2312: How to Maximize Your Dental Practice Value Before Selling Pt. 1
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
Release Date: 08/14/2025
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,...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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,...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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_outline
2326: How to Know If You're Ready to Grow Your Dental Group
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Gary Bird interviews Dr. Mark Costes to unpack the real-world complexities of scaling from one dental practice to ten. Mark shares hard-earned lessons from building and managing 26 practices, explaining why early success can mislead dentists into rapid expansion and how to avoid the common pitfalls. They explore why strong systems beat superstar staff, how to “red team” your practice to identify weaknesses, and why pressure-testing your operations is critical before adding new locations. Mark also dives into financial realities—like the limits of traditional...
info_outlineOn today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes welcomes back Kyle Francis, founder and CEO of Professional Transition Strategies, for part one of a powerful interview. Kyle shares his journey into the world of dental mergers and acquisitions, how he built a company focused solely on seller-side representation, and why time can be a deal’s biggest enemy.
He dives into the intricacies of practice valuations, the differences between individual-to-individual sales versus private equity-backed DSO sales, and the common misconceptions many owners have about liquidity and equity. Kyle also sheds light on how market competition has driven higher multiples and what makes some DSOs thrive while others fail.
Be sure to check out the full episode from the Dentalpreneur Podcast!
EPISODE RESOURCES