If you're thinking about buying your first dental practice—or already deep in the process—this episode is a must-listen. Chase and Ryan are pulling back the curtain on what really happens when you make that first purchase. Spoiler alert: it’s not all clean numbers and smooth transitions.

From team dynamics to misleading seller promises, they share the gritty, honest truths most brokers won’t tell you. They even bring ChatGPT into the mix to compare AI advice with real-world experience—and spoiler: the guys still come out on top.

You’ll hear stories of team walkouts, overpromised seller support, and the wild variability that comes with every transition. Whether you’re planning to buy soon or just want to hear what goes down behind the scenes, this episode is filled with candid insights and practical tips.

And don’t worry—there are plenty of laughs, Post Malone references, and even some boating mishaps sprinkled in along the way.

What's Inside:

• Numbers can lie—without context: Collections and income might look good on paper, but dig deeper. Look at doctor dependency, write-offs, and team costs.
• The team might not be on your side (at first): Some will love you, some will loathe you. Expect a rocky start and don’t take it personally.
• Sellers rarely follow through on transition promises: Get everything in writing. Most docs mentally check out the moment the check clears.
• Morale is impossible to measure pre-sale: You won't meet the team ahead of time for a reason. Be prepared to deal with culture shifts.
  You’ll feel like you overpaid—and that’s normal: Every buyer thinks they paid too much. Every seller thinks they got too little. It’s just part of the game.
• Create your own culture: Whether the old team stays or goes, you get to build the team that’s right for your practice long-term.

👋 Thinking about buying your first practice?
Don't go it alone. Shoot us a DM on Instagram [@thedentistsshow] or email Chase at chase@thedentistsshow.com with your questions. We’ve been there, we’ve made the mistakes—and we’re happy to help you dodge them.

🎯 And hey—if you got any value from today’s episode, do us a favor: like, subscribe, and share this with a friend who’s thinking about buying their first practice. It helps more than you know.

Episode Minute By Minute:

• 0:00 – Welcome Back & Why We’re Saying This Up Front
• 1:30 – Ryan’s Beef with the 4th of July
• 3:00 – Patriotic Boat Parade Fail
• 4:40 – Cabin Life, Tattoos & Summer Catch-Up
• 7:00 – Post Malone, Face Tats & Country Vibes
• 9:15 – Introducing Today’s Topic: What They Don’t Tell You About Buying a Practice
• 10:20 – ChatGPT vs. Real-Life Experience: Numbers Without Context
• 13:00 – Reading Between the Lines of the P&L
• 14:40 – Ask Better Questions—Don’t Rely on the Broker
• 16:00 – Expect Chaos: No Practice is Perfect
• 17:30 – Team Loyalty: The Wildcard in Any Transition
• 19:00 – Our Experience with Resistant Teams
• 21:15 – When to Let Toxic Team Members Go
• 23:00 – Why You Never Meet the Team Before Buying
• 25:00 – The Myth of the Seller Staying On
• 27:00 – Soft Promises & Quick Exits
• 29:00 – The Real “Goodwill” Transfer: Just Shake Hands
• 30:30 – Final Thoughts + Why We Still Do It
• 32:00 – DMs, Contact Info & What's Coming Next

In this raw and relatable episode of The Dentists Show, Ryan opens up about one of the most stressful sedation cases he’s ever faced—a situation that pushed him to his edge as a dentist and leader. What started as a routine All-On-X procedure under IV sedation turned into a chaotic and dangerous experience when the patient became combative mid-surgery.

Ryan walks us through the moment-by-moment decisions he had to make—balancing patient safety, team confidence, and the legal and emotional weight of it all. Chase jumps in with his own stories, and together they unpack the wild world of sedation dentistry, sharing lessons on teamwork, emotional resilience, and knowing when to laugh so you don’t cry.

If you've ever thought, Why do I do this? — this episode is for you.

🎧 Loved this episode? If you’ve ever had a day where everything went sideways in the operatory, you’re not alone. Share this episode with a fellow dentist who could use a laugh (or a therapy session), and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss these real, unfiltered convos from the trenches of dentistry.

LINKS:

https://www.thedentistsshow.com

Episode Minute By Minute:

• 0:00 – Sweaty backs, gas station food, and Scottsdale heat
• 2:00 – Team outings and fine dining in surprising places
• 3:00 – Burnt wood decor and the irony of fire
• 3:40 – Ryan’s no-good, very bad sedation day begins
• 5:00 – When a patient goes from peaceful to combative
• 6:20 – The mental chaos of making high-stakes calls fast
• 7:30 – Giving reversal meds and hoping for the best
• 9:00 – How flumazenil saved the day—after a quick Google
• 10:30 – Was she over-sedated? Or just hit fight-or-flight?
• 12:00 – Redheads, weed, and sedation unpredictability
• 13:40 – When dentistry feels like a combat sport
• 15:00 – Why sedation stress hits differently
• 16:20 – Ryan’s go-to coping mantra on bad days
• 17:30 – The moment you walk past your family and just need a minute
• 18:30 – Chase’s sedation fails and why weed smokers are the worst
• 20:00 – Rookie assistants, real-time chaos, and how to train on the fly
• 21:20 – PSA: Your worst day isn’t your last one
• 22:15 – Dark dentist humor and the stress of “almost”
• 23:00 – Pulse ox tricks and unexpected saves
• 24:30 – What stress actually means for your growth
• 25:00 – Learning from the frustration and doing it better next time
• 26:00 – Keep calm, finish the case, and go home at 3

Welcome back to another episode of The Dentists Show!

In this candid and strategy-packed conversation, Chase and Ryan sit down to talk about what it really takes to scale a dental practice without losing your mind (or your margins). From understanding the key metrics that actually move the needle to challenging outdated beliefs about marketing spend, the guys dive deep into what it means to be growth-minded and numbers-driven in today’s world.

Whether you’re just getting started, prepping for expansion, or feeling stuck in the middle of a plateau, this episode will help you zoom out, refocus, and take smart, strategic steps forward. (Spoiler: It’s not about chasing every new patient—it’s about building systems that retain and multiply them.)

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How they track numbers across multiple practices without getting overwhelmed
• Why high-performing teams need more than financial targets—they need ownership and clarity
• The surprising insight that not all marketing spend is created equal—and how to know what’s working
• When to pivot from patient acquisition to patient retention—and how to measure that success
• Why 1% improvements in daily systems are often more valuable than chasing shiny new tools
  
  

LINKS:

https://www.thedentistsshow.com

Success doesn’t happen by accident—it happens by intention, structure, and a team that knows what winning looks like. This episode is a powerful reminder that data isn’t boring—it’s your roadmap to growth.

📊 Ready to make your numbers actually work for you? Hit play and let Chase and Ryan show you how to bring more clarity, consistency, and cash flow to your practice.

Episode Minute By Minute:

• 00:00 – Intro: Why Tracking Matters More Than Ever
• 02:16 – Chase breaks down how they track production by provider and team
• 04:45 – From reactive to proactive: how dashboards create momentum
• 07:12 – Why they stopped chasing “more new patients”
• 09:58 – Marketing spend check: what’s actually driving results?
• 12:20 – Ryan’s reminder: “Retention > Acquisition”
• 14:35 – The new game plan for retention and reactivation
• 16:02 – Helping your team own the goal without micromanaging
• 18:44 – What’s next: staying aligned as you scale