6 key principles for scaling your dental practice without compromise

Dentistry is, at its heart, a profession of small businesses. Whether a practice has one or more locations, is run by a single dentist or a team of partners, or offers general dental or specialty services, they share many of the same features: they’re founder-led, and these founders face many of the same challenges.

As a former multisite practice owner in the Washington, DC, area, I sold my thriving dentistry business to bootstrap my software company, Oryx Dental Software. Like many dentists on the cusp of starting their first practice or buying an existing practice, lots of questions swirled in my head. I thought it would be a huge shift to go from dentistry to software. As with any startup—dental practice or otherwise—unexpected and unpredictable things can happen.

However, there were many similarities on my two founder journeys.

With both my dental chain and Oryx, I found myself asking the same question once things really got started: How do I scale my business without compromise?

And the answer was surprisingly similar too.

I found there are six key principles to scaling a business—like a dental practice—without compromising your values, mission, and quality. These principles apply to dentists ready to make the leap to starting their own practice as well as others looking to start something new, such as a dental consulting business.

First principle: Find your North Star

The only way to grow is with the help of other people. It takes a team to grow any business, but it’s crucial that everyone has the same mission and vision. Without shared values, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to get the team’s buy-in to make the changes and decisions necessary to scale.

Whether you’re starting a new business or have an existing practice, ask yourself: why do we exist, and why do we do what we do? For many dentists, this mission will be about delivering excellent care and doing what is right for the individual patient.

Once this mission is clear, every business decision leads back to it.

Second principle: Communicate early and often

One of the biggest critiques patients have about dentists is that they’re pushy about treatments or procedures. However, for those of us in the trenches, we know that’s rarely the case. Oftentimes, this perception from patients comes down to communication. They are not receiving the information they need to feel like true partners in their oral health.

When patients push back on treatment, leave dental offices, or skip appointments, it’s impossible to scale. One of the best ways dental offices—or any small business—can grow is by communicating clearly and empowering customers to feel like part of the decision-making process.

When patients feel like they understand the issue and choices, they’re more likely to accept treatment. They’re also more likely to be happy, and happy patients lead to referrals, positive reviews, and other benefits.

The same principle goes for the dental office’s team. Communicate early and often with the whole group, whether that’s hygienists or back/front office team members.

Third principle: Hire for culture, train for capabilities

Like all industries, dentistry is constantly changing. Just a few years ago, AI had hardly touched the health-care space. Today, it’s emerging everywhere. That’s why scaling a company requires an openness to change, a desire to learn, and curiosity grounded in motivation to grow. You never know what the next day will bring, and the business will need to move quickly to keep up with market changes.

We’ve met dentists who’ve hired someone from their local Starbucks or TJ Maxx store, just based on their go-getter personality. Then, they’ve ensured that person received the necessary training and tools to excel in a dental environment.

Of course, this doesn’t necessarily work for every role, but the advice still stands. Personality goes a long way when it comes to creating an adaptive workplace and a growth mindset.

Fourth principle: Plan for success—not just failure

In my conversations with thousands of dentists, I always hear, What if the patients don’t come? But I rarely hear, What if too many come?

It’s human nature to try to mitigate downsides. Generally, people are slow to make an investment or big change. As a result, most small business owners are reactive. Yet, whether it’s a dental office startup or a new site expansion, there’s risk in underpreparing your business too. Responding to success reactively only when it becomes painful not to do so actually forces compromises.

For example, practices may wait to hire a new hygienist only after patients complain of long wait times for appointments. Or they may hold off on purchasing new scheduling software until appointments get mixed up multiple times. Regardless, not preparing your team for growth has downsides.

So, to scale without compromise, make sure you lay the groundwork for success beyond your wildest dreams—not just failure beyond your wildest fears.

Fifth principle: Don’t ask for permission

When I started Oryx, I was not the usual suspect for a software business. I hadn’t gone to school for computer science, couldn’t code, didn’t have a track record working in Silicon Valley, and didn’t take any VC investment. Nothing about that told me to “go for it!”

But I did, largely, perhaps, because I didn’t know any better. I just saw a need in my own dental practice, and so I built something for myself.

But my key takeaway, looking back with the perspective of nearly 10 years, is that you can’t wait for permission. No one will give it to you. Starting and growing a business is a massive commitment, and the only person who can make the leap is you. That’s as true on day one as on day one thousand and beyond. It’s true whether the decision is to open your doors, let someone go, invest in a new location, and much more. Trust your own instincts and your ability to figure things out. If you stay true to yourself, you will not make compromises on your journey.

Sixth principle: Sometimes slowing down means speeding up

In both life and business, things rarely happen on the exact timeline you have in mind. It can feel incredibly painful to see delays pile up and deadlines pass by. It can be tempting to make a compromise; for example, to buy a less desirable practice location instead of waiting for your dream spot. When speed seems so important, this kind of slowdown feels impossible to endure.

But if you come back to your core North Star from the first principle, you’ll realize that sometimes slowing down is speeding up. If waiting a few extra months for that perfect office location means serving the right patient market, hiring the best possible team, and providing the services you want to offer, then it is worth the wait. In other words, it’s OK if things don’t happen on time.

Scaling doesn’t have to be scary

A true leader’s mettle is not measured in the good times—it is measured when tough decisions need to be made. Owning and growing a business is a long road with many difficulties and many triumphs. There will be ups and downs, and it can certainly feel scary. That’s why having a core set of values, sticking to them, and trusting yourself is so important.

With these six principles, I’ve found that both my businesses—first in dentistry and now in software—have steadily grown and evolved without making compromises around quality.

While each moment of decision may feel uncertain or like a struggle, each one leads to a bigger, brighter picture—just how a mouth full of individual teeth all create a beautiful, confident smile. 

Editor's note: This article appeared in the November/December 2025 print edition of Dental Economics magazine. Dentists in North America are eligible for a complimentary print subscription. Sign up here.