All News | The Dental Grind

How Private Equity Actually Buys a Dental Practice, Step by Step

Jul 8, 2026

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3 min read

How Private Equity Actually Buys a Dental Practice, Step by Step

Friendly PCs, management fees, EBITDA multiples and the "second bite of the apple" The DSO roll-up in plain English.

Michael Ghaleb

The Hygienist Shortage Is Getting Worse and the Data Explains Why

Jul 8, 2026

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2 min read

The Hygienist Shortage Is Getting Worse and the Data Explains Why

Only 60% of dentists say they have enough hygienists. The ADA's economists say this isn't a blip, it's a math problem.

Michael Ghaleb

The Rise of Aspen Dental: How a Single Idea Grew Into a 1,000 Office Giant

Jun 25, 2026

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3 min read

The Rise of Aspen Dental: How a Single Idea Grew Into a 1,000 Office Giant

Build from scratch offices, wave after wave of private equity capital, and a value priced niche few others wanted

Michael Ghaleb

Credentialing 101: How Insurance Panels Work (and Why They Take Forever)

Jun 15, 2026

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2 min read

Credentialing 101: How Insurance Panels Work (and Why They Take Forever)

You may be ready to see patients. The insurers need 90 to 120 days to agree you exist.

Michael Ghaleb

Jun 11, 2026

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3 min read

What is a DSO in dentistry?

The term is everywhere in dental school and early career conversations. Here's exactly what it means, how DSOs work, and why the model has reshaped American dentistry.

Michael Ghaleb

Jun 11, 2026

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2 min read

Dentistry just walked into Walmart

One DSO is expanding to 15 locations inside Walmart stores. It is not the first to try this. It might be the one that makes it work.

Michael Ghaleb

The $15 yard sign that built a dental empire: how Rick Workman made Heartland Dental

Jun 10, 2026

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5 min read

The $15 yard sign that built a dental empire: how Rick Workman made Heartland Dental

A farm kid from a town of 247 turned a single Illinois practice into the largest dental support organization in America, a network of nearly 1,900 offices, and a personal fortune Forbes pegs at $1.6 billion. Here's how he did it and why the model he pioneered is the most argued over force in dentistry.

Michael Ghaleb

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

Jun 10, 2026

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5 min read

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

The PPO Math No One Shows You at Signing

Jun 5, 2026

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2 min read

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

Jun 5, 2026

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1 min read

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

Michael Ghaleb