Dental Practice Heroes Newsletter
Dr. Etchison will share tips, strategies, and give a summary of the DPH content and upcoming events for the month.
The Structure That Changes Owner Income
If you have ever felt busy as a practice owner, like you are putting in the hours and the energy but your lifestyle and paycheck do not reflect it, this one is for you. I lived that way for over five years, and looking back there are three things I would have done differently that would have comp...
Feb 12, 2026
block-scheduling
practice-growth
practice-systems
scaling-a-practice
Breaking Down AR Before It Breaks You
If you have ever opened your AR report and felt like it was written in a different language, you are not alone. Most practice owners do not have an AR problem, they have an AR diagnosis problem.
High AR is not one issue. It is usually multiple issues hiding inside one number. If you fix the wrong...
Feb 11, 2026
accounts-receivable
practice-metrics
practice-systems
revenue-cycle
How to Work Together Without Burning Out
If you have ever worked with your spouse in the practice, you already know the truth. It can either be your biggest advantage or the fastest way to drag practice stress straight into your marriage.
This week on the podcast, I sat down with Trent and Hope Neisen. He leads clinically as the doctor,...
Feb 06, 2026
dental-ownership
leadership-alignment
practice-structure
spouse-run-practice
How High-Performing Owners Plan Differently
Every January, we tell ourselves the same thing. This is the year we slow down. This is the year we fix the problems. This is the year the practice finally feels better to run. Then the schedule fills, the patients show up, and before you know it you are right back in reaction mode wondering how ...
Feb 03, 2026
dental-leadership
intentional-practice
owner-leverage
practice-goals
The Math Behind Your Production Goal
Have you ever noticed how some dentists pick a production goal out of thin air? “I want to do 2 million this year.” Okay, based on what? Most people cannot tell you their required dollar per hour to hit that number, or how many days they actually need to work. That is the issue. If you cannot cal...
Jan 30, 2026
dental leadership
practice systems
production math
profitability
How Patients Decide When to Say Yes
Case acceptance is bigger than an on-the-spot yes. In our latest episode, I break down one of the most underused concepts in dentistry: next time case acceptance. This is for the patients who hesitate because they are not fully bought in yet, not because they are the problem.
The common mistake i...
Jan 28, 2026
case acceptance
dental practice management
patient communication
practice growth
The Most Expensive Metric You’re Not Tracking
Most dentists assume their phones are being answered just fine. The phone rings, the team is busy, and patients are coming in. So it feels handled.
Here is the problem. If you haven't looked at your missed call rate or listened to any calls, you're probably losing more new patients on the phone t...
Jan 22, 2026
front desk systems
new patient flow
phone systems
schedule utilization
Understanding the Cost Pressure in Dentistry
If you are a private practice owner right now, it probably feels like every expense is rising at the same time. Supplies, labs, equipment, subscriptions, and staffing. Even when production is solid, profit can still feel like it is shrinking for reasons outside your control.
That is why I sat dow...
Jan 20, 2026
dental-overhead
practice owership
rising-costs
supply-costs
The Difference Between Motion and Momentum
Have you ever noticed that the same problems in your practice keep coming back? You have talked about them. You have come up with solutions. Yet week after week, nothing actually changes.
In our latest episode, I explain why that happens. Most practices are not stuck because their people are bad....
Jan 16, 2026
dental leadership team
leadership development
owner stress reduction
practice scalability
The Conversations That Shape Your Practice
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As your practice grows, awkward moments stop being rare. Bigger teams and more moving parts create more uncomfortable staff situations, strange patient questions, and conflic...
Jan 13, 2026
owner mindset
patient boundaries
practice culture
practice ownership
uncomfortable conversations
The Problem Is Not Change, It Is Execution
One of the most frustrating parts of ownership is the tension between progress and overwhelm. If you do not change anything, nothing improves. If you change too much, your team gets overwhelmed.
Most owners assume their team resists change itself, but that is rarely true. Teams burn out when chan...
Jan 08, 2026
owner mindset
practice growth
practice management
systems implementation
The Financial Blind Spot in Most Practices
Most dentists believe two things are true. If something bad happens, insurance will handle it. If they have a will somewhere, their family will be fine. Neither of those assumptions holds up very well in the real world.
In this week’s episode, I sat down with Gary Harker. He works in asset protec...
Jan 07, 2026
asset protection
practice ownership
tax strategy
wealth protection