Dental Practice Heroes Newsletter
Dr. Etchison will share tips, strategies, and give a summary of the DPH content and upcoming events for the month.
How to Build Trust Before You Diagnose
If your case acceptance is low, the problem is probably not your diagnosis.
Most dentists assume that if the treatment plan is correct, the patient will say yes. That is not how it works. Patients say yes when they trust you, and that trust is built before you ever talk about dentistry.
Here is a...
Apr 10, 2026
case acceptance
patient communication
practice growth
trust
How to Define What Good Looks Like
Your team is not the problem. Your lack of clarity probably is.
In this episode, I break down a simple exercise I did with my team that created instant clarity around what we value and what we do not. Once we put those standards into words, a lot of the issues owners complain about became much ea...
Apr 08, 2026
communication
culture building
team culture
team performance
The Shift From Filing to Planning
If you are making good money in your practice but still feel like too much of it is disappearing, your CPA might be part of the problem. A lot of dentists treat taxes like a once-a-year event. You send in your numbers, get your return, write a painful check, and move on.
In our latest episode, I ...
Apr 03, 2026
finance
practice management
profitability
taxes
What Patients Remember Most
Most dentists think patients are judging the dentistry itself. In reality, what patients remember most is how the experience begins and how it ends.
In this episode, I break down something that affects case acceptance, referrals, and patient loyalty more than most dentists realize. You can be hig...
Mar 31, 2026
What Actually Makes Your Day Flow
A lot of dentists think they have a scheduling problem when what they really have is an efficiency problem.
In our latest episode, I am joined by Dr. Aaron Nicholas to talk about something I see all the time. You can have a packed day, good treatment acceptance, and plenty of patients, but if eve...
Mar 26, 2026
efficiency
productivity
scheduling
Building a Practice That Runs Without You
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You are in the middle of a normal workday and somehow everything still ends up on your desk. The front needs a decision, a team member has a question, someone wants time off, something nee...
Mar 25, 2026
dental leadership
dental systems
leadership team
The Number That Changes Everything
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You just finished a long clinical day and you are exhausted. You were moving nonstop, running two columns, and it felt like y...
Mar 20, 2026
dental-practice-growth
dental-production
dollar-per-hour
practice-efficiency
Better Marketing Without Spending More
If your marketing plan is basically Google Ads, SEO, and hoping the schedule holds together, you are not alone. A lot of practices spend thousands every month and still feel like new patients show up in waves.
In the latest episode, I talk with Dr. Henry Ernst and Dr. Steven Markowitz about the k...
Mar 17, 2026
creative-marketing
new-patients
practice-growth
practice-ownership
What Your Waiting Room Is Communicating
If your patient experience starts when they sit in the chair, you are starting too late. Long before you diagnose treatment or ask a patient to move forward, the waiting room experience is shaping trust in ways most offices do not even notice.
In the latest episode, I break down three simple wait...
Mar 12, 2026
dental-patient-experience
dental-practice-systems
patient-trust
waiting-room-experience
The Leadership Shift Your Front Desk Needs
A chaotic front desk does not stay at the front desk. It spills into your schedule, your collections, your case acceptance, and your stress level as the owner.
In this episode, Kiera Dent and I break down a common mistake owners make: rewarding activity instead of outcomes. A team can be busy all...
Mar 11, 2026
dental-practice-systems
front-desk-systems
practice-management
team-accountability
The Conversation That Actually Reduces Cancellations
You ever walk in on a Monday, feeling good, coffee in hand, and then the front desk starts listening to weekend voicemails? A few cancellations later, your schedule looks like Swiss cheese and your mood is gone. If this keeps happening in hygiene, it’s not just annoying, it's expensive.
Here’s th...
Mar 05, 2026
dental front desk training
dental scheduling systems
dental team communication
patient cancellations
Build or Buy? A Framework for Smart Ownership
If you’re debating startup versus acquisition, you’ve probably asked ten people and gotten ten very confident opinions. Startup owners warn you you’re buying someone else’s problems. Acquisition owners warn you startups are a slow grind. Meanwhile you’re thinking, I just want to make a smart deci...
Mar 03, 2026
dental growth strategy
dental leadership
practice ownership
startup vs acquisition