Dentists, it’s time to ask the real question: Are you running your practice, or is your practice running you? If you’ve ever felt stuck between a packed clinical schedule and a blurry vision for the future, you’re not alone. Many practice owners feel buried in the day-to-day, wondering why growth feels so hard despite working more hours than ever. That’s why we created the CEO Dentist Workshop, to help high-performing dentists step into their next level of leadership and finally lead with clarity, confidence, and systems that actually support a scalable practice. Whether you missed the event or want a refresher, here’s the full recap of what we covered.

What Is a CEO Dentist?

Being a CEO Dentist isn’t about a fancy title or stepping away from clinical care entirely. It’s about shifting your identity from reactive operator to proactive leader.

A true CEO leads the vision, sets direction, builds a strong team, and protects the culture. The goal is not to do everything, but to lead everything.

We shared one mindset tool that changed the game for attendees:
“What would the CEO version of me do in this moment?”

This shift in perspective helps owners make decisions that protect time, elevate leadership, and support sustainable practice growth.

Step 1: Numbers That Drive Smart Decisions

If you don’t know your numbers, you can’t lead from a place of clarity. We taught attendees how to identify and track the metrics that matter most.

Key numbers every CEO dentist needs to know:

Net production and collection rates
Overhead by category (labor, supplies, facility, etc.)
Case acceptance by dollar and by procedure
Hygiene reappointment rate and production per visit
AR aging breakdown and percent over 90 days

When you truly understand your financials, you stop guessing and start making strategic decisions that protect profitability and reduce stress. One attendee realized during the event that they were on pace to miss their year-end goal, but because they caught it early, they adjusted and still hit their numbers.

Step 2: Build Systems That Don’t Rely on You

Systems are how you stop being the bottleneck in your business. We walked through a 12-month roadmap for installing or upgrading systems across all major areas of the practice, including:

Office management and leadership development
Billing processes and clean insurance follow-up
Treatment plan presentation and case acceptance
Hygiene production and reappointment workflows
Scheduling protocols for maximum efficiency
Hiring, onboarding, and accountability processes

Each month focused on a specific operational category. Attendees performed a real-time systems audit and left with an exact blueprint to focus their efforts moving forward.

Step 3: Build the Right Leadership Team

One of the biggest unlocks for CEO dentists is realizing they don’t have to carry the business alone. We helped owners understand the structure of a two-part leadership model:

Visionary leadership: typically the owner-dentist who sets the direction, protects the culture, and focuses on growth
Operational leadership: a manager or lead who owns implementation, accountability, and day-to-day operations

When these two roles are clearly defined and aligned, the practice runs smoother, the team thrives, and the doctor doesn’t have to be involved in every small decision.

Bonus: CEO Dentist Identity

This wasn’t just a strategy workshop. We helped dentists upgrade their identity. You can’t scale from a mindset of survival or hustle.

Attendees practiced stepping into the identity of the CEO version of themselves, the one who doesn’t get caught up in the weeds, the one who hires proactively, makes data-backed decisions, and invests in team development.

When you shift who you are, how you lead changes automatically.

Want the Tools and Resources from the Workshop?

We’ve packaged up the same resources from the workshop: KPI scorecards, cost tracking sheets, systems audit checklists, and more, into a complimentary Practice Assessment call!

Let’s build your transformation story!

For more tips, check out our podcast.

Last updated: September 2025
Written by Jacintha Ham, Dental A Team

Becoming the CEO Dentist: Leading a Thriving Practice