The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes welcomes back longtime friend, mentor, and returning guest Alastair Macdonald for a deep conversation on dental partnerships, practice ownership, and the costly mistakes many dentists make when trying to retain associates. Alastair shares why selling equity too early can create long-term problems, how fear-based decisions often lead to bad partnership structures...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Shaju Puthussery and Deepak Ramaswamy, co-founders of Lightspun, to unpack one of dentistry's least glamorous but most costly problems: insurance administration. From credentialing delays and paper claims to fragmented payer workflows and manual back-office bottlenecks, Shaju and Deepak explain why the "plumbing" of dentistry is overdue for a majo...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Ryan Gross, CEO of CMOShare, to talk about the rapid evolution of AI in dental marketing and how practices can use smarter data to drive real revenue growth.   Ryan explains how AI can connect marketing, phone data, practice management software, and financials to uncover what is actually holding a practice back, from poor call conversion to limite...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Dr. Paul Goodman, founder of Dental Nachos and Dentist Job Connect, for a candid conversation on connection, career growth, and the real challenges dentists face behind the scenes. They discuss why dentistry can feel lonely, the value of getting into the right rooms, and how live events create collaboration and mentorship that cannot be replicated...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Brent Saunnier and Chris Sands, co-founders of Profi Dental CPAs, for a deep dive into the real-world consequences of neglecting your accounting. They unpack a cautionary case involving years of unfiled tax returns, unreliable books, IRS notices, and six-figure cleanup costs before even knowing whether additional taxes are owed.  The conversation...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down live at Thrive Live with Dr. Uche Odiatu for a high-energy conversation about whole-body health, patient connection, and why dentistry has the power to go far beyond fixing teeth. Dr. Odiatu shares his philosophy on using movement, sleep, nutrition, stress management, breathwork, and even light exposure to help patients and providers live with more ene...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Dave and Josh Stech to explore private lending, family offices, and how dentists can build wealth beyond the chair. Dave shares his journey from humble beginnings to becoming a respected real estate forecaster and investor, while Josh explains how his background in real estate, technology, and lending helped shape their approach to teaching others...

On today's episode, Dr. Aaron Nicholas continues the conversation with practical systems for protecting the schedule when things go wrong. From difficult extractions and blocked endo cases to patients who won't get numb, bleeding that interrupts impressions, and hygiene exams that run too long, Dr. Nicholas focuses on building decision trees so the team knows exactly what to do next.   He also sha...

On today's episode, Dr. Aaron Nicholas dives into what causes a dental practice day to go sideways—and how to bring it back under control. He breaks down the biggest gaps that create chaos, from unclear ownership and poor scheduling to clinical flow issues and inconsistent systems.  Dr. Nicholas explains why hygiene should never be treated as an inconvenience, how same-day treatment can unlock maj...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Cory Pinegar, CEO of Reach, to discuss the changing landscape of dental staffing and why the hybrid practice model is becoming less of an innovation and more of a necessity. Cory shares how Reach evolved from a small reactivation service into a virtual staffing company supporting thousands of dental practices, and why international team members ca...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes answers audience questions about dental practice ownership, startups, acquisitions, and smart growth. He shares practical insight on what dentists should think through before making big moves, from choosing the right opportunity to understanding the financial realities behind a new or growing practice. Mark also breaks down the importance of planning, budgeting,...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes talks with Dr. Chris Green and Steve Steinbrunner about what it really takes to start or buy a dental practice. They break down the importance of choosing the right location, understanding your market, and surrounding yourself with the right team before making major decisions. The conversation also covers budgeting, lending, construction costs, equipment, market...

On today's episode, Summer continues the discussion by diving into the language, mindset, and team systems that support better case acceptance. She shares how to personalize urgency around what matters most to each patient, whether that's time, finances, comfort, aesthetics, longevity, or dental anxiety.  Summer also emphasizes the importance of nonverbal communication, slowing down in the operato...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes introduces Summer for a powerful conversation on improving treatment acceptance by understanding why patients really say no. Summer breaks down how many patients decline care not simply because of money, but because they don't fully see the value, urgency, or consequences of waiting.  She explains why a strong philosophy of care is the foundation for confident t...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes welcomes back Jordon Comstock, founder and CEO of BoomCloud, for a deep dive into the power of recurring revenue in dentistry. Jordon breaks down why dental membership programs are still underutilized, even after a decade of proving their value, and explains how they can help practices reduce dependence on PPOs, improve patient loyalty, and create more predictab...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes welcomes back Dr. Lior Tamir, practicing dentist, entrepreneur, and founder of The Dental App. They dive into Lior's innovative approach to navigating PPO challenges through an administrative and concierge-style model, while still maintaining transparency, ethics, and high-quality patient care. Lior shares how this model has helped him reinvest in his team, impr...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Brannon Moncrief of McLerran & Associates to unpack the current state of dental practice transitions, valuations, and DSO affiliation. Brannon explains the key differences between doctor-to-doctor sales and DSO deals, including when a smaller practice may be better suited for a private buyer and when a larger, multi-provider practice may benefit f...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes and Ashlee Hirschfeld kick off a back-to-basics conversation on operational systemization and why even experienced practice owners need to revisit the fundamentals. They break down how DSN's belt system measures practice growth across culture, leadership, systemization, and overhead, then dig into what it really takes to build strong organizational charts, effec...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Dr. Ben Miraglia, VP of GP Clinical Education at CandidPro, to explore how general dentists can successfully integrate clear aligners into everyday practice. Dr. Miraglia shares how his background in restorative and implant dentistry led him to clear aligners, and why an expansive, non-extraction approach helped him eliminate common frustrations l...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes joins Joshua DeVries on The Patient Experience Blueprint to discuss how dental practices can create more intentional, human-centered systems that build trust and improve case acceptance. Mark shares lessons from his unconventional path into dentistry, the failures that shaped his approach to practice ownership, and why clinical skill alone is not enough to creat...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes answers listener questions in this Ask Mark Anything segment, covering everything from adding specialists to protecting profitability during expansion. He breaks down how to evaluate the true cost per procedure before bringing in a specialist, why top-line revenue does not always translate into practice value, and how to calculate whether keeping specialty proce...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes is joined by Dr. Summer Kassmel to unpack one of the most common frustrations in dental practice ownership: the disconnect between owner doctors and associate doctors. They discuss why owners often expect associates to think, work, and hustle the same way they do, and why that assumption can quickly create misalignment, resentment, and underperformance.   Summer...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Chris Sands, co-founder of Crown Card Services and Pro-Fi 20/20, to unpack the often-overlooked world of credit card processing fees in dentistry. Chris explains how merchant fees quietly chip away at profitability, EBITDA, and even practice valuation, while sharing why more dental offices are exploring compliant surcharge programs to recover 70–9...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes is joined by Dr. Ben Kacos and Dr. Bill Keith for part two of their conversation on preparing a dental practice for partnership. They get tactical about the steps owners should take before entering a process, including cleaning up the books, separating personal and business expenses, identifying legitimate add-backs, and understanding how normalized profitabilit...

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Dr. Wayde Elliott, a former dentist whose clinical career ended suddenly after a neck injury during a crown prep forced him out of practice. Wayde shares his journey from barely making it into dental school to owning a successful practice for 20 years, and how a patient planted the seed that eventually led him into self-storage development.  He an...