1983: Practice Management Education
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
Release Date: 05/13/2024
2336: The Secrets Behind a 100-Patient Opening Day
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes welcomes DSI Black Belt Coach and startup expert Dr. Chris Green for a high-energy conversation packed with real-world wisdom. Fresh off the Dental Success Summit, they reflect on the event’s outstanding energy, powerful breakout sessions, and the rising interest in startup practices. Chris breaks down the core pillars of successful startups—planning, project execution, and practice building—while sharing actionable strategies to overcome decision fatigue and generate real patient momentum before opening day. From avoiding poor demographic...
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2335: The Fast Track to High-Value Dentistry Without Referrals
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes is joined by Dr. Ben Kacos for a powerful and tactical conversation on what it really takes to evolve from a standard general dentist to a Super GP. Dr. Kacos shares his personal journey of 700% growth by strategically adding advanced clinical procedures like surgical extractions, socket grafting, molar endo, and IV sedation. Together, they break down the path of clinical progression—starting with strong communication skills and moving into more complex treatments—and explain how expanding your skill set directly impacts production, patient loyalty,...
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2334: The Business Case for Membership Plans in Dental Practices
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes welcomes Jane Levy, co-founder and CEO of Plan Forward, for a powerful conversation on how dental membership plans can help practices take control of their revenue and reduce dependence on underperforming insurance plans. Jane shares her unique path from Wall Street investor to dental tech entrepreneur, including her pivotal encounters at Henry Schein and Jarvis Analytics. She breaks down the structure and strategy behind successful membership plans, explains why they outperform traditional discount models, and offers insight into the potential for...
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2333: Scaling Impact Without Burning Out as a Dental Entrepreneur
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with his longtime friend and DSI Black Belt Coach, Dr. Taher Dhoon, for a deeply reflective and inspiring conversation on redefining legacy, creating balance, and building sustainable impact. From humble beginnings to scaling a $5M+ practice, Dr. Dhoon shares how his perspective has evolved over the years—from chasing traditional success metrics to prioritizing meaningful relationships, cultural roots, and purposeful living. The two discuss the origins and explosive growth of the Colorado Surgical Institute, their shared journey in...
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2332: Solving the Dental Revenue Puzzle with AI
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes welcomes Vishal Bhalla, founder and CEO of Wieldy.ai, an innovative AI platform transforming revenue cycle management in dental practices. Vishal shares how observing inefficiencies in his brother-in-law’s orthodontic offices during the pandemic sparked the idea for Wieldy. With a background in AI and machine learning, he explains how Wieldy's suite of AI agents automates claims posting, denial management, EFT reconciliation, and is soon expanding into insurance verification. The conversation covers how AI is reducing manual labor, improving...
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2331: Turning Full-Arch Leads Into Life-Changing Cases
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes is joined by sales strategist and full-arch consultant Stacy Farley, who shares her inspiring journey from corporate sales to becoming a key driver behind one of the most successful single-location implant centers in the U.S. Stacy breaks down the often-overlooked steps of the full-arch patient journey, from lead generation and call center strategies to clinical handoffs and closing high-dollar cases with empathy and purpose. She explains how her sales approach, rooted in personal motivation and genuine care, helped scale her father's practice from...
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2330: Surgical Saturday - Live Veneer Prepping & Delivery with CSI’s New Hands-On Course
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Dr. Taher Dhoon to introduce an exciting new addition to the Colorado Surgical Institute (CSI) lineup: a hands-on, live-patient cosmetic dentistry course focused on 10 over 10 veneer cases. The two discuss how this program differs from traditional full arch or surgical training, with an emphasis on preserving dentition while delivering life-changing aesthetic outcomes. Dr. Dhoon explains the comprehensive approach to case selection, smile design, deprogramming, and lab communication. He also details how participants will prep,...
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2329: Designing Dental Offices That Work Like a Swiss Watch
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes welcomes Dr. Mark Tholen, a former dentist turned renowned dental office architect, to unpack the art and science of designing a practice that maximizes productivity and minimizes stress. With decades of experience and thousands of projects under his belt, Dr. Tholen explains how to right-size your office for long-term growth, avoid common design pitfalls, and keep construction projects on time and on budget. He shares insights on ergonomics, workflow efficiency, and the critical role of complete plans in preventing costly change orders. Whether...
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2328: Revolutionizing Restorative Dentistry with 3D Printing
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes wraps up an incredible run of podcasting at Thrive Live with a conversation about one of dentistry’s most transformative tools—3D printing. He sits down with Dr. Michael DeFee to talk about digital workflows, chairside design, and the future of restorative dentistry. As a founding partner of the MOD Institute and an expert in Exocad and additive manufacturing, Dr. DeFee shares his journey from virology PhD to tech-forward dental leader, and how his team is shaping education around everything from veneers to full-mouth rehabs. Plus, the two...
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2327: Biggest Startup Mistakes Dentists Make & How to Avoid Them
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes is joined by Dr. Chris Green of The Practice Launchpad and Justin “JJ” Ditkofsky of WeCare to talk about all things dental startups—from the earliest planning stages to scaling for long-term success. The trio dives deep into the real-world challenges dentists face when launching a practice, including costly lease mistakes, undersized offices, decision fatigue, and lack of future scalability. JJ shares wild personal stories (including why he's podcasting from his backyard), real estate insights from Frisco, Texas to Tribeca, and what separates...
info_outlineOn today’s episode, we have a crossover from "Hi, I'm Dr." featuring Dr. Mark Costes, hosted by Akhil Chawla. Mark delves into his journey from clinical dentistry to a broader focus on entrepreneurship and education. Graduating from Marquette University in 2002 and starting his practice in Arizona, Mark quickly transitioned from an associate to owning his first of many dental practices. Over the years, he expanded his operations across Arizona and California, eventually owning 16 practices. Despite this success, Mark found his true passion in the business aspects of dentistry rather than clinical practice, leading him to found the Dental Success Institute in 2012, which focuses on coaching and consulting for dental practices.
Throughout the interview, Mark discusses the challenges and insights he gained from managing multiple practices, emphasizing the importance of systems over reliance on individual personnel. He also highlights his shift towards education and philanthropy, particularly through his involvement with the Colorado Surgical Institute and founding Smile Outreach International.
Akhil and Mark explore the intricacies of dental practice management, the impact of dental insurance on the industry, and the future of dental service organizations (DSOs). They discuss the importance of balancing business acumen with clinical skills and how dentists can better position themselves as entrepreneurs. The conversation also touches on the need for systemic changes in dental education and the insurance landscape to better support both practitioners and patients.
This episode provides valuable insights for dentists who are looking to expand their professional horizons beyond clinical work and into areas like business management, education, and entrepreneurship within the dental industry.
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