News and Blog

Spiro Leunes, CPA, MS Succession planning is different today than a generation ago.  For practice owners in the latter stages of their careers, understanding those shifts and planning accordingly can make a significant difference in who they sell to and the final outcome. Traditional Practice Succession Has Evolved Traditional practice succession had a familiar path.  The physician or dentist built a practice, brought on an associate, and the associate bought the practice.  I

I will say this clearly because practice owners need the truth, not theory. Dental practice fraud is not 100 percent preventable. What is preventable is the size of the loss and the length of time it goes undetected. Fraud can go on for many years without the dentist noticing and can amount to several hundred thousand dollars before it is caught. Understanding the Nature of Dental Fraud That is the core issue in almost every dental embezzlement case. It is rarely one giant e

Dental practices are feeling compression.  In 2026, the successful practices will be the ones that work smarter not harder as busyness doesn’t always equate to higher profitability. The key is for practices to limit preventable profit leaks with the same number of patients and the same number of days. Trend 1: Insurance payments are quietly decreasing your collections through virtual credit card fees. Some insurance plans pay you with a virtual credit card.  It is run like a

If you're a dental or medical practice owner, 2026 is bringing changes you can't ignore: restored bonus depreciation, new 401(k) rules, and tighter meal deductions. Combined with reimbursement pressure and rising overhead, this year demands smarter tax planning—not just year-end scrambling. Today I'm going to break down what's actually new for 2026 dental practice tax planning and medical practice tax strategy, what you should be doing right now, what you absolutely need to s

Scaling a Dental Practice: Your Guide to Multi-Office Success ================================================================ Scaling a dental practice from one location to multiple offices is one of the fastest ways to increase profit, build enterprise value, and reduce owner dependency. However, a multi-office dental business is not simply a larger practice. It requires standardized systems, consistent clinical protocols, a leadership bench, and centralized operations. Thi

The Calm Way to Drop Unprofitable PPO Plans The backbone of a great dental practice is a full hygiene schedule and getting paid at a fee for service rate.  I’ve spoken with many dentists who accept bad paying PPOs.  These dentists do prophies themselves because a hygienist costs $70 per hour but the PPO only pays $50.  The dentist is now chained to an unending prophy hamster wheel, the consequences of which are: ·         The opportunity cost of not making the best use of the

You’ve heard it countless times: hygiene drives the practice. If your hygiene schedule isn’t full, your practice is leaking revenue—even if the doctor’s schedule is full. A full hygiene schedule stabilizes cash flow, fills the doctor’s schedule, identifies potential cases, supports case acceptance, and protects the practice’s value. A consistent hygiene schedule also fosters patient relationships and builds trust with patients. Understanding Hygiene Capacity To determine your

Dental Associate Compensation Models Dental associate compensation models must be optimally designed for the practice type (private practice versus DSO) and to properly incentivize the dental associate, Dental associate compensation falls into one of these models: Percentage of Collections The associate is paid a percentage of what is collected, not produced. The typical range is 30 – 35% of collection This arrangement is seen in private practice. Owners like it because the

The dental profession is accelerating toward another major consolidation cycle, and far more dentists are selling to private equity–backed DSOs than forming their own organizations. But before any dentist considers selling, scaling, or staying independent, there is one universal truth for 2026: The dental profession is accelerating toward another major consolidation cycle, and far more dentists are selling to private equity–backed DSOs than forming their own organizations. Bu

If you are forming a Dental Support Organization or scaling into a multi-location dental group, the Management Services Agreement (MSA) is one of the most important documents you will ever sign. A properly structured MSA protects your clinical independence, reduces your tax burden, strengthens DSO EBITDA, and increases your long-term valuation. Keep the Clinical Side Completely Separate Corporate Practice of Dentistry (CPOD) laws require a clean separation between clinical a

Managing the financial side of a dental or medical practice can be overwhelming. Between patient care, staff management, and regulatory compliance, the last thing you want is to struggle with complex accounting and tax issues. That’s where specialized dental accounting solutions come in. These services are designed to help practices like yours optimize finances, reduce tax liabilities, and improve overall business performance. In this post, I’ll walk you through how dental ac

Introduction If you’re a dentist running a practice in 2025, you’re probably feeling the squeeze. Shrinking reimbursements, staffing shortages, rising costs, and patients pulling back on elective care are making it harder to keep margins healthy. Add in the growing influence of DSOs and the costs of adopting new technology, and it’s clear: this is a defining year for the business side of dentistry. At MRL Advisory Group, we work with dentists every day who face these exact ch

In working with many dentists, I notice that many of their problems often comes down to not doing the basics. Here are just a few VERY...

Private equity activity in dentistry is booming again in 2025 — are you ready to capitalize on it? Dental Service Organizations (DSOs)...

The dental profession is undergoing one of its most significant shifts in decades. Where solo practices once dominated the landscape,...

The first quarter of 2025 offered a revealing snapshot into the evolving dental landscape in the United States. General practices, DSOs...

The Pros and Cons of A Subscription-Based Model for Dental Practices and DSOs As the dental industry evolves, many practices and Dental...

S-Corporation vs. LLC: Which Structure is Best for Your Dental Practice? When starting or restructuring your dental practice, one of the...

Building a DSO: A Guide for Young Dentists Expanding a dental practice into a Dental Service Organization (DSO) is an exciting...

How Much Should Associate Dentists Be Paid? General Dentists vs. Specialists Determining the appropriate compensation for associate...

Top Dental Trends to Watch in 2025 As the dental industry evolves, staying ahead of emerging trends can be the difference between...

Whether you’re buying your first dental practice or selling a well-established one, the process can be both exciting and overwhelming....

The success of a dental practice depends on delivering high-quality patient care and managing operational and financial metrics...

Revolutionizing Dentistry: How AI Is Transforming Modern Dental Practices Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the dental...

The most effective dental practice consultants do more than just offer advice—they dive into the details, develop actionable strategies,...

When it comes to buying or selling a dental practice, the appraisal process is the foundation of a fair and successful transaction. A...

Launching a startup dental practice is an ambitious yet rewarding endeavor. With startup costs often ranging from $700,000 to over $1...

In recent years, private equity (PE) investment in dental practices has surged, largely driven by the growth of Dental Support...

In the competitive world of dentistry, success is not just about providing excellent clinical care—it’s about building a thriving,...

Starting your own dental practice is an exciting venture, but the first critical decision you’ll face is whether to buy an existing...