57 Definitive Practice Management Tips from the Leading 57 Dental Experts

Key Points

• Lead with clarity ⏤ set the vision, share expectations, and hold people (kindly) accountable.
• Train the team ⏤ hire for values, define roles, and keep skills sharp.
• Systematize ⏤ written playbooks for phones, scheduling/recall, collections, inventory, and HR.
• Answer every lead ⏤ track missed calls, return them fast, and use simple scripts.
• Market nonstop ⏤ modern website + SEO/PPC + reviews + retention… and measure all of it.
• Watch the numbers ⏤ production vs. collections, new patients, case acceptance, no-shows.
• Protect cash & compliance ⏤ manage claims/balances, control supplies (~≤6% of gross), know your contracts, self-audit.
• Delight patients ⏤ great service, clear communication, same-day when possible, post-op calls.
• Embrace change — stay flexible as DSOs, AI, and new models evolve; keep learning and innovating.
• Never stop learning!

We reached out to 57 leading experts in the dental practice management community and asked for their best dental practice management tips for 2026. You’ll find advice from experienced dentists, dental marketing professionals, CPAs, lawyers, and other practice management experts on topics like:

• Leadership
• Communication
• Teamwork
• Customer service
• Work-life balance
• And much more…

But first things first, what is dental practice management?

Dental practice management refers to the systems, processes, and leadership strategies used to run a successful dental office. It includes everything from scheduling and patient communication to financial tracking, staffing, compliance, and marketing.

Strong dental practice management helps practices:

• Deliver consistent patient experiences
• Improve operational efficiency
• Maintain profitability and financial stability
• Support team performance and accountability
• Create scalable systems as the practice grows

Practice management also includes data tracking, workflow optimization, and automation tools that reduce manual tasks and allow teams to focus more on patient care.

What systems help run a dental practice?

• Scheduling systems: Defined rules for booking appointments, managing cancellations, and reducing no-shows.
• Patient communication systems: Scripts and processes for answering phones, confirming appointments, and following up with patients.
• Recall and hygiene systems: Automated reminders and follow-ups that keep patients returning for preventive care.
• Financial and collections systems: Clear procedures for insurance verification, billing, payment plans, and outstanding balances.
• Inventory management systems: Tracking supplies and reordering automatically to control costs.
• Training and onboarding systems: Written protocols that help new team members learn procedures quickly.

How do dentists improve efficiency in their practice?

Dentists improve efficiency by streamlining workflows, reducing manual tasks, and optimizing team responsibilities.

Improving workflows

Mapping out key processes such as scheduling, treatment presentation, insurance processing, and patient follow-up helps identify inefficiencies and bottlenecks.

Delegating responsibilities

High-performing practices ensure that each team member works at the top of their role. Dentists focus on clinical care while trained staff manage administrative and operational tasks.

Using automation tools

Automation reduces repetitive work and improves consistency across the practice:

• Automated appointment reminders
• Online patient forms and intake
• Digital insurance verification
• Automated recall campaigns
• AI-assisted phone answering systems

By combining efficient workflows, clear systems, and technology, you can increase productivity while reducing team burnout.

Now, let’s hear what the experts have to say

Operational Efficiency

Strong systems, clear communication, and defined workflows keep dental practices running smoothly and reduce stress for the entire team.

1. Invest in your team. Too many times we see doctors and their team frustrated because someone was placed in a position with little or no training, or worse, continuing to do something the same (antiquated) way. Giving someone the title ‘office manager’ does not make them the ultimate manager, and even a seasoned manager needs to continue to stay up to date to remain relevant in the industry.

There are online courses, conferences, lunch and learns, e-zines, newsletters, magazines… the options are endless. Investing in your team is never money wasted and is often just the thing needed to take that person or that practice to the next level.

– Denise Ciardello, GTSgurus.com

2. Hold effective team meetings. Dental practices succeed and flourish when they have efficient and effective communication meetings. These practices can strategically plan to maintain their standards and quality, keep their systems functioning, changing if need be to implement innovative technology and service changes, etc.

Morning huddles and regular team meetings, along with defined job descriptions, task lists with ultimate responsibilities defined, team member growth conferences, and merit raise reviews are critical for this. Practices that encourage and train team members so they can stretch, change, and grow, creating a well-functioning team that works cohesively toward a common set of goals, will have a thriving practice.

Personnel determines the Potential of the Team. Vision determines the Direction of the team. Work Ethic determines the Preparation of the team. Leadership determines the success of the team.

– Cindy Ishimoto

3. Develop policies and procedures for accountability. Documented systems help ensure consistency across the practice and prevent confusion among staff.

– Dr. Paul Caselle, DrPaulCaselle.com

4. Leadership drives practice success. Know how to be a leader, complete with a clear vision, an ability to delegate and hold your team accountable, and the ability to foster creativity and leadership in your own team members. I have seen many skilled clinicians without the ability to maintain business as successfully as it should be.

In my opinion, practice success centers around leadership. Seek resources to equip yourself to become a strong leader, and never stop learning.

– Karen Davis, KarenDavis.net

5. Always have a continual training protocol in place in your practice, as a well-trained, efficient office is a maximally profitable one.

– Laura Hatch, FrontOfficeRocks.com, @dentalrockstars

6. Execute your action plans. I believe the biggest area of potential in dental practices is in executing their action plans. Execution is the missing link to achieving the practice you desire. Execution happens when you are clear about your goals, the strategy to achieve them, opportunities to communicate daily, and holding one another accountable. You will create the practice you dream of when you can ensure successful execution.

– Jennifer Schultz, The Achievement Blueprint, @Jen_Schultz

7. Define and assess your leadership role in the practice and get coaching if you are weak in this area. Establish strong systems for recall, collections, and scheduling with policies that all staff understand. Provide a legal Employment Policy Manual that eliminates or reduces misunderstandings about holiday pay, maternity leave, overtime, dress code, cell phone use, and body tattoos (to name a few).

Have positive team meetings monthly. Check the office financial reports daily and meet with your front office monthly to keep track of production and collection statistics. All adjustments to accounts need an explanation. Stay connected and don’t give away your responsibility as CEO.

– Belle DuCharme, belle.m.ducharme@gmail.com

Grow your dental practice with confidence!

8. Think like a big business. Ask yourself: how can I create maximum efficiency in my practice, lower costs, and create an incredible new patient experience? Small dental groups are doing this well. The practices that figure this out too will survive and thrive.

– Jacob Puhl, DEODentalGroup.com

9. Implement systems and training, along with regular team meetings, to allow your vision to become a reality.

– Amy Smith

10. Hire for values and train the team. Hire for maturity (not age but demeanor). Take the time to teach them your culture and train them accordingly. Treat them as assets – not liabilities. Tell them your top 5 values and clearly outline expectations. Teams that perform well understand practice objectives and act accordingly.

– Debra Engelhardt Nash, DebraEngelhardtNash.com

11. Become the strongest leader you can be. As a strong leader, you will be able to create strong leaders within your team. This will propel your practice to new heights and will make running your practice so much easier … less stress and more enjoyable!

– Robin Morrison, DentalConsultantConnection.com

12. Invest time in building a great team. Even though there is lots of technology to make it easier to run the numbers, dentistry is still very much a people business. My best advice would be to invest the time and energy it takes to get great people on your team: empower them with the training they need and ensure they are committed to the success of the practice.

There are lots of ways to improve a practice, but staff changes for the better are what I’ve seen make the most difference to the owner’s income, as well as to their quality of life.

Get the people right, and the rest will follow!

– Ciara MacMahon, PhaseTwoManagement.com

13. Gain control of management systems. The root of many practice management issues is the lack of control; learn to gain control, and you will have success at your office and have your team work WITH you instead of AGAINST you.

– Tuan Pham, DentalMaverick.com

14. Leadership is the dentist’s main management task. There are four primary tasks of management in your practice. In order for you to provide a service and take home a paycheck for your work, these four tasks need to be accomplished to make your business go.

• Task B (Tasks of Production): Task B actions can most easily be defined as the activities in your practice that create income. When you’re prepping a tooth, you’re working on a Task B activity. When any team member is performing a task for which you will bill a client, they are involved in a Task B activity.
• Task C (Tasks of Support): Task C actions are those tasks that directly support the creation of income. When your receptionist is making an appointment, she is working on a Task C activity. When you’re taking a continuing ed course, you’re involved in a Task C activity.
• Task D (Tasks of Maintenance): Task D actions are those tasks that do NOT directly support or enable the creation of income but must still be done in order to maintain the practice. When your assistant takes out the trash or your office manager orders supplies, they are engaged in Task D activities.

Most practices operate on a Task B-D level. Dentists operating on this level can create income and jobs and provide services. They can get the job done, but something important is missing. That “something” is the job of Task A.

The Job of Task A

The job of Task A is the job of leadership. The dentist is the practice leader. You can certainly produce income (Task B), perform the jobs that support the production of income (Task C), and can even maintain the practice and keep the windows clean (Task D), but ONLY you, the dentist, can perform the Task A task of Leadership.

A friend of mine was traveling in Germany with his wife a few years ago. He told me one day they were driving through a beautiful countryside when he saw a lone sheepherder with his dog and a flock of sheep. He thought this was a great opportunity to once and for all find the answer to a question he had pondered for years.

He pulled over and walked to where he could get the attention of the sheepherder and motioned for him to come over. In his broken German, he asked, “I have wondered for many years, does a sheepherder drive his flock in front of him, or does he walk ahead so they follow him?”

The sheepherder, using simple terms so my friend could understand him, replied, “It depends. If he is going where the sheep have been before, he lets the sheep go ahead and drives them from behind. If he is going where his sheep have never been, he walks in front and leads them.”

The Job of Task A is the job of Leadership. In areas where the team knows the processes and has the skills, he or she lets them move forward and take initiative while offering support, encouragement, and persuasive guidance. If they are attempting new goals, new systems, or changes in the practice, the Task A leader walks ahead, setting the example and leading the team.

The key to practice management success isn’t in processes, appearances, systems, technology, or even clinical skill. It is Leadership, determined by developing the discipline to do what only you, the doctor, the owner, and the leader can do. And that is the Job of Task A.

– Kevin Nelson, WinterSteen.com

15. Create and communicate a clear vision. Be the leader in your practice and have a clear statement of what your vision is for your practice, something that your team can articulate, embrace, and own. Then walk your talk!

– V. Kim Kutsch, @kimkutsch

16. Share your expectations with your team, in detail, and prioritize. One of the most common complaints I hear from team members is that they do not know what the doctor wants. They are anxious to please the doctor, but they feel they are just winging it most of the time. This can lead to frustration for the entire team and can have a negative impact on the overall production of the practice.

A while back, one of my clients was very frustrated that his dental assistant was never in the treatment room when he was ready to deliver anesthetic. I asked him how he let her know that he expected her in the room during that procedure, and he said, “I press on the rheostat, and when she hears it, she usually comes running.” As you might guess, this led to a lot of frustration for the doctor and the assistant. Also, it’s important that you PRIORITIZE your expectations.

Using the example above, the doctor said the assistant was very detail-oriented and could trim models to perfection, which is usually what she was engaged in when he needed her most. Once he made it clear that it was important to him that she be in the treatment room when he was ready to deliver anesthetic, AND that it took priority over trimming models, it was never an issue again. I always tell my clients, “As long as your expectations are moral, legal, and ethical, your team will give you 100% effort.”

– Judy Risner, Lemonade to Gold

17. Start with your team. Hire based on well-developed core values. Do not hire anyone who does not possess or aspire to possess your values. Be convicted to fire someone who repeatedly violates a core value. Be prepared to incur a significant financial liability to protect those values.

– David Phelps, D.D.S., FreedomFounders.com

18. Diagnose the real problem in your practice. The most common thing I find that holds Doctors back from hitting their full potential is the simple fact they are pursuing solving the wrong problem. Meaning, they are treating the wrong symptom. This is no different than the challenge you face in your practice when trying to solve a sensitive tooth. Is this decay, a sinus issue, a bite issue, or countless other choices? A proper diagnosis is the key to success; otherwise, you solve the wrong problems and then wonder why you get lackluster results!

– Darren Kaberna, AccelerateMyPractice.com

19. Evaluate your systems! All practices should be growing each year by a minimum of 15-20%. If that’s not happening, assess your management systems and apply the 3 rules of CHANGE…

1. If something is working, celebrate and DO MORE of it.
2. If a system is NOT working, stop the insanity and DO something DIFFERENT
3. If you don’t know if it works or not, analyze and FIND OUT…

– Lisa Philp, TGNAPracticeManagement.com, @TransitionsG

Patient Experience

Great dental practices prioritize patient education, service, and communication to build long-term relationships.

20. Patients will not accept treatment they don’t understand. Focus on the value of the recommended treatment to a patient’s quality of life, not the technical aspects of the proposed comprehensive treatment plan.

– Lee J Harris DDS, HarrisDentalSolutions.com

21. Language used with patients matters. The language you use on your practice’s social media page will reflect your message of how you and your patients view your services. For example, what words are you using to describe your dental hygiene visit? Cleaning or Health & Wellness Visit? I challenge you to hashtag the word “cleaning” and the word “health”… then discover why your patients may not view the value of the dental hygiene appointment.

It is easy to cancel an appointment when you view it as a cleaning. Given the fact that periodontal disease, caries risk, oral cancer, bruxism, and more are linked to or stem from health, this repositions the expectations of your practice.

– Anastasia Turchetta, AnastasiaTurchetta.com, @AnastasiaRDH

22. The golden rule… treat others as you wish to be treated. As simple as it sounds, we all get very busy and overlook the small details that make such a difference in the competitive world of dentistry. Take time to answer questions fully, give your full attention to the patient in the moment they are in front of you, and empower them through education to take responsibility for their oral health and overall health. I also learned a long time ago that a fee guide is only a guide; your patients will pay for quality and service. Make sure you and your team are focused on both.

– Jo-Anne Jones, Jo-AnneJones.com , @Joanne_RDH

23. Focus on ethical communication and treatment presentation. Ensure that the whole team is professionally trained in ethical sales & world-class communication skills, from the receptionist right through to the doctor. You are one team and there are thousands of dollars worth of opportunities calling and walking into your office every day, your job is to ensure that your whole team is skilled up to maximize these opportunities. Second piece of advice is to ask every patient this question: is there anything that you would like to change or improve about your smile? If so, what would it be? Sit back and listen attentively.

– Ashley Latter, AshleyLatter.com, @latterash

24. Deliver exceptional communication and service. Attracting new patients and retaining existing ones is vital to the long-term health and profitability of any dental practice. And yet, despite how hard you work to do just that, many patients simply fade away over time, never to be heard from again.

Why? What is it that you are doing, or not doing, or could be doing better that causes this to happen? Chances are it has nothing to do with your skills as a clinician. More likely, you and your staff are not effectively following the three “C” rules that help keep patients engaged and invested in their oral health:

• Customer Service
• Communication
• Continuing Care

If you want your practice to succeed, learn how to ensure you are providing excellent customer service to every patient in every interaction, that you and your team’s communication skills are not only adequate but exceptional, and that you have a continuing care program in place that is understood and embraced by all.

– Jan Keller, Jan Keller & Associates

25. Follow up with patients after treatment. At the end of the day or evening, call every patient who received an injection at your office that day to see how they are doing.

– Peter Mirabito DDS, ADSPrecise.com

26. Learn how to communicate with patients for them to accept your recommendations

– Tarun Agarwal, 3D-Dentists.com, @tbonespeaks

Marketing & Growth

Consistent marketing and patient acquisition strategies help practices grow sustainably.

27. Direct mail campaigns. The best advice I can give to dental practice owners is to send direct mail to generate new patients. And I don’t just mean one big drop of postcards when things are slow. I’m talking about consistently mailing to your prospective patients — whether it’s 1,000 or 10,000 postcards a month (depending on how many new patients you need) — to keep a steady stream of them calling in.

A lot of dentists today are blowing their whole marketing budget on pay-per-click, but it’s not enough! Only a finite number of people are searching online for a dentist at any given moment. But who needs the dentist? Everyone! You need to reach prospects in your area regularly so that when the need is near, your practice is top of mind.

– Joy Gendusa, PostcardMania.com, @postcardmania

28. Never stop marketing. While there’s nothing better than being surrounded by a great team that supports your practice’s mission, what’s the next most important part in the business of dentistry? Never stop marketing! An abundance of new patients can solve a lot of problems. What’s more, don’t ignore your existing patients. They need to hear from you every month and know you care (In writing. Be in their mailbox each month like no one else!) In every new patient ad, include an incentive for existing patients.

We’ve had as many as 50% of the calls from new patient ads come from existing patients mentioning the incentive (moderate, under $50 off). It prioritizes treatment that has been put off and generates new patients, too.

– Jerry A. Jones, Jerry@JerryJonesDirect.com

29. Track where your new patients are coming from! Understanding which channels bring in new patients allows you to focus on strategies that work.

– Laura Maly, WonderistAgency.com, @wonderistagency

30. Create a strong dental website. This is a website that has dental content that connects with your website visitors emotionally. Then optimize it for higher rankings in google. Remember…people make decisions on emotion, so speak to them on that level on every page of your website.

– Mike Pedersen, TheDentalBoost.com, @mikepedersen

31. Share the #1 unique, ethical service that only you provide for your patients. Share this in everything that you do and say, and you will create your dream practice. You will have patients who are raving fans, a full schedule, and patients who want to pay for what you offer.

– Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS, DentalPracticeSolutions.com, @DPSDentalCoach

33. Make sure you have updated bios for yourself and your team on your website. These are the No. 1 and 2 pages prospective patients look for and read when researching a new dentist. If your bio is nonexistent or poorly written, with outdated, grainy photos, your chance of that person calling your practice to schedule a new patient appointment is slim to none.

– Jill Townsend, @JillTownsend

33. Have a competitive advantage or don’t compete. If you don’t have a competitive advantage–a reason for people to choose you over Practice B–you run the risk of being perceived as a commodity. And then every treatment plan you offer will be put under the microscope of price because there’s nothing else for a prospective patient to hang their hat on.

– Michael DiFrisco, @howtobranding

34. Sell the treatment your patients need and want, and do your best to always accommodate for same day treatment or commitment. Do not put off willing and eager patients for insurance approvals. I currently work in the medical billing field and have clients nationwide treating sleep apnea. The offices with the largest amount of volume in claims are the ones that have the patients commit to treatment and sign off on financial responsibility.

The offices overly concerned about pre-authorization and telling patients what they expect insurance to cover have a lot of volume in pre-authorizations, but do not translate to claims for completed services.

– Lesia Crawford

Technology & Automation

Modern dental practices use technology and automation tools to streamline operations and improve communication.

35. Track missed calls from marketing. Most front office managers are too busy to answer the phone 100% of the time. If you’re paying for marketing services, be sure to keep track of how many calls you’re missing. You’re paying for those calls. Establish a system to follow up on calls after hours or during your lunch break.

Many dental offices claim that most dedicated new patients will call back. If you are truly unique, this is true. But for dental offices who haven’t firmly differentiated themselves from other offices in the area, it’s critical that you answer these incoming calls.

Paying for marketing and missing calls is one of the biggest problems I see in dental marketing.

– Justin L. Morgan, DentalMarketingGuy.com

36. Use analytics dashboards like Dental Intel. You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge, so tracking your key performance indicators (KPIs) is vital to growing your business through strategy and intention. You can track these old school with pen and paper or more high-tech using an analytic dashboard such as Dental Intel. However you do it, review your KPIs daily with your team and discuss your verbs; those action words determine if you stand still or move forward.

– Jen Butler, MEd, JBPartners.com

37. Stay adaptable to AI and new technologies. Change is the constant. The changes due to the rapid expansion of DSOs, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, evidenced-based diagnostic and treatment planning software, machine-to-machine learning, robotics, the different values and attitudes of consumers and dentists, midlevel providers/dental therapists, the oral systemic link, vertical integration through the value chain, and the change in reimbursement from fee-for-service to outcomes and value, dental practice as you know it will look nothing like it does today in less than a decade.

My advice is: stay calm, be highly flexible, and get ready for these changes.

– Dr. Marc B. Cooper, DEODentalGroup.com

38. Track metrics with data tools. Choose to measure and track specific metrics that are critical to your practice, using goals and plans as the path toward your mission of improving the health of every patient.

– Weston Lunsford, DentalIntel.com, @Dental_Intel

Financial Management

Smart financial systems ensure practices remain profitable and financially secure.

39. Dentistry is one of the most inventory-intense professions. Inventory cost should not exceed 6% of your gross, so it’s vital that you control it with an inventory management system that provides you with metrics, as well as control over: min/max levels, expiration dates, tracking returns and promised free goods, and your equipment.

– Kim Bleiweiss, ghMouse.com

40. Take a two-day course in medical billing. Help your patients pay for treatment and minimize out-of-pocket expenses.

– Dr. Olya Zahrebelny, TheZGroupLLC.com

41. Set up a professional dental corporation or professional limited liability company. This will help protect your personal assets from liability that may arise within the practice. In addition, there may be tax benefits and savings depending on the type of entity you choose.

– Matthew Odgers, odgerslawgroup.com

42. Be consistent in managing outstanding claims and past due patient balances. Set aside every week, or every other week, to follow up on claims and patient balances. A good practice management software makes it easy to do this. If you are not following up on these things, you will run out of time regarding insurance to collect on the claim. With regards to patient balances, if too much time has elapsed since the procedure, the patient may think their balance is no longer relevant. It’s money on the table, so don’t let it slip away.

– David Arnett, CEO DentiMax.com

43. You have more power with PPO’s than you think. If you are collecting less than 80% of your gross production chances are you can do better through either negotiating with PPO’s or selectively dropping them.

– Bill Rossi, AdvancedPraticeManagement.com

44. Build wealth outside the practice. Most dentists have a hard time building up wealth outside of their dental practice. You should focus on building up your personal net worth so you can take care of the people you love and support the causes you care about.

The first step is to make an honest assessment of where you are now, where you want to go, and what the gaps are.

Second, we recommend looking to your existing financial and other advisors to make an honest assessment about whether you have the right team in place. Sometimes this may mean they need to bring additional advisors to the table. Or it could mean you need to change advisors to help you reach your goals.

In today’s market environment, a lot of dentists are not sure that they’re making the best decisions with their wealth and that the steps they are taking now will actually help them get to where they want to be. Think of it this way: If your doctor told you that you have cancer and wants to operate tomorrow, you’d probably seek a second opinion.

Why should it be any different with your wealth and your dental practice? If you’re not sure that you’re making the best decisions, a second opinion could give you a lot of insights about how to take a new direction that could be much better than where you are headed today.

– Timothy J McNeely CFP® CIMA®, LifestoneWM.com, @timmcneely

45. Track at least 5 key practice performance indicators each month. For example, net production vs. collection, doctor production vs. hygiene production, new patient flow, case acceptance percentage, and cancellations and no-shows. Understand how this information compares to your practice benchmarks and dental practice averages.

– David J Goodman CPA, LBGCPAS.com, @njdentalcpa

46. Work with professional advisors. Engage dental professionals to help you with managerial decisions.

– Allen Schiff, Dental CPA, SchiffCPA.com, @CPA4DDS

47. Create your own wellness plan and save over 35% over all major PPO plans.

– Roz Fulmer, roz@rozfulmer.com

48. Prevent embezzlement. Embezzlement is always done by an employee whom you have decided to trust. Remember that trust is a fluid concept and needs to be periodically reevaluated.

– David Harris, Prosperident.com, @fraudguru

49. Use real financial data for decision-making. You can’t expect amazing results without a concrete vision. Realistic, honest, and transparent data (as in leads, profit margins, and other key performance indicators) must be the backbone of your decision-making process, your future goals, and the foundation for articulating your vision.

– Dr. Boulden, BulletproofDentalPractice.com

50. Understand insurance contracts and auditing.

1. Read and understand every PPO or Medicaid contract the dentist signs.
2. Bill for what you do, not what insurance pays for. Learn the codes that are most frequently flagged for by insurance and Medicaid. Armed with this information, you can increase your income and protect yourself if audited.
3. Develop a strategy for self-auditing your records and understand that the responsibility for record-keeping belongs to the doctor.

– Dr. Paul Bornstein, PaulBornsteinDMD.weebly.com

Personal Growth & Work-Life Balance

Building a successful dental practice also requires investing in yourself.

51. Approach the day with intensity. In regard to hitting your goals: Approach each day at the office like you’re going to WAR.

– Dr. Justin Short, TheLifestylePractice.com

52. Never stop learning. Keep your fire burning bright by constantly learning, improving, and reaching for that next level of success.

– Sandy Baird, BairdConcepts.com, @bairdconcepts

53. Build a practice aligned with your life goals. Blatchford Solutions holds the basic philosophy…..Your LIFE is most important. Our coaching encourages you to discover your own dreams and values in achieving a lifestyle meaningful to you. We then help you develop a practice congruent with the life you dream of.

Many dentists work hard, yet do not feel the emotional or financial satisfaction they had hoped for. We coach dentist to dentist and support you in rediscovering joy in life and rewards in practicing. We have many doctors and team testimonials on our website, www.Blatchford.com.

Bottom line, live the life you deserve and want. Get off that hamster wheel!

– Dr. Christina and Dr. Bill Blatchford, Blatchford.com, @drblatchford

54. Manage your emotions and mindset. Managing yourself and your emotions and understanding why you react the way you do is the most impactful part of managing your practice. Change that matters always starts from the inside-out. Anything else only makes a temporary shift.

I know this because, as a dentist for 20 years, I was making all kinds of outside changes to try & improve my life & practice. I changed employees, spouses, vehicles, office buildings, technology…and none of it made a lasting impact until I started working on myself, and then the lens through which I saw the world shifted, which changed everything. I had a coach to walk with me, but the most impactful guide was my horse…

Contact me for more information on how a horse can help guide you in making changes that matter, from the Inside-Out!

– Bethany Piziks Gareiss, DDS

55. Improve clinical skills to improve outcomes. Your clinical aptitude will be equal to your financial outcome! Develop your skill set & be a life leader.

– Rhonda Gonano Mullins, @Rhomullins

56. Lead instead of manage. Do you HAVE to do dentistry, or do you have the FREEDOM to do dentistry when you choose to? Most dentists don’t really own their practice; their practice owns them. What if you could build a practice you love and have a great life, too? Why do we think you have to pick one over the other?

We all need to learn The Practice Owner’s Game: how to make MORE money in LESS time and get off the treadmill of dentistry. We get off the treadmill by leading instead of managing. People don’t need to be managed, just led; vastly different things (ex: Managers “tell”, Leaders “ask”). Figure out what is the highest and best use of your time, and lead other people to their highest and best.

Very few people in your practice (maybe including you) are in their groove. 51% of staff have their resumes out right now (Gallup), and a whopping 84% would rather be doing something else. The biggest reason they give is that they can’t be an adult and make decisions. Your highest and best goal is not to make decisions for them but to have the vision to know where you’re all going, and then provide the tools, resources, training, and encouragement to allow them to make the great decisions that get you there.

Are you making decisions based on where you are or on where you want to be? Decide today to get off the treadmill, unleash the latent potential of those around you to make great decisions and lead from their strengths, and build a practice that everyone would love to buy, but you would never want to sell.

You get what you intend, not what you hope for. What are you intending to build?

– Chuck Blakeman, GOTTSummit.com, @chuckblakeman

57. Don’t try to solve your problems personally… Hire a coach

– Hugh Dohrty, Busines of Dental Practice LLC

Interested? Inspired? Want to learn more?

Visit the contributors’ websites for further information. All of these experts care deeply about dentistry and dental practice management. They have a wealth of information to share with you!

Get inspiration for your practice’s next website design from our curated list of the best dental websites.

Find your next favorite podcast by searching through the best podcasts in dental.

If you want more resources to continue learning from, see our list of best dental podcasts, videos, books, blogs, Facebook groups, & conferences that dentists are talking about.

Thanks for reading this post, and thanks again to everyone who contributed their practice management advice.

Common questions