Managing Dental Drama

What to Do With Staff When the Schedule is Slow  Show notes: September can be slow in the dental field. In fact, many practice owners refer to it as “Suck-tember.” In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss the September slowdown in her practice. Should a practice owner send employees home? Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss how and when she decides to send employees home. As practice owners, it is i...

In this episode, Bethany tackles a critical category for all dental practice owners – overhead expenses. She discusses the goal percentage for each of the following categories and also shares ideas for how to cut expenses in each. Finally, she encourages each practice owner to build a team of people who can help manage expenses and increase profitability.  Rent 5-7% Staff Salaries 22-25%  Lab 6-8%...

 Join Dr. Kuba and Bethany as they listen to the advice provided by Dr. Davis who offers advice on performance reviews. In this episode, they work to get into the nitty gritty of performance reviews as they discuss how often they should occur, what questions to ask, and how consistency matters.  Previous Episodes Worth Revisiting: Management Tool Kit: Office Policy Manual and Performance Reviews P...

Dr. Kuba and Bethany have been storing up questions from our listeners around the world and are using this anniversary episode to answer all of your burning questions. Celebrate with them as they answer questions like, “Where is your studio?”, “When do you have time to podcast?”, “What is the thumping noise?”, and many other fun questions!  Bethany’s Favorite Episode of Season One: Discovering you...

Terminating an employee’s position feels so difficult and also is final. In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss other options for underperforming employees including cutting down an employee’s schedule or even cutting their pay. They discuss reworking the employee’s position or job title to better suit their skillset. In addition, Bethany discusses the importance of an exit interview. Final...

Terminating a relationship with an employee can be an incredibly stressful event. There are often questions around the logistics of how to fire an employee as well as the timing of it all. In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss various strategies for conducting a termination as well as all of the steps that lead up to firing an employee. They also discuss the importance of clear communicati...

Get ready for some exciting news in this short announcement episode. First, Dr. Kuba and Bethany talk about their upcoming opportunity to speak at SPRIG Live. Second, they talk about YOUR chance to win a gift valued at $1200. Finally, they introduce an easy way to sign up to receive access to the Managing Dental Drama community. Don’t miss this exciting episode!! Sprig Live 2022 Enter “High Five”...

For any practice owner that has recently had an employee state or imply, “I know MY worth,” then this episode is for you. With inflation on the rise, employees are asking for more and more income, and they are in a position to ask due to a reduced number of workers in the dental field. Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss the importance of being prepared for employees’ continued requests for more money. T...

Leadership is challenging and requires constant self-reflection and growth. Practice owners can often make mistakes while leading their teams, and those mistakes are discussed in this episode. Practice owners can be micromanagers with extremely high standards and mounting frustration when expectations aren’t met. Leadership requires patience and perspective. Dentists can also struggle with avoidin...

Dentists, especially practice owners, are leaders. Each day, dentists are faced with the opportunity to lead their team well, serve their patients, and impact their community. In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany listen to tips from Dr. Marr, who discusses her leadership style and her goal of creating mini-leaders on her team. The collaborative leadership style of Dr. Kuba is also discussed. Empl...

Join Bethany in this episode where YOU, the audience, are the focus. You will hear tips and tricks directly from listeners who have called in with their suggestions and comments. Learn from Dr. Cooper about how to control associate spending. Get tips from Dr. Valadez who developed a quick fifteen-minute end-of-day routine that ensures claims are paid, petty cash is tracked, and adjustments are mon...

Join Bethany in this special short segment on HR Basics. She covers some of the most frequently asked questions about HR – holiday pay, paid time off, meeting pay time, and training pay time. If you’ve ever wondered what is “normal” or suggested, Bethany will answer those questions in this episode!  Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram!  Interested in the Leadership Summit? Fri...

 The final section in the associate series addresses the practical steps of bringing on an associate. First, how should a practice owner find a good associate? What are the important qualities they need to have? Second, it is important to make the owner/associate relationship win/win. Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss ways to retain associates and keep them happy in the practice. Finally, Bethany wraps...

So, you’ve decided you want an associate? Then, your attention should turn to the financial details necessary to make your next move. First, is your practice in the right financial position to hire an associate? If so, how much room is in your budget? Depending on the budget, you can consider starting with a part-time associate (usually 1-2 days a week) or a full-time associate (3-4 days a week)....

Many solo practitioners are considering an associate for the first time in their careers. A number of them indicate that they never dreamed of bringing on an associate. So, what changed their minds? It’s no doubt that the last 2.5 years has been some of the most stressful times for practice owners. While things have stabilized somewhat, the stress of practice ownership remains elevated. Many denti...

The insurance conversation continues as Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss the importance of communication with patients in relation to insurance. When dropping network status with an insurance plan, Bethany has some specific opinions on how to successfully manage the communication with patients. She and Dr. Kuba discuss a recent insurance drop that Dr. Kuba made and how her team managed the transition....

Have you been asking yourself lately, “Where is all the money going?” Or have you noticed that certain procedures are simply less productive than they used to be? Maybe you’ve even wondered to yourself, “I feel like I’m working harder and making less, what is happening?” If these thoughts sound familiar, then tune into this episode. Dr. Kuba and Bethany spend time discussing current trends in the...

Dr. Kuba has a moment of truth when she and her associate tend to a midnight emergency patient. As she fumbles to put together the supplies needed and even struggles with the equipment needed to service her patient, she realizes the importance of getting back to the basics of knowing more about her practice. In this episode, Bethany extends the conversation to encourage practice owners to not only...

This episode expands the mental health subject to the dentist or practice owner. While the team’s mental health is very important, the dentist or practice owner’s emotional wellbeing is paramount. In fact, in many cases the practice does not exist with a mentally well dentist or practice owner. In this mini episode, Bethany discusses five important strategies for keeping the dark clouds of despair...

Mental and emotional health have always been important. Yet, the last two plus years of pandemic changes have caused a number of people to go from confident, stable, and happy to depressed, anxious, and discontent. According to Boston University School of Public Health, depression rates have tripled in the United States, where now 1 in 3 American adults are affected. Therefore, the number of our e...

One of the most popular episodes thus far on Managing Dental Drama has been the first episode called, “The Art of Retaining Good Employees in a Post-Pandemic Market.” Thirty episodes and ten months later, Dr. Kuba and Bethany tackle this topic again. They both reflect on how much the job market landscape has changed even over a ten-month period of time. Together, they dialogue together on the stra...

Back by popular demand! Dr. Jones joins Bethany again to discuss three subject matters. First, he tackles marketing and reflects back on various strategies he has tried over the years. An avid believer in consistent marketing, Dr. Jones encourages listeners to engage in a variety of marketing activities and stick with it. Second, Dr. Jones discusses his individual ways of showing appreciation and...

In the everyday reality of new stresses, Dr. Kuba and Bethany were compelled to spend thirty minutes discuss all of the positive aspects of dentistry and dental practice ownership. They challenged each other to discuss thirty positives in thirty minutes. No negatives allowed. In this episode, listeners will enjoy the opportunity to reflect on all of the wonderful blessings of the dental field. Dr....

Employees seem to feel more valuable than they’ve ever been before, so when they are not performing as expected, it becomes difficult to know how to handle them. Should a practice owner address the issues and potentially risk upsetting the employee? What if the employee decides to leave, once again leaving the practice understaffed? Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss several real-life examples from the...

On this episode of Managing Dental Drama, Bethany is flying solo!  Last week's episode,  Dr. Kuba and Bethany talked about marketing and gave some ideas and tips on low cost marketing strategies.  Today, Bethany is using these 10 minutes to provide more marketing strategy takeaways that you can implement in your practice. Interested in the Leadership Summit? Friday, September 18, 2026 from 8:...