DEO's Growth Secrets for Dental Organizations
Emmet Scott - CEO, Growth Leader
DEO's Growth Secrets for Dental Organizations is a dental business podcast for practice owners, operators, and dental group leaders looking to improve profitability, leadership, operations, and growth across single-location and multi-location dental practices.
Whether you're running your first practice, expanding into multiple locations, or leading a growing dental organization, this show is built for you.
Hosted by Emmet Scott, co-founder and CEO of the Dentist Entrepreneur Organization (DEO), along with DEO's coaches, the show features the operators who have built high-performing dental organizations and the industry experts working across thousands of practices.
Every episode unpacks what's actually driving growth right now: the systems, leadership, financial discipline, and operational strategies that help dental groups scale. From practice management and patient growth to acquisitions, culture, technology, and team development, you'll hear real-world lessons from leaders who are building modern dental organizations without sacrificing ownership, culture, or clinical autonomy.
Real operators. Real data. Real playbooks.
New episodes help you build a business that runs on systems instead of your sweat, so you can create more profit, more freedom, and more impact.
Whether you're running your first practice, expanding into multiple locations, or leading a growing dental organization, this show is built for you.
Hosted by Emmet Scott, co-founder and CEO of the Dentist Entrepreneur Organization (DEO), along with DEO's coaches, the show features the operators who have built high-performing dental organizations and the industry experts working across thousands of practices.
Every episode unpacks what's actually driving growth right now: the systems, leadership, financial discipline, and operational strategies that help dental groups scale. From practice management and patient growth to acquisitions, culture, technology, and team development, you'll hear real-world lessons from leaders who are building modern dental organizations without sacrificing ownership, culture, or clinical autonomy.
Real operators. Real data. Real playbooks.
New episodes help you build a business that runs on systems instead of your sweat, so you can create more profit, more freedom, and more impact.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 12, 2026 β’ 23min
286: Your Dental Team Isn't Making This a Career. Here's How to Keep Them
What would you do if your best hygienist told you she's leaving for $5 more an hour down the street? Leslie Espinola and Brooke Young return for episode two of DEO's HR series to tackle a shift every owner has felt since COVID: team members want a job that fits around their life, and they'll leave to find it. They share how practices are keeping good people with split shifts, staggered huddles, and stay bonuses, as long as every team member gets the same flexibility. Brooke also explains why the 32 hours a week many practices require for benefits is a number you get to choose, and how dropping it to 28 helped her team hire and keep good people. Replacing a good team member can cost you three months of their payroll. Listen in to hear how to keep the ones you have. Ready to join DEO members who have already solved the challenges you are facing today?β¨ Schedule your free Growth Accelerator Call and take the first step toward becoming a DEO member π https://deodentalgroup.com/interest/
Nov 5, 2026 β’ 36min
285: Turn 40% of Emergency Patients Into Recurring Dental Practice Revenue
When a patient calls with a throbbing toothache, does your team say "come on in," or offer an opening ten days out? Jordin McEntire sits down with Clint Cowley, President of Urgent Smile, to talk about what happens when an emergency patient calls your practice. Clint explains why owners blame their marketing when the real problem is a full schedule, a missed call, or a front desk that can't say yes. He also shares what the best teams say on that call and how a few quick role plays can change the way your front desk handles it starting tomorrow. When the visit goes well, up to 40% of those patients come back for hygiene and treatment, turning one painful phone call into recurring revenue. π Connect with Clint Cowley π Website: urgentsmile.com/deo-member-growth-accelerator π² LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clint-cowley-aa853225/ π² Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clintcowley/ π‘ Urgent Smile is part of DEO's Cost Savings Club. DEO Members can reach out to their DEO Coach to learn more and get started. Today's episode is sponsored by Urgent Smile, a partner of the DEO.
Oct 22, 2026 β’ 49min
284: Your Dental Practice Can't Grow Until You Build Leaders
Are you still the one approving every PTO request, answering every staff question, and making every tough call? Emmett Scott sits down with Dr. Keith Harrison, owner and CEO of Harrison Dental Group, who bought two more practices during COVID before he had the leaders to support them. Soon he was driving an hour between four offices, doing payroll himself, and watching everything run through him. He opens up about hiring HR when he really needed operations, and why bringing insurance billing in-house fell apart until one person owned it. Emmett also walks him through 3 simple steps to hand off the judgment calls he still gets pulled into. Today, Keith runs five locations and just came home from a week in Paris to an almost empty desk. If everything in your practice still depends on you, this is where building leaders starts. Ready to join DEO members who have already solved the challenges you are facing today? β¨ Schedule your free Growth Accelerator Call and take the first step toward becoming a DEO member π https://deodentalgroup.com/interest/
Oct 15, 2026 β’ 34min
283: Your Dental Practice Can Post 100 Claims in 10 Seconds
Why is your best team member still typing insurance payments into your PMS by hand? Jordin McEntire sits down with Max Shore, head of practice partnerships at Lassie, who grew up working in his mom's orthodontic office, watching the business side of dentistry wear her down. Today, Max helps practices fix those same problems by moving insurance payments to free direct deposit and using AI to post 100 claims to your PMS in 10 seconds. He also shares how one DEO member's team went from hauling tote bags of EOBs around the office to watching months of backlog get posted in minutes. If you're paying great people to do data entry, this episode shows you what they could be doing instead. π Connect with Max Shore and Lassie π Book a demo: lassie.ai/book-a-demo π‘ Running your practice shouldn't feel like survival mode. Join DEO's Growth Secrets Newsletter, the daily email with real tips on growth and profitabilityπ Subscribe Now: https://deodentalgroup.com/newsletter/ Today's episode is sponsored by Lassie, a partner of the DEO.
Oct 7, 2026 β’ 22min
282: The Employee Complaint That Cost a Dental Practice $500,000
What if you followed your employee handbook perfectly and still got hit with a legal claim? Leslie Espinola and Brooke Young kick off DEO's new HR series with a real client story every practice owner needs to hear. After a workplace complaint was investigated and resolved, a key team member's performance dropped fast. The owners followed every step of their warning process, and 45 days after letting that employee go, a $500,000 retaliation claim landed on their desk. Brooke shares why treating every employee fairly, kindly, and consistently is your best defense, and how EPLI coverage can protect you when doing everything right isn't enough. If you have a team, this is the conversation to hear before you ever need it. Ready to join DEO members who have already solved the challenges you are facing today? β¨ Schedule your free Growth Accelerator Call and take the first step toward becoming a DEO member π https://deodentalgroup.com/interest/
Oct 1, 2026 β’ 51min
281: 30 Years of Dental Practice Leadership Lessons for Lasting Growth
What would you do differently if you had to start over with your dental practice? Emmett Scott sits down with Dr. Steve Broughton, CEO of Light Dental Studios, who started with a small dental practice in a converted mobile home and spent 30 years growing to 32 locations. In the early days, he lived on a fraction of what he earned, stayed in the chair, and built a 30-year relationship with his bank. As his team grew, he learned that blaming others gets you nowhere and that loyal people will take you further than talented ones. He also shares why he fires slowly, turns down doctors with big egos, and holds his leadership training on Friday nights. If you're in the chair five days a week trying to hold it all together, this conversation will show you where lasting growth really starts. Ready to join DEO members who have already solved the challenges you are facing today? β¨ Schedule your free Growth Accelerator Call and take the first step toward becoming a DEO member π https://deodentalgroup.com/interest/
Sep 17, 2026 β’ 43min
280: How Dental Practices Save 45 Hours a Month on Clinical Notes
How much are you paying your team in overtime just to finish clinical notes at the end of the day? Kendall Hussein sits down with Daniel Bessonov, CEO and founder of Avora, an AI documentation and case acceptance platform used by more than a thousand clinicians. Daniel explains what ambient documentation actually means and how practices are saving 40 to 45 hours a month by getting notes, charting, and treatment plans into their PMS automatically. He also gets honest about the features his own team refused to build, and why your hygienist matters more than any feature list when you are picking a vendor. If there is an AI contract sitting in your inbox right now, listen to this one first. Learn more about Avora or connect with their team π π getavora.ai π Avora is part of DEO's Cost Savings Club. DEO Members can submit an interest form in the DEO App to get access. π‘ Running your practice shouldn't feel like survival mode. Join DEO's Growth Secrets Newsletter, the daily email with real tips on growth and profitability. π Subscribe Now: https://deodentalgroup.com/newsletter/ Today's episode is sponsored by Avora, a partner of the DEO.
Sep 3, 2026 β’ 33min
279: 3 Signals Driving Your Dental Practice's Google Rankings
What if your Google Business Profile already brings in more new patients than your website and ads combined? Jordin McEntire sits down with Bill Donato, co-founder of dentalmarketing.com, to unpack why just three specific signals control 70% of a dental practice's Google ranking. Bill breaks down why a Google Business Profile alone can out-convert a website and paid ads combined, and the exact numbers you should be checking on your own dashboard. He also shares how the right AI-written content can help a practice climb to the top of local search results. If you've ever wondered whether your marketing dollars are actually working, this episode shows you exactly where to look first. Get your free marketing analysis from Bill Donato and the dentalmarketing.com team π https://wizard.dentalmarketing.com/your-dental-practice π‘ Running your practice shouldn't feel like survival mode. Join DEO's Growth Secrets Newsletter, the daily email with real tips on growth and profitabilityπ Subscribe Now: https://deodentalgroup.com/newsletter/ Today's episode is sponsored by dentalmarketing.com, a partner of the DEO.
Aug 26, 2026 β’ 50min
278: The Biologic Dentist Who Looks for the Root Cause of Every Cavity
What if your body is willing to sacrifice your teeth just to protect everything else? Brooke Young sits down with Dr. Rachaele Carver, a biologic dentist in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, to unpack how she diagnoses oral disease by looking well beyond the tooth. Dr. Carver breaks down why fluoride isn't the fix conventional dentistry claims it is, how gut health and toxicity quietly drive decay and gum disease, and why she tests for both before she ever picks up a drill. That same conviction is what built a practice patients now travel hours to visit. If you've ever wondered whether decay is about more than sugar and brushing, this episode will change how you look at every chart. Ready to join DEO members who have already solved the challenges you are facing today? β¨ Schedule your free Growth Accelerator Call and take the first step toward becoming a DEO member π https://deodentalgroup.com/interest/
Aug 20, 2026 β’ 50min
277: Why Growing Your Dental Practice Past $3 Million Shrinks Your Buyer Pool
Brannon Moncrief, CEO of McLerran & Associates with ~25 years in dental M&A and lending, offers a reality check on selling larger practices. He explains why crossing $3M narrows buyer options. He discusses what buyers screen for, current EBITDA multiple ranges, pitfalls of roll-ups, and how to plan years ahead to align with buyer criteria.
