Most dentists lump every bad day, every rough month, and every “I can’t do this anymore” moment into one word: burnout.But what if it’s not burnout?What if you just… don’t like clinical dentistry? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Laura Brenner, founder of the Dentist Side Gigs community and Lolabees, to unpack the real difference between being truly burned out and being completely misaligned with clinical dentistry.  We get into: Why so many dentists feel trapped by the identity of being “a dentist” How to tell if you’re burned out vs. simply done with the four walls The personality patterns Laura sees in dentists who struggle the most Why dentistry attracts people-pleasers (and why that backfires) The emotional weight of irreversible procedures Why vacations fix burnout but don’t fix misalignment Alex and I love forcing Just a Couple of Dentists down your throat every week. So do us a favor—don’t just accept it… tell your friends we’ve got plenty more where that came from.

This week we check back in with Dr. Cory Ball — you might remember him as the guy who bought the practice that should’ve come with a disclaimer. Ten months later, he’s cleaned up a lot of the mess… but now he’s dealing with the thing that’s driving him the craziest right now: No-shows. Constantly. We get into what he’s trying, what’s actually helped, and the stuff that sounds good on paper but falls apart in real life...especially when half your new patients are Medicaid and you can’t charge a no-show fee even if you wanted to. We also talk about: The patient who left Cory a 1-star review… and left a strip club a 5-star review Where the line is between being flexible and getting walked on How he decides when it’s time to fire a patient Why scheduling feels like the thing that secretly runs your entire practice What his practice looks like 10 months in...the good and the bad

You’ve heard it a thousand times: “Build passive income so you can be free.” But what if that whole idea is a myth? After selling our dental practices, we chased the same dream: passive income, early retirement, financial freedom. Spoiler alert...it didn’t exactly work that way. In this episode, we sit down with Josh Cochran to unpack what real passive income actually looks like, why most of what’s pitched to dentists isn’t passive at all, and how to set honest expectations when it comes to real estate, investing, and “freedom money.” PS – Alex and I love making Just a Couple of Dentists for you. If you’re enjoying the podcast, share it with a friend. It would mean the world to us.

Ever wonder what it actually takes to open six dental offices in six months? Dr. Andrew Vallo didn’t just wonder...he did it. And in this episode, he breaks down exactly how it all went down. We talk with Andrew and Matt Brown (from Energize Marketing) about: How he used second-gen spaces to move fast and stay lean Cutting build-out costs from $600K to $150K Building a growth model around associates and how he retains them Why mindset and leadership matter way more than most people think PS – Alex and I love making Just a Couple of Dentists for you. If you’re enjoying the podcast, share it with a friend. It would mean the world to us.

Zach Shelley and Kirk Teachout are two office managers running multi-million dollar practices who actually have their systems dialed in. In this episode, we get into what those systems look like day to day: how they hire, how they hold people accountable, and how they keep the culture steady when things get messy. We also talk about why firing faster usually fixes more than it breaks, how they structure meetings so they don’t drag, and what they’ve learned about leading teams that don’t constantly need babysitting. It’s the kind of stuff most dentists think they have figured out… until they don’t. PS – Alex and I love making Just a Couple of Dentists for you. If you’re enjoying the podcast, share it with a friend. It’d mean the world to us.  

Paul Goodman didn’t set out to build the most well-known group in dentistry. He just liked nachos and connecting with fellow dentists. Fast forward 8 years....with 67,000+ members, Dental Nachos is part Facebook group, part movement, and part community dentists didn’t know they needed. In this episode, we get into: Who actually came up with the name "Dental Nachos" The origin story behind BAD, MAD, and SAD What it’s like running a Facebook group with more people than most towns Why acronyms like SBITDA and terms like “dentisting” actually stick Crying Inside: the KPI no one tracks but everyone feels The difference between owning a dental practice vs. a dental community (and which one’s more stressful) We also talk about what happens when dentists post photos of ACTUAL nachos, argue in the comments, and lose their minds over free CE.

We brought on our dental school friend Dr. Mike Dyriw, who somehow went from living in a van during orientation week to becoming a board-certified endodontist in Nashville. In this episode, we cover: Mike’s “Wax Rim Scandal” that almost got him in trouble in dental school 🦷 Why endodontists roll their eyes at “Please remove decay and assess restorability” referrals Whether they actually want you to prep the tooth first or not The truth about build-ups, temporaries, and CBCT add-ons How boring endo is (for assistants) and how Mike hires for that The weird billing codes specialists use (and how insurance ruins them all) Netflix’s “Root Cause” documentary and if patients actually believed it And if most endodontists are actually board certified 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch the full video on YouTube.

How does a dentist running a $20M business plan his year for success? We brought back Josh Cochran to walk us through the annual planning system he calls the #1 most impactful habit of his entire career—the same process he uses every year to lead a $20M dental business and real estate company with clarity and intention. Inspired by Bill Gates' “Think Week,” this 8-week framework helps him reflect, get focused, and set up the year to win. 👇 In this episode:00:00 Intro – why yearly planning fails02:38 The inspiration: Bill Gates' Think Week05:35 Josh’s background: 7 practices, 160 employees07:10 Why this takes 8 weeks (not 1 lunch meeting)08:02 The power of “Why” and accountability partners16:13 How to journal your time and rate every task19:29 The passion/strength matrix21:09 Eliminate, Automate, Delegate: what stays, what goes21:42 Why visual maps help you say no with confidence31:21 The 12 Freedoms model34:28 Building your “Ideal Week”36:07 Josh’s 8-week cohort info Josh's 8 week EPIC course starts on October 15th. Click here to sign up!https://drjoshcochran.com/mastermind/

Most of us show up to a dental CE, grab our badge, sit in a ballroom, and don’t think twice about what it actually takes to pull the thing off. But what’s it really like to run one of these events? How much do room blocks actually cost? What happens if people don’t show up? Are sponsors footing the bill… or is the organizer rolling the dice? And is it really worse than planning a wedding? In this episode, we sit down with Minal Sampat, who has been running dental CE events for years (and sells them out). She takes us behind the curtain into the numbers, the chaos, and the last-minute fires you never hear about.PS – Alex and I love making Just a Couple of Dentists for you. If you’re enjoying the podcast, share it with a friend. It’d mean the world to us.

Chris Green went from $0 to $4.6M in four years. In this episode we cover what he systemized so you can copy it, and what he tried that wasn’t worth it. You’ll learn how he…📁 set up his Google Drive so systems are easy to find and use ✅ built one-page checklists the team actually follows ⏱️ trained assistants to be “functional in 30 days” 🛡️ tightened insurance verification to cut surprises at checkout and improve collections 🤝 ran route slips and transfer-of-trust handoffs that create confidence and higher case acceptancePS – Alex and I love making Just a Couple of Dentists for you. If you’re enjoying the podcast, share it with a friend. It’d mean the world to us.

Every dentist dreads that first one-star review. The truth? It’s not the review that hurts you — it’s how (or if) you respond. In this episode with Dr. Len Tau, we break down: The do’s and don’ts of replying to reviews The difference between a HIPAA-safe response and the snarky reply you wish you could post Why taking things offline first is usually the smartest play How reviews act as signals for your future patients, not verdicts on your past ones Why bad reviews don’t break your practice — silence does PS – Alex and I love making Just a Couple of Dentists for you. If you’re enjoying the podcast, share it with a friend. It’d mean the world to us.  

Building a dental office isn’t cheap. And if you’re not careful, you’ll blow tens of thousands of dollars on stuff you don’t need. We sat down with our longtime friend and contractor Tommy Morales to talk about the real mistakes dentists make during a buildout and how to avoid them.  In this episode we get into: Why storage space always gets overlooked Pocket doors, barn doors, and flooring that actually works Where dentists waste the most money (hint: cabinetry) Architect vs. design-build and how one option can save you months What’s actually changed in reception design since COVID Planning a buildout or renovation? Listen to this first — it’ll save you money and a lot of headaches.

Last month, Spencer Greer called me out for producing like a sissy. I was averaging 3 crowns a month, underdiagnosing like crazy, and letting my cheap-ass brain run my treatment planning. So we did a live coaching session. Now, a month later, I’m back with the results: My crowns jumped from 3 to 11 in the same number of days. My monthly production went up 75%. We added about $20K more than the same month last year. All from shifting mindset, diagnosing with confidence, and saying “crown or nothing.” In this follow-up, Spencer and I break down what worked, what didn’t, and the next steps (including ortho and same-day treatment). 👉 Check out Spencer’s upcoming course at highleveldentists.com (use code ERIC or ALEX for 10% off — we’ll see who’s more popular). Here's the link as well to the first episode we did with Spencer! Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/just-a-couple-of-dentists/id1782713047?i=1000719624804 PS – Alex and I love making Just a Couple of Dentists for you. If you’re enjoying the podcast, share it with a friend. It’d mean the world to us.

Compliance is nobody’s favorite topic. But if you ignore it, it can get real expensive, real fast. We brought on Dr. Lisa Kane (dentist + founder of Dental Office Compliance of New England) to walk us through the stuff that actually matters and the traps that cost dentists money. We get into: Why every office misses things (and which ones you can’t afford to miss) Waterlines, sterilization, and the shortcuts that backfire Training your team without feeling like OSHA’s hall monitor The scammy compliance “posters” you should never pay for And yes… Eric shares the story of his “reverse needle stick” in dental school.

AI is shaking up every industry...including dentistry. But is it really the end of SEO, Google Ads, and traditional marketing? Or just another shiny object? In this episode of Just a Couple of Dentists, Eric and Alex talk with Brandon Platt, founder of 4D Digital Media, to set the record straight. Together, they cover: The truth about AI search vs. Google search Why local SEO still drives new patients Where AI can save dentists time (and where it can’t) HIPAA concerns every office needs to know How AI will really impact the business side of dentistry Thanks for writing these shownotes for us Chat GPT! PS - Alex and I love doing Just a Couple of Dentists and our only ask is that if you are at least somewhat enjoying it, please share it with a friend. It helps the podcast grow and we can share more stories with you all!  

When Alex and I first got started, the goal was simple: build a cluster of offices, dominate our area, and eventually sell the group. We ended up selling both of our locations but then we watched friends who focused on just one massive practice walk away with deals way bigger than ours. That got me wondering…should we have just built one mega practice? So I brought on our former broker, John Wlodarek, to break down what buyers and DSOs are actually looking for right now. We get into: Why a single large location is easier to sell than multiple locations How deal structures have changed since the post-COVID peak The headaches and hidden costs of multi-location ownership What’s worth upgrading before you sell (and what’s a waste of money) And now, here’s where ChatGPT would normally say: “If you’re thinking about selling your practice, this one’s for you.” PS - Alex and I love doing Just a Couple of Dentists and our only ask is that if you are at least somewhat enjoying it, please share it with a friend. It helps the podcast grow and we can share more stories with you all!

What happens when a guy with no formal coding experience builds a dental software company out of sheer necessity… and it turns into an 8-figure exit? In this episode, we sit down with our good friend Brennon, the founder of Flex Dental, to hear how he bootstrapped one of the most popular patient engagement softwares in dentistry without fundraising or marketing. We discuss... 🔹 The surprising reason he built it🔹 Why he prioritized support over developers🔹 What selling a tech company actually looks like🔹 And what he’s doing now (spoiler: it’s not golfing) PS - Alex and I love doing Just a Couple of Dentists and our only ask is that if you are at least somewhat enjoying it, please share it with a friend. It helps the podcast grow and we can share more stories with you all!

According to Spencer Greer, I produce like a sissy... So I filled out Spencer’s coaching form and we recorded a live breakdown of why my production has been so bad. We get into why my crown numbers are embarrassingly low, how being “conservative” slowly turned into underdiagnosing, and why being a natural cheap ass is messing with how I present treatment. Spencer walks through exactly how he coaches dentists to stop overthinking, build confidence in case acceptance, and start producing like someone who actually owns the place. If you’ve ever stared at a cracked molar and still pitched a big filling, you'll appreciate this episode! 👉 Check out Spencer’s site at highleveldentists.com PS – Alex and I love making Just a Couple of Dentists for you. If you’re enjoying the podcast...share it with a friend. It’d mean the world to us.

Trump’s new bill is being marketed as “big” and “beautiful,” but buried in the fine print are changes that could hit dental schools, student loans, taxes, Medicaid, and how you structure your business. Josh Cochran joined us again to break it all down...from caps on federal loans (that might break dental school tuition models) to strange new rules on overtime pay, car deductions, interest write-offs, and why rural ski towns could be the biggest opportunity zone play yet. This isn’t policy talk for the sake of it. There’s real strategy in here you can actually use.Alex and I love bringing you tons of valuable information and the only way this podcast grows is by sharing it with others. So if you found something valuable from this episode, please share it with a buddy! It means the world to us!

In this episode of Just a Couple of Dentists, we’re joined by Dr. Roshan Kalra — a dentist turned real estate investor who figured out how to turn everyday practice spending into a luxury, $25,000 trip to the Maldives… completely on points. Roshan walks us through his exact playbook, including what cards to use, how to stack bonuses, and why the Chase + Amex ecosystems are the best options for practice owners. Whether you’re brand new to points or already sitting on a stash you haven’t touched, this episode is a goldmine. You’ll learn: The “one-two punch” that turns $10K of spend into $225 of travel How to get 5 nights at the Waldorf Astoria for 800,000 Hilton points (instead of 5 million) Why paying taxes with a credit card can actually make you money The real story behind gift cards, IRS rules, and which cards dentists should never use If you're enjoying the podcast, please SUBSCRIBE on your favorite platform. We love putting out content for you...and your support means the world to us!