

Dental Practice Heroes
Dr. Paul Etchison
Where dentists learn how to cut clinical days while increasing profits - without sacrificing patient care, cutting corners, or cranking volume. We teach you how to grow a scalable practice through communication, leadership, and effective management. Hosted by Dr. Paul Etchison, author of two books on dental practice management, dental coach, and owner of a $6M collections group practice in the south suburbs of Chicago, we provide actionable advice for practice owners who want to intentionally create more time to enjoy their families, wealth, and deep personal fulfillment. If you want to build a scalable practice framework that no longer stresses, drains, or relies on you for every little thing, we will teach you how and share stories of other dentists who have done it!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 10, 2025 • 26min
Why Your Office Manager Isn’t Growing Your Practice (And How to Change That Fast)
Most dental offices don’t have an office manager problem—they have a role definition problem. We promoted the best front desk performer, gave them a title, and then left them buried in tasks with no roadmap for leadership. In this conversation, I share the exact KPI-based bonus system that transforms a “super admin” into a true leader who aligns team behavior with the practice’s goals and delivers measurable growth.Ready to align behavior with results and build a practice that runs without you? Subscribe, share this episode with a fellow practice owner, and leave a review to tell us which KPI you’re prioritizing next.GRAB THE FREE PLAYBOOK HERE - Discover 30 proven strategies top-performing dentists use to increase profits, cut clinical days, and finally enjoy the freedom they originally built their practices for.https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.com/playbook Check out www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com if you want to get the same great marketing results as Dr. Etch. Mention DPH and get your first month FREE!Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

Dec 8, 2025 • 30min
Stop Trying to Be a Super GP: Why Niching Down Can Explode Your Income with Alex Sharp
Trying to be the super GP who does every procedure might be making your practice harder than it should be. In this episode, Dr. Alex Sharp explains how specializing not only helps you create a model that's easier to market and scale, but also lets you spend more of your time doing the dentistry you actually enjoy. Hear where the GP model still works, how to specialize in an existing practice, and what the future of dentistry looks like!Topics discussed:Alex's journey from associate to practice owner to CEOThe benefits of niching down for dentist and patientWhy your marketing isn’t working and what to do instead3 key factors for a successful denture/implant practiceHiring for implants: doctor fit and the dentist’s roleWhat’s changed and where dentistry is goingLearn more about Shared Practices Group: https://sharedpracticesgroup.com/Listen to The Full Arch Podcast: https://thefullarchpodcast.com/This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.comGRAB THE FREE PLAYBOOK HERE - Discover 30 proven strategies top-performing dentists use to increase profits, cut clinical days, and finally enjoy the freedom they originally built their practices for.https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.com/playbook Check out www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com if you want to get the same great marketing results as Dr. Etch. Mention DPH and get your first month FREE!Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

Dec 3, 2025 • 13min
The 5 Biggest Time Wasters Killing Your Practice Efficiency
Discover how tiny inefficiencies can snowball into massive time loss and stress for dental teams. Learn to standardize operatories to eliminate the scavenger hunts that disrupt care. Uncover the dangers of duplicate admin tasks and how strict pre-collection policies can help. Improve patient flow by refining handoff processes and run quick morning huddles to align your team's focus. Packed with practical strategies, this discussion equips you with tools to enhance efficiency and profitability in your practice.

Dec 1, 2025 • 19min
The #1 Case Acceptance Bottleneck Dentists Ignore
Dr. Henry Ernst, a dental practice owner and coach, teams up with Dr. Steve Markowitz, an experienced large-practice owner, to tackle a critical yet overlooked issue: the front desk. They discuss the importance of specialized training for front-desk staff to enhance case acceptance. From the necessity of dedicated treatment coordinators to fostering a sense of ownership among the team, their insights highlight how accountability and proactive follow-up can dramatically improve patient engagement. Discover practical strategies for boosting operational success!

Nov 25, 2025 • 11min
The Hidden Beliefs That Keep Dentists Overworked and Underpaid
Ever follow a GPS with total confidence only to realize it’s steering you the wrong way? That’s how ownership can feel when mindset traps masquerade as good guidance. We dig into three hidden patterns that quietly create burnout for dental practice owners and map out a better route built on leverage, systems, and leadership.Check out www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com if you want to get the same great marketing results as Dr. Etch. Mention DPH and get your first month FREE!Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

Nov 19, 2025 • 11min
Rewriting Your Front Desk Mindset to Convert More Treatment and Dollars
What if the biggest reason patients delay necessary care isn’t price or insurance, but the quiet doubt in our own voices? We dig into the hidden driver of case acceptance—front desk mindset—and show how two simple defaults transform conversations at checkout: assume the patient can afford the treatment and assume the patient wants the treatment. When that belief is solid, tone, body language, and word choice snap into place, and patients feel confident moving forward.Check out www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com if you want to get the same great marketing results as Dr. Etch. Mention DPH and get your first month FREE!Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

Nov 17, 2025 • 23min
Struggling with Team Buy-In? Here's What to Do
When team members push back on production or growth, it’s rarely about the numbers or your systems... it’s about clarity. True buy-in comes from showing your team why growth matters and how it benefits everyone, not just the practice. In this episode, learn how to create true alignment with your team, track the right metrics, and talk about money and growth without sounding like a greedy owner!Topics discussed:Why teams are resistance to changeHow to align your team around a shared visionLeading vs. lagging indicators of successSetting boundaries and non-negotiablesTips for talking about money without sounding greedyHow transparency drives team buy-inThis episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.comCheck out www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com if you want to get the same great marketing results as Dr. Etch. Mention DPH and get your first month FREE!Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

Nov 12, 2025 • 15min
Full Schedule, Empty Wallet: The Hidden Cost of Busyness
A crowded calendar can look like success, but what if it’s hiding slow service, low-yield work, and profit slipping through the cracks? We pull back the curtain on the “packed restaurant” illusion and share a clearer measure of health: dollar-per-hour production. By focusing on adjusted production per hour, you can design days that hit your goals on purpose, not by accident, and reclaim time without sacrificing revenue.We get specific about how to shift from busy to profitable. You’ll hear the simple math that compares an eight-hour day of fillings to a four-hour block of crowns—and why the latter can be four times more profitable in half the time. We dive into DPH block scheduling, setting minimum dollar values for key slots, and limiting low-dollar procedures so your schedule tells the truth. We also tackle the hidden cost of cancellations: the empty operatory that quietly halves profitability. From pre-collecting and firm policies to waitlists and same-day rescue protocols, we show how to protect high-value time and stabilize your week.Check out www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com if you want to get the same great marketing results as Dr. Etch. Mention DPH and get your first month FREE!Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

Nov 10, 2025 • 36min
Escaping the Trap of Your Own Success
You have the income, the title, even a great team, but still feel trapped. Sound familiar? This episode with Dr. Richard Low will help you take a step back and understand what’s behind your burnout — and how to fix it.We talk about his decision to leave his 35-office DSO to save his marriage and mental health, why isolation makes burnout worse, and what you can do to get out of the cycle of guilt and overwhelm. Tune in for much-needed advice and perspective on recovery, purpose, and finding yourself again!Topics discussed:Dr. Richard Low’s early success in dentistryHow success led to burnout, depression, and feeling trappedThe wake-up call that led him to leave his groupWhy so many practice owners struggle to make a changeWhat to do when you’re unhappy in ownershipHow to recover and heal from burnoutWhy dentists need to talk more about mental healthListen to the Next Level Dentist podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@NextLevelDentistConnect with Dr. Richard Low:https://nextlevelfathers.com/https://www.instagram.com/dr.richard.low/This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.comGRAB THE FREE PLAYBOOK HERE - Discover 30 proven strategies top-performing dentists use to increase profits, cut clinical days, and finally enjoy the freedom they originally built their practices for.https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.com/playbook Check out www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com if you want to get the same great marketing results as Dr. Etch. Mention DPH and get your first month FREE!Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.

Nov 5, 2025 • 13min
The New-Patient Trap: How “More Leads” Can Hide a Leaky Practice
Ever felt like your dental practice would finally take off if you could just get a few more new patients through the door? That seductive thought might be keeping you from discovering what's really holding your practice back.I learned this lesson the hard way. Two years into practice ownership, we were consistently seeing 75-90 new patients monthly with minimal marketing effort. The schedule was packed, production was strong, and colleagues were asking for my secrets. I genuinely believed I had mastered practice ownership—until I implemented dashboard software that revealed the harsh truth. Despite impressive production numbers, almost every other metric was failing. Patient retention was terrible. Case acceptance rates were dismal. Cancellations were rampant.What makes this trap so dangerous is how effectively new patients mask these problems. When you're constantly busy with new faces, you don't notice how many existing patients disappear through the back door. When demand for appointments is high, cancellations don't leave obvious holes in your schedule. When enough patients say "yes" to keep you busy, low case acceptance rates don't trigger alarms. But these hidden inefficiencies dramatically slow your practice's true growth potential.Once we addressed these fundamental issues, everything changed rapidly. We reached capacity faster, brought on associates sooner, and I reduced my clinical days while improving profitability. The math is clear: fixing retention keeps your marketing investments working longer; reducing cancellations frees your team from constant schedule shuffling; improving case acceptance lets you treat fewer patients while achieving better financial results. Rather than chasing more new patients to pour into a leaky bucket, focus first on plugging the holes—then watch how quickly your practice transforms when new patients become a growth accelerator rather than a band-aid covering deeper problems. Ready to discover what's really holding your practice back? Let's talk about creating systems that maximize what you already have.Check out www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com if you want to get the same great marketing results as Dr. Etch. Mention DPH and get your first month FREE!Take Control of Your Practice and Your Life We help dentists take more time off while making more money through systematization, team empowerment, and creating leadership teams. Ready to build a practice that works for you? Visit www.DentalPracticeHeroes.com to learn more.


