The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
Dental Consulting
The goal of this podcast is to assemble the greatest minds of the dental profession and to pass on their most valuable and succinct lessons, in order to help you to achieve your full potential in practice and in life. Let's face it. Dentistry can be a frustrating and isolating profession... but you don't have to be an island anymore.
It's possible to become more profitable, less stressed and more fulfilled in your career and it's our mission is to help you get there.
For a whole host of free practice building tips and resources, visit our website at TrueDentalSuccess.com
It's possible to become more profitable, less stressed and more fulfilled in your career and it's our mission is to help you get there.
For a whole host of free practice building tips and resources, visit our website at TrueDentalSuccess.com
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 13, 2026 • 55min
2508: How to Build a Practice That Runs Without Chaos
Ashley Hirschfeld, COO of the Dental Success Network who designs operational protocols for dental practices. They revisit fundamentals of systemization and a belt framework for tracking growth. They cover building practical operations manuals, using org charts to remove bottlenecks, and starting simple with checklists. They also tackle having difficult conversations and getting the team bought into systems.
May 12, 2026 • 55min
2507: Making Clear Aligners Profitable for General Dentists
Dr. Ben Miraglia, VP of GP Clinical Education at CandidPro and an experienced general dentist, explains his expansive, minimally invasive approach to clear aligner care. He covers reducing IPR and attachments, using AI and two-week scans for tracking, team-based workflows and home scanning to cut chair time, and why starting with simple cases makes aligner therapy more predictable and profitable.
May 11, 2026 • 44min
2506: From the First Call to a Lifelong Patient Relationship
Dr. Mark Costes, founder of the Dental Success Institute and longtime practice owner who runs charitable dentistry work, shares lessons from his unconventional path. He talks about building trust through team culture. He discusses mapping patient touchpoints and using systems that stay human. He highlights retention metrics and practical steps to improve communication and case acceptance.
May 8, 2026 • 45min
2505: The Smart Way to Add a Specialist
Practical tips for calculating the true cost per procedure before adding a specialist. Strategies for scheduling specialists across locations and tracking referrals. How to balance scaling revenue with improving profitability and spotting tipping points. Methods to measure attrition, automate reactivation, and ramp associates through the $35–55k production valley. Cost-saving ideas for expansion buildouts.
May 7, 2026 • 54min
2504: The Conversations That Save Associate Relationships
Dr. Summer Kassmel, dentist and practice leadership coach who mentors dentists on culture and associate relationships. She explores why owners and associates misalign. She explains defining the ideal associate, asking better interview questions, repairing strained relationships, and a repeatable Five C's conversation framework. Practical hiring and financial planning strategies are highlighted.
4 snips
May 6, 2026 • 48min
2503: Why Merchant Fees Are Draining Dental Practices
Chris Sands, co-founder of Crown Card Services and Pro‑Fi, helps dental practices cut payment processing costs. He explains how merchant fees erode profitability and valuation. They discuss compliant surcharging to recover most card fees, differences between rates and fees, state limits and PPO contract workarounds. Practical onboarding, integration pitfalls, and real-world savings are covered.
May 5, 2026 • 47min
2502: How to Prepare Your Practice for Partnership Part 2
Dr. Bill Keith, successful practice owner and DSI Black Belt coach, offers practical tips on cleaning up books, debt strategy, and team benefits. Dr. Ben Kakos, dentist and DSI Black Belt coach, covers accounting normalization, capital expenditures, and structuring practices for partnership. They discuss merchant fees, financing, separate entities, and selective equity or incentives for key team members.
6 snips
May 4, 2026 • 56min
2501: The Backup Plan Every Dentist Should Think About
Dr. Wayde Elliott, a former dentist who rebuilt his career as a self-storage developer after a neck injury, shares his pivot from clinical practice to real estate. He talks about why dentists need backup plans and disability insurance. He explains what makes self-storage attractive to investors, tax benefits like cost segregation, and the practical cashflow and stabilization timelines for development.
May 1, 2026 • 30min
2500: 2500 Episodes and the Team Behind the Mic
Steve Hollingsworth, founder of EnLightning Media and veteran producer/editor, tells a fast-paced media origin story. He discusses building a reliable team, scaling live streaming and video systems, and turning long-form content into countless short pieces. They spotlight how consistent production and organic education-based content fueled massive reach and growth.
Apr 30, 2026 • 52min
2499: The Hidden Revenue Leaks AI Can Help Dental Practices Fix
Max Shore, Practice Partnerships lead at Lassie and former management consultant with dental ops roots. He dives into revenue cycle management pain points. He explains how AI can automate billing, EOB posting, and speed collections. He details human+AI workflows, onboarding timelines, and plans to automate follow-up and insurance verification.
