The Making of a Dental Startup

Dental Startup Ask Me Anything: Insurance, Virtual Assistants, Staffing, and Build Regrets

Ashley and Collin work through questions from The Making Of community, then get into the build regrets Ashley would fix in her Folsom and Roseville offices.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

Learning Dental Insurance
How did Ashley learn insurance, and where can you start if you’re still figuring it out?

Virtual Assistants
Are virtual assistants worth it for a dental practice? Ashley shares what Smile & Co. considered and what she’d use them for.

Staffing a Startup and Using AI for Admin Work
Who should you hire first, and where does AI fit into the front office?

Whitening
Which in-office and at-home whitening systems does Smile & Co. use, and what else is worth a look?

Handling an Unprofessional Team Member Early On
What do you do when you can’t afford to lose someone but they’re not the right fit? Ashley talks through when to coach and when to let go.

Nitrous, Parking, and Build Budgets
Should you plumb every op for nitrous? How many parking spaces do you really need? And what do you do when the build runs over budget?

Ashley’s Build Regrets
Flooring, furniture, a missing laundry room, storage, outlets, and checkout privacy. Ashley shares what she’d do differently, and one regret about running two offices that might surprise you.

Protect Your Peace
A hard week for Ashley’s team and her reminder to anyone feeling burnt out.

What’s Next
Part two of the regrets from the community is coming. Send in your own questions and regrets for future episodes.

Where to Find Ashley
Instagram: @ashleyjovesdds, @smileandcompany, @themaking.of
Facebook Community: The Making Of a Dental Startup

Thank You to Our Partners

• Net32: The dental marketplace that helps practice owners stop overpaying for supplies. Compare and save at net32.com/themakingof.
• Studio 8E8: Dentistry’s story-driven growth agency for startups. s8e8.com/vsl
• Kasper Opportunity Finder: Fill those empty chairs and reclaim lost revenue with one click. Get it free at meetkasper.com/register.
• CallSally: AI front office support that answers your practice’s calls, including after hours. start.callsally.ai/tmo

Support the show

Find Out More

Thank you for listening to The Making Of podcast. If you enjoyed it, please share with anyone you think will gain value from the show by clicking on one of the sharing tabs above.

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Also, please consider leaving an honest review on iTunes. It helps other listeners find the show, and I would be forever grateful.

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Dr. Nate Jeal and Dr. Bao-Tran Nguyen have opened seven dental practices, and on their newest build, the only original hire still on the team after 13 months is their AI agent, Sally. In this episode, Ashley talks with them about designing The Smile Formula after six previous practices, why they make team decisions faster now, and how Sally went from answering after-hours calls to texting new leads and verifying insurance. Nate also shares a simple formula for calculating what every missed call costs a practice.

In this episode:
✅ How they found and expanded their Vancouver space
✅ The front desk and waiting room non-negotiables behind The Smile Formula
✅ Why six original hires turned over and what experience taught them about fit
✅ How to choose AI tools your team will actually use
✅ The missed call math every practice owner should run
✅ How Sally responds to Meta, website, and CRM leads instantly by text
✅ How to build and test your own AI agent in about ten minutes

A Seventh Practice and a Second Space
Nate and BT were dental school classmates in Winnipeg, where they built and bought practices before selling them during COVID and moving to Vancouver. After a few years focused on coaching and consulting, they opened The Smile Formula at the end of May 2025. Midway through permitting, the space next door became available, so they took it and went back to the drawing board on the design.

Non-Negotiables from Six Previous Practices
BT wanted a small front desk that seats one person at an elevated counter, so patients check in at eye level, inspired by the hotel check-in experience in Las Vegas. She also kept the waiting area small, because patients are seated on time. Nate built the practice around elective and cosmetic dentistry in a mostly non-insurance model, which has attracted a consistent patient avatar.

Six Hires, One Left
They opened with six team members and 13 months later, the only original employee still there is Sally. BT shares that after 15 years, they no longer give someone three chances when it isn't a fit. Their advice: expect the unexpected, and keep your sense of humor.

Choosing AI Your Team Will Use
Dentists tend to bring new tools home from a conference and hand them to the team. BT recommends picking the three or four things AI can do right now that save your team time, then letting the team tell you what they need instead of the other way around.

Building Sally
Nate started building Sally more than a year before The Smile Formula opened, applying what they teach about case acceptance and communication. She was answering calls a month and a half before opening day. She's built to be empathetic, confident, and clear on the next step, and to steer a wandering conversation back toward booking.

The Missed Call Math
To find the value of an average patient, divide your total annual revenue by the number of unique patients seen that year. Across the roughly 300 practices Sally works with, that number lands between $1,000 and $1,200, and about half of missed calls are new patients. One mid-sized DSO group dropped its missed call rate from 25% to 3% after adding Sally.

Instant Response to Every Lead
Sally now texts new leads from Meta, website forms, and the CRM the moment they come in. Since the feature launched at the end of August, Sally has booked more than 40 patients by text at The Smile Formula in August and September alone. Nate admits he used to tell his team that texting patients was unprofessional, and he was wrong.

Insurance and the Human Touch
Sally can also verify insurance, so teams can present treatment with the breakdown in hand instead of calling patients back weeks later. Even when Sally books the appointment, BT coaches every office to have a team member call and welcome the new patient to the practice.

Try Sally for Yourself
Through the new Agent Builder, any dentist can build a custom AI agent in about ten minutes by answering questions in a chat, then have it call them to test the experience. Listeners get seven days and 100 minutes to try it.

Links:
Try Sally: start.callsally.ai/tmo
Use code TMO at checkout for $339, a rate available only to The Making Of community and the lowest price anywhere.
Call Sally For More Patients.

Connect:

• Dr. Bt Nguyen - @dr.baotran 
• Dr. Nate Jeal - @drnatejeal
• CallSally - @callsally.ai

Support the show

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Thank you for listening to The Making Of podcast. If you enjoyed it, please share with anyone you think will gain value from the show by clicking on one of the sharing tabs above.

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Also, please consider leaving an honest review on iTunes. It helps other listeners find the show, and I would be forever grateful.

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What's Happening Behind the Scenes: A Life Update from Ashley and Collin

Ashley and Collin skip the business talk for a catch-up on what life has looked like behind the podcast lately, from Ashley's return to full-time dentistry to the habits both of them are using to find balance after long days at the office.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

Back at Smile & Co.
Ashley is working four days a week after 10 months away, catching up on the schedule, and feeling it in her back and neck. Why she doesn't want TMO to get her leftovers, and why she thinks so many practice owners feel the same.

A Heavy Few Months
Collin shares what the summer was like, why September felt like waiting for the next shoe to drop, and what it did to her routines. Both hosts talk about why community matters and why you should reach out even when it feels like bothering someone.

Tracking, Walking, and Being Kind to Your Body
Ashley is logging her food again after nine months off, has stepped back from the marathon so Brian can run it for himself, and is in what she calls her walking era. Collin shares what has worked for her, including lower-intensity walks and hikes.

Wind-Down Routines and Phone Boundaries
Ashley's evening routine, including a dark bathroom, candles, and Kindle quiet time with the whole family. A 15-minute daily social media timer, notifications turned off after work, and why Collin ditched her Apple Watch and took off her Oura Ring.

Working From Home vs. the Office
How Collin structures her days when she's not in the office, why she gets more deep work done at home, and why she still loves being around the team.

What's Next
Part two of the communication series is coming next week, and Ashley's Dentist Money Summit talk is releasing tomorrow.

Thank You to Our Partners

• Net32: The dental marketplace that helps practice owners stop overpaying for supplies. Compare and save at net32.com/themakingof.
• Studio 8E8: Dentistry's story-driven growth agency for startups. s8e8.com/vsl
• Kasper Opportunity Finder: Fill those empty chairs and reclaim lost revenue with one click. Get it free at meetkasper.com/register.

Support the show

Find Out More

Thank you for listening to The Making Of podcast. If you enjoyed it, please share with anyone you think will gain value from the show by clicking on one of the sharing tabs above.

SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER HERE

Also, please consider leaving an honest review on iTunes. It helps other listeners find the show, and I would be forever grateful.

Questions or comments? Feel free to contact us at - [email protected]

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook and improve your dental practice every day!

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Moving the Goalpost: Ashley's Talk at the Dentist Money Summit

Ashley shares the talk she gave at Dentist Advisors' Dentist Money Summit. The team asked for a talk on having your business under control and not moving the goalpost. She gave the opposite one, and this is it. Recorded live, so you'll hear her reference slides you can't see.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

How the Talk Almost Didn't Happen
Ryan Isaac invited Ashley to speak after they recorded a podcast together. She drafted an email telling the team to find another speaker, but Brian read it first and told her not to send it. Why she scrapped the talk she planned and gave a different one.

Becoming a Practice Owner
Ashley's path from associate and new mom to practice owner, including the year in LA when she wrote the Smile & Co. business plan during nap times, and the vacant 1970s building in Folsom she almost deleted from her inbox.

The Day She Got Fired and Went Live
The story behind the May 2017 Facebook Live announcing Smile & Co. Folsom: she was let go from her associateship the same day, sat in her car for 45 minutes, and went live anyway. The video passed 11,000 views.

Hitting the Number and Moving the Goalpost
Early practice chaos, a surprise pregnancy, a trademark dispute, and the milestone that kept moving after the first million. Ashley shares what therapy in 2020 helped her see about what she was really chasing, and why she built a second office when the first was already doing well.

Why Moving the Goalpost Isn't Always Bad
Ashley's case that moving the goalpost is a sign of growth, and that a goal doesn't have to be a revenue number. Hers last year was a three-minute interval on a treadmill.

What Do You Want?
The question she left the room with, plus a perspective-shifting story about her youngest son's hospital stay in 2021 and why she believes that if a problem can be solved with an action, you don't have a problem.

A Note from Ashley
In her new intro, Ashley reflects on how re-listening to this talk hit differently after Brian's cancer journey over the past year.

Learn More About Dentist Advisors
Thank you to the Dentist Advisors team for hosting the summit and letting us share this talk. If you're looking for help with financial planning or investing as a dentist, visit Dentist Advisors or listen to their podcast, The Dentist Money Show.

Thank You to Our Partners

• Net32: The dental marketplace that helps practice owners stop overpaying for supplies. Compare and save at net32.com/themakingof.
• Studio 8E8: Dentistry's story-driven growth agency for startups. s8e8.com/vsl
• Kasper Opportunity Finder: Fill those empty chairs and reclaim lost revenue with one click. Get it free at meetkasper.com/register.

Support the show

Find Out More

Thank you for listening to The Making Of podcast. If you enjoyed it, please share with anyone you think will gain value from the show by clicking on one of the sharing tabs above.

SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER HERE

Also, please consider leaving an honest review on iTunes. It helps other listeners find the show, and I would be forever grateful.

Questions or comments? Feel free to contact us at - [email protected]

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook and improve your dental practice every day!

Have you subscribed? Don't miss a single episode!

The Making Of Smile & Co. — The Art of the Yes: Communication, Selling, and Reading the Room

Ashley and Collin catch up after a busy stretch away from recording, starting with Smile & Co.'s first full team meeting in a long time. What follows is a deep dive into the communication framework Ashley built and taught to the whole team, why "selling" isn't a dirty word in dentistry, and how to read a patient before you ever sit them in the chair.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

A Four and a Half Hour Team Meeting
Ashley walks through her first solo-run team meeting, a 72-slide presentation built for 17 team members, including many new hires who didn't know Smile & Co.'s backstory. Why she used the time away from the practice during Brian's health scare to reconnect with the "why" behind the business.

Smile & Co.'s New Core Values: CHIC
Ashley breaks down the simplified core values she landed on with help from AI and a review of years of podcast transcripts and Google reviews, Create unreasonable hospitality, Honor, Inspire growth, and Cultivate a thriving team and community.

Why Selling Isn't a Dirty Word
Ashley's exercise asking the team who believes selling is bad, and who wants to earn more money, and the discrepancy it revealed. Her reframe: selling in dentistry is an exchange of conviction, not a hard pitch.

The 80/20 Rule in Practice
Why 20% of patients drive 80% of production, Ashley's "Chanel of dentistry" mindset for knowing your worth, and her permission to the team to dismiss patients who drain more energy than they're worth.

Mirroring and the Four Patient Types
How Ashley reads a patient's energy and adjusts her own, the difference between how people want to be treated versus how they want to be sold to, and a breakdown of the four patient types Smile & Co. trains around: the warm talkative patient, the analytical quiet patient, the fast moving professional, and the nervous deferential patient.

Why the Nervous Patient Matters Most
Ashley shares how winning over anxious, previously underserved patients built Smile & Co.'s Folsom location with zero paid marketing, and why that patient type often becomes a practice's biggest referral source.

What's Coming Next
This conversation is the first in a multi-part series, with more to come on the buying equation and Ashley's Smile Framework. Ashley is also compiling a community-sourced list of startup regrets for a future episode.

Catch Ashley Live
Ashley is speaking at the Wellness Dental Forum, hosted by Dr. Katie To, on October 17th and 18th.

Thank You to Our Partners

• Net32: The dental marketplace that helps practice owners stop overpaying for supplies. Compare and save at net32.com/themakingof.
• Studio 8E8 — Dentistry's story-driven growth agency for startups. s8e8.com/vsl
• Kasper Opportunity Finder: Fill those empty chairs and reclaim lost revenue with one click. Get it free at meetkasper.com/register.

Support the show

Find Out More

Thank you for listening to The Making Of podcast. If you enjoyed it, please share with anyone you think will gain value from the show by clicking on one of the sharing tabs above.

SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER HERE

Also, please consider leaving an honest review on iTunes. It helps other listeners find the show, and I would be forever grateful.

Questions or comments? Feel free to contact us at - [email protected]

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook and improve your dental practice every day!

Have you subscribed? Don't miss a single episode!

The Making Of North Star Implants & Periodontics with Dr. Paula Cohen Schlemmer

Dr. Paula Cohen, a periodontist opening North Star Implants and Periodontics just outside Dallas, joins Ashley to talk about the winding road from dental school to specialty practice, and the first steps of building her own office from scratch.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

From General Dentist to Periodontist
Paula's path through a general residency in San Antonio, several years of associate and corporate work during COVID, and the moment she realized specialty practice was the right fit. Why she believes doctors who practice first make stronger residents, and the mentor who first showed her what periodontics could look like.

A Research Win Worth Bragging About
Paula shares her Balint Orban Award-winning research on wound healing in older patients, using single cell RNA sequencing to understand why bone quality lags in patients over 65, and what that could eventually mean for patient care.

Finding the Right Space
Why acquisition and associate opportunities didn't line up with Paula's timeline once she moved back to Texas, and how a broker's demographic report led her to a space three minutes from her own house, with strong growth numbers and specialist-friendly neighbors already in place.

Working With a Broker
How Paula's broker was paid, what he caught in her lease and LOI before it reached her lawyer, and how he negotiated her tenant improvement allowance up and her rent down.

Naming North Star Implants and Periodontics
The story behind the name, a joke from her husband that stuck, and the surprise she found on Instagram after committing to it, another nearby startup with a nearly identical name.

Building for Growth From Day One
Why Paula built out seven operatories and plumbed for two full-time doctors and two hygienists from the start, even though she's opening solo, and her five-year goal to bring on an associate or partner.

Referral Marketing as a Specialist
Paula's approach to building relationships with 40-plus general dentist offices in her area, including office visits with local snacks, a referral folder outlining her communication process, and why she's prioritizing lunch and learns with her marketing budget.

Hiring and Opening Timeline
How Paula found her surgical assistant and patient care coordinator, her plan to stay flexible with scheduling in the early days, and her target opening date in early October.

Asking the Community
Paula's open questions for TMO listeners: how far in advance to bring on staff before opening, and reception chair recommendations that hold up to real patient traffic.

Where to Find Paula  @thecraftydentist 

North Star Implants and Periodontics @northstarperio and www.northstarperio.com

Connect with Ashley: Instagram: @ashleyjovesdds

Thank You to Our Partners

• Net32: The dental marketplace that helps practice owners stop overpaying for supplies. Compare and save at net32.com/themakingof.
• Studio 8E8 — Dentistry's story-driven growth agency for startups. s8e8.com/vsl
• Kasper Opportunity Finder: Fill those empty chairs and reclaim lost revenue with one click. Get it free at meetkasper.com/register.

Support the show

Find Out More

Thank you for listening to The Making Of podcast. If you enjoyed it, please share with anyone you think will gain value from the show by clicking on one of the sharing tabs above.

SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER HERE

Also, please consider leaving an honest review on iTunes. It helps other listeners find the show, and I would be forever grateful.

Questions or comments? Feel free to contact us at - [email protected]

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook and improve your dental practice every day!

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Ashley shares a personal update recorded on a quiet Sunday evening, no clinical talk, just life.

What's In This Episode:

Brian finished radiation and is back at work. His follow-up PET scan came back with a possible cancer recurrence scare that lasted over a week of waiting. Ashley shares the toll that wait took on her, a girls' weekend in Napa, a hard conversation with Brian mid-run, and the relief when his results came back normal.

She talks openly about anxiety, faith, and leaning on community during hard seasons, whether it's health, business, or life in general.

If you're in a season of waiting right now, this one's for you.

Thank You to Our Partners

• Net32: The dental marketplace that helps practice owners stop overpaying for supplies. Compare and save at net32.com/themakingof.
• Studio 8E8 — Dentistry's story-driven growth agency for startups. s8e8.com/vsl
• Kasper Opportunity Finder: Fill those empty chairs and reclaim lost revenue with one click. Get it free at meetkasper.com/register.

Support the show

Find Out More

Thank you for listening to The Making Of podcast. If you enjoyed it, please share with anyone you think will gain value from the show by clicking on one of the sharing tabs above.

SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER HERE

Also, please consider leaving an honest review on iTunes. It helps other listeners find the show, and I would be forever grateful.

Questions or comments? Feel free to contact us at - [email protected]

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook and improve your dental practice every day!

Have you subscribed? Don't miss a single episode!

Back Where It Started: Ashley Reunites with Michael Arias of The Dental Marketer

Before Smile & Co. existed, before The Making Of existed, there was Michael Arias. He was the first person to ever interview Ashley about her plans to open a dental practice, recorded when Folsom was still just an idea and a construction timeline. That conversation, and Ashley's decision to keep documenting the build in public, is what became The Making Of.

Ashley sits back down with Michael on his show, The Dental Marketer, to catch up properly for the first time in a while. The question driving this one: what happens when the practice you built is forced to stand without you? What starts as a catch-up between two old friends turns into personal conversations, covering the decade since that first interview, the second practice, a family health scare that changed everything, and what she's chasing now that "more" isn't the goal anymore.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

Where It All Started
Ashley and Michael revisit their first interview together, recorded before Smile & Co.'s Folsom location opened, and how documenting that build in real time became the foundation for The Making Of and its Facebook community. Ashley admits she was so nervous before that first recording, she had to run to the bathroom ten times.

What 2017 Ashley Wanted vs. What 2026 Ashley Wants
A look at how Ashley's priorities have shifted since opening her first practice, from chasing independence and building a brand to redefining what growth actually means to her now.

Brian's Health Scare
Ashley shares the story of discovering a lesion during a routine check on her husband Brian, the biopsy that initially came back benign, her decision to push for a second opinion, and the diagnosis and treatment that followed. She speaks candidly about the importance of oral cancer screenings, for patients and for the people closest to us.

Building Smile & Co. #2
Why Ashley opened the Roseville location in 2023, how its first year outperformed Folsom's numbers on a fraction of the patient base, and the backup plan Ashley had in place if she'd needed to step back entirely.

When Growth Stops Being the Goal
How Smile & Co.'s systems and team held steady when Ashley had to step back from day to day practice, what that transition revealed about the difference between being a boss and being a friend to her team, and why she now measures success by how little the practices need her.

What Actually Builds Loyalty
Ashley's take on why hiring for core values matters more than any technology or design investment, and the low cost habits that have created more patient loyalty than anything else at Smile & Co.

Redefining Success
Ashley reflects on what success has and hasn't fixed, why "more" stopped being the goal, and what she's chasing instead: practices that run without her, more white space, and a life where the people who matter most still want to be around her.

Where to Find Ashley
Instagram: @ashleyjovesdds, [@smileandcompany], [@themaking.of]
Facebook Community: The Making Of a Dental Startup

Where to Find Michael
Instagram: @thedentalmarketer
Podcast: The Dental Marketer

Support the show

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Thank you for listening to The Making Of podcast. If you enjoyed it, please share with anyone you think will gain value from the show by clicking on one of the sharing tabs above.

SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER HERE

Also, please consider leaving an honest review on iTunes. It helps other listeners find the show, and I would be forever grateful.

Questions or comments? Feel free to contact us at - [email protected]

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The Making Of Smile & Co. #2 — Episode SEVEN: Supply Ordering, Storage, and Building the Buzz

Dr. Ashley Joves and co-host Collin Al-Samarrie sit down in person to break down how supply ordering, storage, and pre-opening marketing looked different the second time around, from Folsom's early over-ordering mistakes to the systems built into Roseville from day one.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

Folsom vs. Roseville: Ordering Then and Now
Why Ashley's first round of ordering in Folsom followed a rep's list rather than her own procedures, including oral surgery kits she rarely used. How writing down every procedure and every item involved, down to the smallest supply, shaped ordering for Roseville from the start.

Upgrading the Basics
The jump from Ya Bang Bang high speeds and single-use burs in Folsom to engraved Brasseler bur blocks in Roseville. Why joining the Kois and Synergy buying groups changed the hygiene instrument game, and the switch from PDT scalers to HuFriedy.

Centralized Storage vs. Scattered Cabinets
Why Folsom ended up with a she-shed for overflow and supplies spread across multiple cabinets, and how Roseville's single centralized supply closet with open shelving and a painter's tape system changed the game. Why open shelving beats hidden cabinets for avoiding expired product.

Basecamp vs. the Tag System
Ashley and Collin compare two ways to track low supplies, a shared Basecamp task list versus a physical tag system. Collin breaks down why Basecamp won out for her, one centralized login, visibility across both locations, and no more chasing down missing tags.

The Supply Budget Formula
Ashley breaks down the spreadsheet method from her Net32 blog: keeping lab supplies around 3 to 4% of collections, working backwards from the previous month's numbers, and why that number holds the whole team accountable, not just the back office. Read the full breakdown on Net32.

Why Buy-More Deals Aren't Always a Deal
The real cost of buy three get two promotions when product sits and expires before it's used. Why Septocaine is the exception and how excess PPE from re-gloving mid-procedure quietly eats into supply costs.

Handing Off the Ordering
Ashley's approach to finding the right person for supply ordering, documenting the system first, and setting spending checks so the role doesn't fall back on the owner. The maintenance rule for small fixes versus owner approval, and why Sirona chairs are a hard no for DIY.

Building the Buzz Before Opening
Coming soon signage, neon A-frames, and weekly social media updates during construction. Joining the Roseville chamber, a ribbon cutting, a farmers market appearance, and partnering with a neighboring wedding venue's bridal fair for lead generation.

What's Coming Next
A first look at the SOP binder Ashley has been building, currently 77 pages and still growing, covering both Folsom and Roseville with front office documentation still to come.

Thank You to Our Partners

• Net32: The dental marketplace that helps practice owners stop overpaying for supplies. Compare and save at net32.com/themakingof.
• Studio 8E8 — Dentistry's story-driven growth agency for startups. s8e8.com/vsl
• Kasper Opportunity Finder: Fill those empty chairs and reclaim lost revenue with one click. Get it free at meetkasper.com/register.

Support the show

Find Out More

Thank you for listening to The Making Of podcast. If you enjoyed it, please share with anyone you think will gain value from the show by clicking on one of the sharing tabs above.

SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER HERE

Also, please consider leaving an honest review on iTunes. It helps other listeners find the show, and I would be forever grateful.

Questions or comments? Feel free to contact us at - [email protected]

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook and improve your dental practice every day!

Have you subscribed? Don't miss a single episode!

The Making Of Evelina Smiles - SEVEN

One Month In: What Actually Happens When the Doors Open
 Ashley catches up with Dr. Rich Constantine for his first update since Evelina Smiles saw its first patient. Real numbers from opening week, the 90-minute new patient experience, a few good MacGyver moments, and the one thing Rich would do differently with his loan allowance.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

Opening Week, By the Numbers
First patient seen July 22nd. One patient on day one, five or six by day two. Now averaging four to eight patients a day with a team of four. Why it feels busy even when the schedule isn't full yet.

The 90-Minute New Patient Visit
CBCT scan, full X-rays, and an iTero Lumina scan before Rich ever walks in the room. Why hygiene leads the visit. How Rich drops chart notes for the team mid-scan so patients hear about treatment needs before he enters. Why extraoral photos are reserved for aesthetic and ortho cases only.

Scanners, Software, and Workflow Choices
The jump from older iTero models to the Lumina. Primescan for in-house restorative work, Williams Dental Lab for smile makeover cases. Why Rich chose B Smile over Invisalign for ortho and what that collaboration with an orthodontist looks like.

Growing Pains of a New Space
T-Mobile as an internet bridge while waiting on AT&T fiber. Occasional glitches with cloud-based imaging software. Why Rich says most of it comes down to a new team learning a new space together, not broken equipment.

Marketing Held Back on Purpose
Why Rich waited roughly three weeks before turning on Google ad spend. Getting in-network with insurance companies first. The one regret: not allocating more of his loan toward marketing from day one, and why he says the ROI is there if you track it.

Building the Team Around Full-Time, Not Part-Time
Four-day work weeks, Mondays and Wednesdays 8 to 4, Tuesdays and Thursdays 9 to 5. Why Rich built around full-time staff instead of splitting people across multiple offices. Wednesday 2 to 4 team training, and why he's committed to keeping it even as the schedule fills.

Supply Runs and a Few MacGyver Moments
Running out of glycerin mid-delivery. Building a curing light tack tip out of electrical tape and a rubber dam hole punch. Why Rich still checks Amazon to dodge the dental tax, and how ordering runs through Benco for now.

Branded Merch, Round Two
Banded T-shirts from Rich's first startup, and why he skipped the toothbrush-and-toothpaste goodie bag this time around. Getting particular about Pantone matching, print quality, and fit before handing anything out. The B2B idea Rich heard on a podcast: marketing in-office membership plans directly to local businesses as an alternative to traditional dental insurance.

What's Next
A fall grand opening on the horizon, plus upcoming content days with Studio 8E8 and a second outside creator.

Connect with Ashley: Instagram: @ashleyjovesdds
Connect with Rich: Instagram @dr.c_smiles or [email protected]

Thank You to Our Partners

• Net32: The dental marketplace that helps practice owners stop overpaying for supplies. Compare and save at net32.com/themakingof.
• Studio 8E8 — Dentistry's story-driven growth agency for startups. s8e8.com/vsl
• Kasper Opportunity Finder: Fill those empty chairs and reclaim lost revenue with one click. Get it free at meetkasper.com/register.

Support the show

Find Out More

Thank you for listening to The Making Of podcast. If you enjoyed it, please share with anyone you think will gain value from the show by clicking on one of the sharing tabs above.

SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER HERE

Also, please consider leaving an honest review on iTunes. It helps other listeners find the show, and I would be forever grateful.

Questions or comments? Feel free to contact us at - [email protected]

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook and improve your dental practice every day!

Have you subscribed? Don't miss a single episode!