Welcome to The Dental Cut

Opinionated takes on dental practice economics, M&A trends, and operator insights for practice owners and DSO leaders. No consultants. No vendor pitches. No fluff.

The dental industry is in transition. Private equity has $2.5 trillion in dry powder looking for dental deals. DSOs are consolidating at record pace. Insurance reimbursement is flat while costs climb 5-7% annually. AI is replacing front desk staff. Hygienists are harder to find and more expensive to keep. And the average practice owner is stuck in the middle trying to figure out what it all means for their business.

That's what The Dental Cut is for. We cut through the noise. We dig into the economics that actually matter. We challenge the industry narratives that don't pencil out. And we give you the specific, operator-level insights you can use to make better decisions.

What We Cover

Practice economics that move the needle. M&A valuations and what buyers actually want. DSO expansion strategy and what it means for independents. Insurance negotiation tactics. Labor cost optimization. Technology ROI that's real, not vendor hype. And the macro trends shaping where this industry is headed.

Every piece includes Operator Math - real calculations with dollar amounts so you can model the impact on your practice. And every piece ends with The Takeaway - specific action items you can implement.

Who This Is For

Practice owners running $1M-5M in annual production. DSO operators managing multi-location platforms. Associates considering ownership. Private equity investors evaluating dental deals. Anyone who wants to understand the business of dentistry at a deeper level than what the consultants are selling.

If you're tired of generic advice and want specific, skeptical, operator-first analysis of what's actually happening in dental practice economics - you're in the right place.

OPERATOR MATH

Let's talk about what operator-level insight actually means. Say you're running a $1.5M practice with 65% overhead. That's $525K in profit before owner compensation. Industry consultants tell you to "optimize operations" and "increase case acceptance." Great. But what does that actually look like in dollars?

Scenario 1: Reduce overhead by 5 percentage points
Current: $1.5M revenue × 65% = $975K overhead, $525K profit
Target: $1.5M revenue × 60% = $900K overhead, $600K profit
Gain: $75K annually

Scenario 2: Increase production by 10% with same overhead ratio
New revenue: $1.65M × 65% = $1.073M overhead, $577K profit
Gain: $52K annually

Scenario 3: Both (reduce overhead 3 points, grow 10%)
$1.65M × 62% = $1.023M overhead, $627K profit
Gain: $102K annually

That's the kind of math we run here. Specific. Actionable. Grounded in reality.

THE TAKEAWAY

Subscribe to The Dental Cut if you want:

• Weekly analysis of dental practice economics with real numbers
• M&A trend reporting from someone who's seen hundreds of deals
• Technology reviews that focus on ROI, not features
• Insurance negotiation tactics that actually work
• Labor optimization strategies that don't destroy culture

What you won't get: Vendor pitches disguised as content. Generic "best practices" from consultants who've never run a practice. Cheerleading about how great the dental industry is. We tell the truth. Sometimes it's uncomfortable. But it's always useful.

Welcome to The Dental Cut. Let's get to work.