Dental Consulting Experts - The Ledbetter Group

09/08/2026

When dentists think about growing a dental practice, the first ideas are often more advertising, more new patients, or adding an associate dentist.
Those may be the right answers—but only if demand or clinical capacity is actually what is limiting growth.

In many established practices, significant opportunities already exist within the schedule, patient base, team, collections, and management systems.

Our newest article explores how better systems can help a dental practice increase production, reduce stress, and make better use of its existing resources.
https://www.dentalconsultingexperts.com/post/how-to-grow-a-dental-practice

08/25/2026

Should you sell your dental practice to a DSO?

For some owners, a DSO sale can provide liquidity, relief from management responsibilities and a path toward retirement.

But a sale often comes with another arrangement: continuing to work in the practice as an employee, with new expectations, financial terms and limits on control.

Before deciding, ask a more fundamental question:

Do you want to stop owning your practice—or do you want relief from the problems that are making ownership exhausting?

Our new article examines the work-back commitment, daily control, financial exchange and an alternative worth considering before you sell.
Read the full article: https://www.dentalconsultingexperts.com/post/should-i-sell-my-dental-practice-to-a-dso

08/13/2026

Buying an established dental practice gives a new owner an immediate patient base—but it also means inheriting someone else’s systems, habits and production ceiling.

In this dental practice case study, a young dentist purchased a good, established practice that was producing approximately $93,558 per month. He believed it had more potential, but he did not want growth to create more stress or chaos.

By strengthening the front office, expanding hygiene capacity, improving recall, and scheduling systems, and aligning the team with an incentive bonus, the practice increased production by $37,184 per month.

The dentist did not add workdays. Fees and diagnostic standards were not changed. The growth came from better systems in the office.

Read the full case study: https://www.dentalconsultingexperts.com/case-studies/new-owner-growing-established-dental-practice

08/11/2026

What happens when hygiene is booked months in advance, more patients want appointments than the practice can accommodate, and the dentists do not want to add another provider?

At that point, the goal is to make better use of the practice’s existing capacity.

In this new article, Russ Ledbetter explains how selectively culling chronic cancellers, difficult patients, unpaid balances and poorly reimbursing PPO plans can improve production, collections and the experience of practicing dentistry.
Read: https://www.dentalconsultingexperts.com/post/how-to-optimize-dental-production-when-your-hygiene-schedule-is-full

08/03/2026

A successful two-doctor dental practice suddenly became a one-doctor practice.

The transition created an urgent need to stabilize the team, strengthen systems, clarify responsibilities, and rebuild production around a very different practice structure.

The result: the practice ultimately produced more with one dentist than it previously had with two—while becoming more stable and less stressful.

Read the full case study:
https://www.dentalconsultingexperts.com/case-studies/stabilizing-dental-practice-after-loss-of-doctor?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=organic_social&utm_campaign=case_study_3&utm_content=tlg_page_post

07/15/2026

Should every dentist hire a dental practice consultant?

No.

Some practices are not ready. Some do not have the chair capacity, patient base, or leadership commitment to benefit in a meaningful way.

But many practices do have real opportunity that has not yet been turned into results.

The dentist may understand that something needs to change. The team may even recognize the same problems. But understanding the problem is not the same as changing the practice.

That is where the right dental consultant can make a difference.
Not by raising fees. Not by changing diagnosis. Not by cramming the schedule. Not by creating more chaos.

By helping the practice work better.

New article: Honestly, Why Hire a Dental Practice Consultant?

06/26/2026

Changing systems in a dental practice is hard. Not because the dentist does not care. Not because the team is lazy.
Not because the right idea is impossible to understand. It is hard because a dental office is busy all day. It requires focus to turn a good idea into a working system.

Knowing what should change is not the same as changing how the office works every day. Read our post about driving lasting change in your practice.

Knowing what should change in a dental practice is not the same as getting the team to do it consistently every day.

06/14/2026

When should a dental practice expand hygiene?

The answer is not simply “when the hygiene schedule is full.”
A full schedule may show demand, but it can also hide missed recall opportunities, weak patient flow, or a hygiene department that is busy without reaching its full production potential.

Our latest article explains what dentists should consider when thinking of expanding hygiene. Read the full article here:

Hygiene expansion can create growth, but only when the schedule, recall demand, patient flow, and team systems are ready. Learn what to evaluate before adding hygiene hours, days, or providers.

05/27/2026

PPO write-offs can significantly change the economics of a dental practice.
In our latest article, Russ Ledbetter explains how to evaluate where a practice belongs on the PPO to fee-for-service scale — and why the decision should be based on more than frustration with insurance adjustments.
The right move depends on the numbers, the patient base, new patient flow, and local market realities.
Read the article:

PPO write-offs can quietly reduce what your dental practice actually collects. Learn how to evaluate your PPO plans, patient base, production, and fee-for-service potential before making changes.

05/14/2026

Dental staff conflict does not have to be dramatic to hurt a practice.
Sometimes it shows up as poor communication, incomplete handoffs, tension between departments, or team members who simply stop working well together.

In our latest article, Russ Ledbetter explains how dentists can address staff conflict without becoming the referee — by focusing on facts, expectations, and professional behavior.

Read the full article:

Dental staff conflict can hurt communication, morale, and production. Learn how to resolve conflict by focusing on facts, expectations, and professional behavior — without taking sides.