Dental CEO Podcast #64 - The Future of Dentistry

The AI-Enabled Virtual Team: How Copilots Are Transforming Dental Practice Support

Virtual administrative teams are already helping thousands of dental practices handle insurance verification, billing, claims, and phones, and now AI copilots are layering on top of that support to speed up claim resubmissions, improve call conversion, and lift overall work quality without adding any burden to your onsite team. This episode breaks down how task-specific AI copilots rewrite denied-claim narratives, surface the right attachments before resubmission, and coach calls in real time, plus why a human-in-the-loop still matters even as automation improves. If you've wondered whether AI can help your practice run leaner without dumping more work on your front desk, this conversation shows exactly what that looks like today.

Why Your Associate Isn't Producing (And How to Fix It)

Why do some associate dentists produce five times more than others seeing the exact same number of patients? In this episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Scott Leune breaks down the four numbers that actually drive associate production, exam volume, diagnostic percentage, treatment plan size, and case acceptance, and shares the national averages versus top-performer benchmarks for each. He walks through exactly how owners should report these numbers to associates on a weekly and monthly basis, so performance gaps become obvious without triggering defensiveness, and how to respond when an associate blames the team, the schedule, or the practice instead of their own numbers. Whether you're an owner trying to build a healthier associate relationship or an associate looking to understand what's really capping your income, this episode gives you a clear, trackable system for closing the gap.

Where Your Profit Is Hiding: Scott Analyzes Actual P&Ls

In this solo episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Scott Leune reads three real profit and loss statements line by line and shows you exactly where practice profit hides. Watch a "respectable" 1.8-million-dollar practice find roughly 160,000 dollars in EBITDA and nearly a million in sale value, and a two-practice owner uncover about 650,000 dollars a year in cash flow and 4.2 million in equity at sale, all without a single clinical change. Scott breaks down the six expense categories, the target percentages every owner should know, and the quick "rent test" for whether you're too small or simply overspending. His bottom line: disciplined cost control, not reckless growth, is what actually builds wealth. Grab a pen and paper.

How Selling to a DSO Costs Dentists Millions (Scott Breaks Down a Real Offer)

A dentist got an unsolicited $9.8M offer to sell his practice — and on paper it looked incredible. So why is walking away the smarter move? Scott Leune breaks down the real offer line by line and runs the actual math, exposing the traps most dentists never see: the cash up front, the "rollover equity," the multi-year stay requirement that quietly erases years of owner profit, and the "hopium" of future multiples that rarely pay out. He shows how selling now nets roughly $9.4M while transitioning out first nets up to $14M+, and what to do instead if your practice is struggling. Whether you plan to buy, sell, or advise someone who will, this could save you millions. Subscribe for new episodes weekly.

The Husband-and-Wife Dentists Reinventing Themselves at 61

After 33 years of marriage and 33 years practicing side by side in 700 square feet, Dr. Elisa Mello and Dr. Ramin Tabib could have coasted to the finish line. Instead, at 61, they bet on themselves again and moved into a 2,500 square foot space built around a brand they just trademarked: The Smile Code. Scott Leune sits down with the New York City couple to talk about holding the line on fee-for-service when the pressure to take insurance felt relentless, what it really takes to work with your spouse for three decades without losing your marriage, and why the heart of a great practice is not the marketing, it is being able to say clearly who you are before you ever try to sell it. If you have ever wondered whether it is too late to reinvent your career, whether you could practice without insurance, or how to build a brand the world actually responds to, this conversation is for you.