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Jun 10, 2026

Associate, buy, or build: the decision that's quietly worth millions

Three ways out of dental school, three wildly different net worth curves. The gap between them is bigger than almost anyone expects, and the only number that matters is the one you run for yourself.

Michael Ghaleb

Jun 5, 2026

The PPO Math No One Shows You at Signing

Joining a PPO plan feels like gaining patients. What the contract doesn’t highlight is how much of every dollar you earn, you immediately hand back. The arithmetic is worse than most dentists realize, and for many practices, it’s been silently compressing their margins for years.

Michael Ghaleb

The Overhead Truth Your P&L is Hiding

You billed a great month. You collected decently. And somehow you don’t have much left. Here’s what's actually happening, and what the numbers mean

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1 min read

The Written Fee Renegotiation Request

Most dentists treat their PPO fee schedules as fixed. They aren't. You can ask a plan to raise the contracted fees you agreed to when you joined its network — and most owners never do, which is exactly why a schedule set five years ago quietly turns into a pay cut as overhead climbs.

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2 min read

In-Network vs. Out-of-Network

“In-network” and “out-of-network” are two of the most used — and most misunderstood — phrases in your practice, by patients and sometimes by staff. Patients often hear "out-of-network" as "they don't take my insurance," which is usually false. Owners describe themselves as "a PPO office" or "fee-for-service" without always being precise about what that means for billing, patient cost, and who actually gets paid.

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5 min read

AOB vs. EOB: Two Terms Every Front Desk Should Get Right

They look almost identical — both end in "OB" — and they get mixed up at the front desk constantly. But an assignment of benefits and an explanation of benefits are completely different documents that show up at opposite ends of the same claim. Getting them straight prevents collection headaches and catches money you're owed.

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2 min read

Stay In OR Drop PPO?

Once you understand what a PPO is, the harder question follows: should you stay in the ones you're in? It's the issue that quietly weighs on more practice owners than almost any other. Many feel trapped — resentful of the write-offs, but afraid of empty chairs if they leave.

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5 min read

PPO Explained

Dental PPOs are by far the dominant form of commercial dental coverage. Here is what you need to know.

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5 min read

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Associate, buy, or build: the decision that's quietly worth millions