2550: Smarter Phones, Better Teams, and Happier Patients
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
Release Date: 07/10/2026
2575: How to Keep Your Team Compliant and Supported
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Ralf Tomandl, COO of HR for Health, live from Thrive Live 2026 in Las Vegas. Ralf shares his journey through the dental industry, from his early days with 1-800-DENTIST to helping bring technology-driven HR solutions to dental practices across the country. He and Mark discuss why HR is often overlooked by practice owners, how state-by-state compliance differences can create major risk, and why employee handbooks, onboarding documents, time tracking, PTO, licensing, and CE management should not be handled manually. Ralf also breaks down...
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2574: Turning Hygiene Challenges Into Practice Growth
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Wendy Briggs live from Thrive Live 2026 in Las Vegas. Wendy shares her perspective on the current state of dental hygiene, including the ongoing provider shortage, rising wages, temp labor trends, and the growing need for practices to shift from hiring to recruiting. She explains how strong hygiene departments are built through better systems, clearer communication, elevated patient care, and compensation models that create wins for the patient, the provider, and the practice. Wendy and Mark also discuss assisted hygiene, risk...
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2573: The Stress-Free Hygiene System
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Dr. Addison Killeen speaks during the Dental Success Summit 2026 about building a stress-free hygiene system that creates clarity, consistency, and less decision fatigue inside the practice. He breaks down the real stress many dentists are feeling right now, from staffing shortages to burnout, and explains why weak hygiene systems can spill over into the entire practice. Dr. Killeen introduces a practical five-by-five method: five meetings over five weeks focused on clinical protocols, standardized verbiage, stronger handoffs, the right hygiene KPIs, and a...
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2572: The Daily Money System Every Practice Owner Needs
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes is joined by Brent Saunier and Chris Sands of Pro-Fi 20/20 and Phase One Dental CPAs for a practical conversation on cash flow planning inside the dental practice. Instead of focusing only on tax strategy, they break down how practice owners can use accounting data, Profit First principles, and daily transfers to better understand where money is going and give every dollar a clear purpose. Brent and Chris walk through the importance of separating funds into dedicated accounts for payroll, labs and supplies, marketing, rent and loans, consulting, CE,...
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2571: Training the Next Generation of Dental Assistants
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes welcomes back Dr. Heather Dawn Lawson Myers for an inspiring conversation about leadership, mentorship, team development, and the future of dental assisting. Dr. Lawson Myers shares her journey from Howard University to practicing in Maryland and later building a career in Kingston, Jamaica, where she has served in private practice, dental association leadership, dental council governance, and mentorship for young dentists. She also discusses her work as a John C. Maxwell leadership team member, her passion for helping dental teams understand their...
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2570: Better Patient Care Starts With Better Questions
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Michelle Strange, MSDH, RDH, live from Thrive Live 2026 in Las Vegas. Michelle shares her unconventional path from dental assistant to hygienist, educator, entrepreneur, speaker, and now independent hygiene practice owner in Colorado. She discusses what it was like to sell everything, travel the country with mobile dental equipment, and eventually step into ownership of a hygiene practice where she can practice prevention-focused care on her own terms. Michelle and Mark dive into guided biofilm therapy, minimally invasive products like...
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2569: What High-Level Dental Operators Do Differently Pt. 2
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Part 2 of the same keynote, Dr. Mark Costes continues his tactical playbook for building a more effective, systemized dental practice. He breaks down the five core steps of leadership, explains how to set clear expectations, and shares practical frameworks for accountability, team meetings, performance reviews, feedback, and KPI tracking. Mark also covers the hidden cost of turnover, how to evaluate culture and alignment, why organizational charts matter, and how tools like time journals, end-of-day protocols, and downtime systems can help a practice run more...
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2568: What High-Level Dental Operators Do Differently Pt. 1
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Part 1 of a two-part keynote, Dr. Mark Costes shares a tactical playbook for leading and operating a high-performing dental practice. Drawing from his experience owning 16 practices—and from the mistakes he made along the way—Mark explains why a practice that cannot run without the owner is ultimately just a job with overhead. He breaks down the current state of dentistry, including workforce shortages, rising operating costs, declining practice ownership, burnout, and the growing pressure on dental leaders. Mark also introduces the leadership, systemization,...
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2567: Collective Intelligence-Unlocking Growth Through AI, Marketing & Operations
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Ryan Gross speaks during the Dental Success Summit about how AI, marketing, and operations must work together to help dental practices grow more effectively. Ryan explains that AI is not a magic fix, but a powerful tool that can help teams become more efficient, recognize patterns, and make better decisions when the right people and culture are already in place. He breaks down the critical five-minute window when patients choose a dental office, why phone answer rates matter, and how missed calls can quietly cost practices thousands in lost production. Ryan also...
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2566: How Dentists Can Build Wealth With Intention
The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes
On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Matt Mulcock, CFP and Managing Partner at Dentist Advisors, for a practical conversation on financial planning throughout the full arc of a dentist’s career. Matt breaks down how new graduates should think about student debt, liquidity, retirement savings, and preparing for practice ownership without rushing the process. He and Mark also discuss mid-career priorities like emergency funds, maximizing retirement accounts, profit sharing, and building liquidity both personally and inside the practice. Later, they explore what...
info_outlineOn today’s episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with longtime dental industry leader Laura Nelson live from Thrive Live in Las Vegas. Laura shares her journey from running the front office in her husband’s dental practice to building Front Office Rocks, becoming a trusted voice in dental team training, and now leading AI innovation with Mango Voice.
She and Mark discuss why patient experience matters just as much as clinical care, how short-form training changed front office education, and why understanding the “why” behind systems is essential for team success. Laura also breaks down how AI tools like Mango’s Margo can help practices capture missed calls, improve patient communication, support overwhelmed teams, and even role-play phone skills through AI-powered coaching.
Be sure to check out the full episode from the Dentalpreneur Podcast!
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