is part of our Marketing Series for dental startups. Catch Part I, our episode on dental startup demographics, wherever you listen. Visit Our Podcast's Website: https://dentalunscripted.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/dentalunscripted Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DentalUnscripted/ Check out Next Level Consultants: https://nxlevelconsultants.com Check out Next Level Consultants for personalized dental practice consulting services Michael Dinsio, MBA Paula Quinn, BSDH  Production by © Dental Unscripted 2026 The content provided in this episode is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or tax advice. Always consult with a qualified professional regarding your specific situation.

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About

The dental practice ownership podcast for dentists ready to start, buy, or grow their dental business. Mike Dinsio, MBA and Paula Quinn, BSDH have joined forces. Now combining past shows from "Startup Unscripted" and "Dental Acquisition Unscripted" into one. They bring 30+ years of dental industry experience together with a modern approach to "the business of dentistry." Each episode features unscripted conversations with expert guest content. They share real life experiences, proven strategies, and actionable insights on dental practice ownership. Whether you're new to ownership, planning a dental startup, or navigating a practice acquisition—we've got you covered. CHANNEL TOPICS INCLUDE: ✓ How to start a dental practice from scratch ✓ Buying a dental practice: What you need to know ✓ Practice management hacks, tips, and tricks ✓ Dental marketing and SEO strategies that work ✓ Financial planning and profitability for practice owners ✓ Building and leading high-performing dental teams ✓ Industry trends: DSOs, technology, and the future of dentistry Next Level Consultants is Michael and Paula's consulting firm. Their approach to working with dentists? Customized strategies that are tailored to your unique market, team, and goals—no cookie-cutter packages. Visit: https://nxlevelconsultants.com/resources/digital-downloads/ To get our FREE resources and don't hesitate subscribing to the show! Join our growing community of dental practice owners and entrepreneurs. Watch LIVE on YouTube & ask questions directly. Subscribe on Apple or Spotify. New episodes weekly. No scripts. Just real talk about running a successful dental practice. Rate the show 5 stars and help other dentists discover us! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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