CEO Chairside with Dr. Greg Grillo

On September 16, the Federal Reserve raised rates a quarter point. Most dentists shrugged. They shouldn’t have, but not for the reason you think. In this episode of CEO Chairside, Dr. Greg Grillo breaks down what the rate hike means for the business of dentistry, organized by the kind of dentist you are: The owner with variable rate debt. What each quarter point costs you on a line of credit or pr...

Over the past five years, the cost of running a dental practice — equipment, supplies, staff wages — has climbed 23%. Reimbursement has barely moved. That gap isn't a bad quarter. It's a structural squeeze, and it's quietly reshaping who owns dental practices in America. In this episode of CEO Chairside, Dr. Greg Grillo breaks down the real numbers behind the fiscal squeeze hitting ind...

This week, the CEO of a major AI company did something almost unheard of: he asked the industry to slow down. Dario Amodei's warning was backed publicly by Sam Altman and Elon Musk — and it's a different kind of alarm than the "AI will take your job" headlines that dominated 2026. This one is about control, not just jobs. In this episode of CEO Chairside, Dr. Greg Grillo breaks d...

Roughly seventy percent of dentists are either using AI or seriously considering it. Only two percent say they trust it more than their own clinical judgment. That gap isn't a footnote; it's the reason so many practices buy AI tools and quietly abandon them a few months later. In this episode of CEO Chairside, Dr. Greg Grillo breaks down what's actually happening with AI adoption in de...

Your schedule is full, your team is working harder than ever, and yet profitability continues to shrink. The problem may not be your production. It may be the insurance contracts attached to it. In this episode, Dr. Greg Grillo examines dentistry’s growing “fiscal squeeze,” including rising wages, stagnant reimbursement, hidden write-offs, leased networks, claim friction, and the wave of dental in...

Every month, dental practices diagnose thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of dollars in treatment that never gets scheduled. Not because patients don't need it. Not because they don't trust the doctor. Often because life gets in the way... and the follow-up simply isn't there. In this follow-up episode of CEO Chairside, Dr. Greg Grillo welcomes entrepreneur and dental technology in...

Not every season of life or practice is meant for growth. Some seasons are for building. Others are for pruning, recovery, harvest, or finally confronting what has been quietly ignored. The challenge is recognizing what season you are actually in—and having the courage to do the work that season requires. In this midyear episode, Dr. Greg Grillo reflects on leadership, change, time, and the danger...

Neck pain, shoulder tension, headaches, and lower back discomfort have become so common in dentistry that many providers accept them as part of the profession. But what if the conventional advice is incomplete? In this episode of CEO Chairside , Dr. Greg Grillo talks with Dr. John Besharse, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and founder of The Dental Physic...

Most conversations about work-life balance assume that life can be divided into neat, equal portions. But dentistry, business ownership, leadership, marriage, and parenting rarely work that way. In this reflective monologue, Dr. Greg Grillo explores a different way to think about a sustainable and fulfilling life: not as a perfectly balanced scale, but as a wave with natural periods of effort, mom...

In this episode of CEO Chairside, Dr. Greg Grillo sits down with entrepreneur and dental growth strategist Devyn Grillo for a candid conversation about one of the most overlooked challenges in dentistry: conversion. Devyn built and sold a seven-figure dental lead generation company after starting his marketing career as a teenager. After helping more than 100 dental practices generate thousands of...

Dentistry is changing fast, and many practice owners can feel it. In this solo episode of CEO Chairside, Dr. Greg Grillo explores a growing reality inside the profession: the “middle-class” dental practice is getting squeezed. Rising overhead. Flat insurance reimbursement. Staffing instability. Operational complexity. More competition. More pressure. And yet many dentists are producing more than e...

In this episode of CEO Chairside, Dr. Greg Grillo sits down with Dr. Doug Sandquist for a raw, honest, and deeply practical conversation about what it really takes to build a successful, and sustainable, dental practice. This is not another discussion about doing more dentistry, chasing production, or scaling at all costs. Instead, Dr. Sandquist shares the hard-earned lessons from nearly three dec...

What would actually change in your practice… if someone with fresh eyes took it over tomorrow? In this episode of CEO Chairside , Dr. Greg Grillo breaks down exactly what he would do in the first 30 days of owning a dental practice; no fluff, no theory, just real-world execution. From hidden production leaks to underperforming hygiene systems, weak case acceptance, and inefficient schedules, most...

In this episode of CEO Chairside, Dr. Greg Grillo sits down with a multi-million dollar a year dental practice owner operating in a typical PPO-heavy market. Dr. Mike's no-BS approach breaks down what actually drives growth inside a practice. At first, it sounds like a straightforward conversation. Production per visit. Case acceptance. Hygiene performance. Scheduling discipline. But as the di...

Every dental practice invests time and money trying to attract new patients. But what if one of the biggest growth opportunities in your practice isn’t marketing at all? What if it’s simply answering the phone? In this episode of CEO Chairside , Dr. Greg Grillo explores one of the most overlooked revenue leaks in modern dentistry: missed calls. Research shows that up to 40% of business calls go un...

In this episode of  CEO Chairside , Dr. Greg Grillo sits down with Dr. Eric Nelson to unpack the  emotional labor of dentistry, the invisible workload that comes from treating anxious, fearful, and vulnerable patients all day while still needing to perform with precision. They break down why many dentists don’t burn out because they don’t care… they burn out because they care  too deeply  without...

Artificial intelligence is not coming to dentistry. It is already here. And it is quietly reshaping how patients search, think, and choose their dental providers. In this episode of CEO Chairside , Dr. Greg Grillo explores one of the most important shifts facing dental practice owners today: the rise of AI as the new gatekeeper of patient decision-making. Search engines are evolving into answer en...

How does a “regular” dentist build a thriving, people-first practice in just a few years? In this episode of CEO Chairside , Dr. Greg Grillo talks with Dr. Karl McMillan of Honest Care Dental about his journey from treating underserved communities in Harlem, to practicing in Hawaii, to launching a fast-growing, comprehensive practice in Salem, New Hampshire. Dr. McMillan shares how authenticity, i...

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of everyday practice in dentistry. Many dentists are already using tools such as ChatGPT and other AI platforms to answer questions, clean up notes, analyze data, and make faster decisions. But here’s the problem: just because AI gives a good answer doesn’t mean it understands your practice, or that it was built for healthcare at all. In this solo e...

What actually drives sustainable growth in a dental practice? Not hacks. Not trends. And not more chaos. In this episode of CEO Chairside , Dr. Greg Grillo sits down with Rachel Marks to unpack what real growth looks like from the inside out—through leadership, systems, and execution that actually work in the day-to-day reality of dentistry. Rachel brings a rare depth of hands-on experience. She b...

In this year-end reflection, Dr Greg Grillo looks beyond production and collections to explore what dentistry really taught us over the past twelve months. He highlights the quiet shifts in patient behavior, the growing influence of hygiene on practice growth, and the importance of leadership and robust systems in building a healthier, more resilient practice. Dr Grillo also speaks directly to the...

In this CEO Chairside conversation, Dr. Greg Grillo talks with Braden Draggoo (Founder/CEO, Draggoo Financial)—named to Forbes’ Top 100 Financial Security Professionals , a multi-year MDRT qualifier, Chairman’s/Cabinet Council honoree, and New York Life’s #1 producer in 2025 . But this episode isn’t about products; it’s about mindset, systems, and designing a life you actually want . Braden shares...

Can dentists truly have work-life balance — or is it just another myth we tell ourselves? In this powerful solo episode, Dr. Greg Grillo , dental coach and host of CEO Chairside , uncovers the truth behind burnout, stress, and fulfillment in today’s dental profession. Drawing from over 28 years in practice, Greg reveals how modern dentistry’s pace, patient demands, and business pressures have made...

In this episode of CEO Chairside , Dr. Greg Grillo sits down with Dr. Chris Dorow, President of the Washington State Dental Association, for a candid look at one of the most critical battles in dentistry today: Fairness, access, and the future of private practice. From running the only private dental practice in rural Othello, Washington, to leading a statewide reform effort to “Fix Dental Benefit...

Corporate dentistry isn’t evil, but it’s changing the game faster than most private practices realize. In this no-holds-barred episode, Dr. Greg Grillo sounds the alarm on how DSOs are reshaping patient expectations, marketing strategies, and the business model of modern dentistry. From centralized call centers to billion-dollar private equity backing, DSOs are rewriting the rules, and too many in...