Pay yourself from a dental practice without creating a tax problem
Owner compensation, distributions, and the "reasonable salary" test.
The newsletter
All 32 issues so far. Each one takes a single part of the practice, from PPO write-offs to how private equity buys an office, and explains it with real numbers.
August 20262 issues
Dental AI in 2026: The Funding Race Is Over. The Land Grab Has Begun.
Pearl, Overjet and Videa raised the war chests. Now they're racing to wire themselves into every DSO
July 20264 issues
Why Dentistry Feels Doomed Online and What the Data Actually Says
Reddit says don't do it. The numbers say something more complicated: the problems are real, the conclusion isn't.
From a $500 Corner Drugstore to the World's Largest Dental Distributor: The Henry Schein Story
A pharmacist in Queens, a mail order catalog, and nine decades of compounding growth that ended up stocking most of America's operatories.
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.
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.
June 202618 issues
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Embezzlement Prevention
Dental embezzlement is common and incredibly costly. The natural next question is the one every owner asks: how do I keep it from happening to me?
PPO Explained
Dental PPOs are by far the dominant form of commercial dental coverage. Here is what you need to know.
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.
The $109K Employee You Trust the Most
Dental embezzlement is not rare. It is not something that happens to careless owners. It is happening, statistically, to you or to someone you know.
P&L Statement Explained
Understand one of the fundamental financial statements explained in a context familiar to you.
UCR Fees Explained
Few terms in dental insurance cause as much confusion, and as much lost revenue, as “UCR.” Patients assume it’s a fair, objective standard. Plenty of dentists treat it like a fee schedule they’re supposed to match. In reality, UCR is one of the least transparent numbers in your entire revenue cycle, so much so that the American Dental Association flatly calls it “a misleading acronym.”
Why profit doesn't always equal cash and why your cash flow statement matters
Understand the relation between profit, your cash flow statement, and P&L statement
May 20268 issues
The One Big Beautiful Bill Changed Dentistry. Here’s What Nobody Is Explaining Clearly.
The bill that cut your loans, shrank your repayment options, and told rural America to figure it out.
What Caused the DSO Boom? The Answer Is Hiding in the Debt Data.
The reason why many young dentists choose a DSO isn't laziness. It's this.
The Six-Figure Trap Young Dentists are Falling into
Rising debt, higher living costs, and delayed ownership are creating a strange new reality where many young dentists earn six figures while still feeling financially behind
AI Is Quietly Replacing One of Dentistry’s Most Repetitive Tasks
Most dentists think AI in dentistry will look dramatic, but the real transformation is happening quietly inside the workflow. The future winners in dental AI may not be the companies building robots — they may be the ones removing the most operational friction.
California Just Fired a Warning Shot at Corporate Dentistry
California’s new Senate Bill 351 directly targets private equity influence in dental and medical practices and New York may be moving in a similar direction.
Insurance Companies Are Quietly Squeezing Dental Practices
Most dentists have a reimbursement problem. As overhead rises and insurance reimbursements stagnate, some of dentistry’s busiest practices are quietly becoming its least profitable.
Private Practice Isn’t Dead. It Just Has to Evolve
The future of independent dentistry may not look like the traditional solo office anymore. It may look more like founder-led regional groups with centralized systems, operational discipline, and corporate-level infrastructure.
Rising Costs Are Changing How Smart Practices Operate
Dentistry has officially entered its “everything is more expensive” era. The practices winning right now are not necessarily producing the most dentistry.