Part 2 of my Living Your Best Life series, I’m talking about one of the most important pieces of creating a practice — and a life — you actually enjoy: building the right team. You cannot do this alone, and in today’s workforce, the way we hire, retain, motivate, and communicate with people has to evolve.

I break down the EOS concept of getting the right person in the right seat, including why I hire around core values before experience and how I evaluate whether someone truly gets the job, wants the job, and has the capacity to do it. I also walk through a practical process for identifying your practice’s core values and using them to make hiring and firing decisions with far more clarity.

But hiring is only half the equation. Once great people are on your team, you have to understand how each individual wants to be appreciated. I explain why one-size-fits-all rewards don’t work, why knowing your team’s love languages can completely change communication and retention, and why consistent recognition in the way they value it can mean more than an expensive holiday party.

💬Quotes

“The right person is a core value fit. The right seat is that they get it, they want it, and they have the capacity.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger

“Every day someone does something well, speak their love language. That will go much further than anything else you can imagine.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger

🎯 Key Takeaways

• Intro: Why your dream practice requires the right team (00:31)
• Why today’s workforce is different from the teams of 20–30 years ago (01:05)
• Why experience alone is a poor predictor of a great hire (04:36)
• EOS: Getting the right person in the right seat (05:23)
• How to identify your practice’s core values (06:42)
• Hiring and firing based on core values (07:52)
• How to interview for culture fit using open-ended questions (08:13)
• “Gets it, wants it, has the capacity” explained (13:12)
• Why one-size-fits-all employee appreciation doesn’t work (15:49)
• Using love languages to motivate and retain your team (16:16)
• Why your holiday party may matter more to you than your employees (17:54)
• How I structure job postings and narrow hundreds of applicants (20:00)
• Why you should hire slowly and fire quickly — while documenting properly (21:53)
• Practice before performance: building a championship-level team (23:37)
• Preview of Part 3: Improving your sales funnel and case acceptance (24:59)

🟦 Additional Resources

If you want a practice that gives you more freedom, less stress, and better results, you have to build a team that shares your values — and then lead them in a way that actually resonates with them.

Start by defining your core values with your team. Use them when you hire. Use them when you evaluate performance. And once the right people are in the right seats, learn what makes each of them feel appreciated. Great culture doesn’t happen because you throw a party once a year. It happens in the small interactions you create every single day.

And stay tuned for Part 3 of Living Your Best Life, where I’ll break down the sales funnel, case acceptance, and what you can do to make your practice more effective — and more profitable.

👉 Airway Meeting: 

https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026 

👉 For more information about Orthopreneurs, visit: 

https://orthopreneurs.com/

👉 Become an OrthoPreneur and join the free Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/

If you don’t have a structured retainer program, you could be leaving significant money on the table while missing an opportunity to make long-term retention easier for the people you treat.

In this Five Minute Friday, I’m talking about something every orthodontic practice should have: a retainer program. Clear retainers don’t last forever, and whether they last six months or five years, your patients are eventually going to need replacements. The question is whether you’ve built a system that makes getting those replacements simple, predictable, and beneficial for everyone involved.

💬Quotes

“If you don't have a retainer program for your patients, number one, you're letting yourself down. You're leaving money on the table because there's a lot of money to be made there. And best of all, you're helping your patients.” 

— Dr. Glenn Krieger

“You need to have a retainer program for your patients, and if you don't have one, I need to know why.” 

— Dr. Glenn Krieger

🎯 Key Takeaways

• Intro: Why every orthodontic practice needs a retainer program (00:00)
• Creating a program that serves patients AND generates revenue (00:39)
• Why patients will inevitably need replacement retainers (01:10)
• The different retainer program models I’ve tried over the years (01:39)
• How retainer programs can create meaningful additional revenue (02:00)
• Where to start if you don't currently have a program (02:47)
• How Orthopreneurs RD practices share strategies like these (02:55)
• The surprisingly large financial opportunity behind retainers (03:08)
• Final takeaway: If you don't have a retainer program, get one (03:27)

🟦 Additional Resources

I’ve seen firsthand how something as simple as a well-designed retainer program can simultaneously improve the patient experience and create meaningful additional revenue for an orthodontic practice.

If you don’t currently have one, start doing your homework. Look at the different programs available, ask other orthodontists what’s working for them, and find a model that makes sense for your practice and your patients. And if you want to have deeper conversations about strategies like this with other practice owners, reach out to me about Orthopreneurs RD. Geographic exclusivity means not everyone can join, but you won’t know until you apply.

Whatever model you choose, the important thing is simple: have a retainer program.

👉 Airway Meeting: https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026 

👉 For more information about Orthopreneurs, visit: https://orthopreneurs.com/

👉 Become an OrthoPreneur and join the free Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/

In this first installment of my Live Your Best Life series, I break down the mindset shift that helped me approach business, stress, money, and time differently after more than three decades in practice. I’ll show you how to stop operating in constant “whack-a-mole” mode, define exactly where you want your practice and life to be five years from now, and work backward into measurable goals and priorities.

The goal isn’t simply to produce more. It’s to build a practice that gives you more control, more time off, lower stress, and a life that actually feels successful. We’ll talk about creating your “rocks,” separating signal from noise, and using the Eisenhower framework to decide what deserves your attention—and what should be delegated or deleted.

💬Quotes

“If things are not the way you want them in your life, there’s one person who it falls on—and it’s you.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger

“You’re going to have your dream life or you’re not going to have your dream life.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger

🎯 Key Takeaways

• Intro: The Live Your Best Life series (00:32)
• The three pillars: mindset, hiring, and case acceptance (01:00)
• Why waiting until you make money to invest in growth makes no sense (03:21)
• Are you running a calm practice—or constantly playing whack-a-mole? (03:53)
• Why taking ownership is the first step toward changing your practice (04:51)
• Stop reacting: why you need a plan before life makes one for you (05:54)
• The Alice in Wonderland lesson: if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there (07:16)
• Signal vs. noise: protecting your time for what matters most (08:20)
• Build your five-year vision and work backward (09:33)
• How to identify your rocks and attack the biggest priorities first (10:15)
• Success isn’t just production—it’s happiness, time, health, and lower stress (11:45)
• The Eisenhower Box: urgent vs. important tasks (12:22)
• Your homework: write down your rocks and start executing (12:42)

🟦 Additional Resources

I’ve seen firsthand how much easier practice ownership becomes when you stop reacting to everything around you and start operating from a clear plan.

Your homework is simple: define where you want to be five years from now, identify the rocks that will get you there, write them down somewhere you’ll see them every day, and start protecting your time from everything that doesn’t matter.

If this episode helped you, DM me on Facebook or text me and tell me what your rock is. I want to know what you’re working toward. And stay tuned for Part 2, where I’ll break down how to build and retain the team you need to actually execute that vision.

- Airway Meeting:
https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026 

- For more information, visit:
https://orthopreneurs.com/

- Join our FREE Facebook group here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/

In this Five Minute Friday, I’m having a little fun with the frustrations almost every orthodontist knows too well. From referring dentists taking on cases they probably shouldn’t, to patients armed with questionable Google advice, to parents insisting their child wears elastics when the evidence says otherwise, I’m counting down a few of the things that make practicing orthodontics uniquely entertaining — and occasionally maddening.

This isn’t a deep clinical lecture or a practice-management masterclass. It’s a reminder that sometimes the best thing we can do is laugh at the situations we all experience. I share a few stories from my own career, including one unforgettable headgear compliance story, and talk about why boundaries, patient cooperation, and realistic expectations matter. If you’ve ever stared at a patient and thought, “There is absolutely no way you’re wearing those elastics,” this episode is for you.

💬Quotes

“If someone needs a mirror to put headgear in or to put rubber bands in, you know they’re not wearing them.”

— Dr. Glenn Krieger 

“You don’t refer nearly enough patients to me for me to help you through this anymore.”

— Dr. Glenn Krieger 

🎯 Key Takeaways

• Intro: The things that drive orthodontists crazy (00:36)
• Referring dentists treating cases beyond their limits (01:04)
• Knowing when to stop bailing someone out (01:48)
• When patients bring Google advice into the operatory (02:37)
• A surprising adult maxillary protraction case (03:18)
• Parents who only want after-school appointments (04:59)
• The biggest frustration: kids who don’t wear elastics or aligners (05:53)
• The legendary headgear compliance story (06:30)
• Honorable mentions: plaque and patients who “don’t look” at their smiles (07:44)

🟦 Additional Resources

I’ve seen firsthand how much easier orthodontics feels when you realize you’re not the only one dealing with these frustrations.

So now I want to hear yours. What patient habit, parent interaction, referral situation, or everyday orthodontic annoyance drives you absolutely crazy? Share it in the Orthopreneurs community and let’s compare notes. Sometimes the best medicine is realizing we’re all dealing with the same stuff — and being able to laugh about it together.

👉 Airway Meeting: https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026 

👉 For more information about Orthopreneurs, visit: https://orthopreneurs.com/

👉 Become an OrthoPreneur and join the free Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/

In this episode of The Orthopreneurs Podcast, I sit down with Dave Ternan, co-founder and CEO of Orthofy, to look beyond opinions and dig into the actual numbers shaping orthodontics today. With data spanning nearly 1,400 locations and roughly $10 billion in production, we talk about what’s really happening with starts, case fees, patient affordability, adult demand, and the changing demographics of the orthodontic market.

The numbers tell an important story. Starts have been largely flat over the longer term, adult demand has softened, and the core 11–16-year-old patient population is shrinking. That doesn’t mean orthodontics is doomed — far from it. But it does mean the old model of simply opening your doors and expecting year-over-year growth may no longer be enough. Dave and I discuss why differentiation, better systems, smarter pricing, and a tightly managed new-patient funnel are becoming essential for practices that want to grow.

💬Quotes

“This fourth or fifth year in a row of down or flat could be the new norm, folks, if you're an average practice… what got you here won’t get you there.” 

— Dr. Glenn Krieger

“I think the most important thing for a leader is to have the right people in the right seats at the right time.” 

— Dave Ternan

🎯 Key Takeaways

• Intro: Why data matters more than opinions right now (00:01)
• Orthofy’s footprint: 1,400 locations and nearly $10B in production data (05:40)
• Average case fees are rising — but still trailing inflation (07:27)
• Why affordability matters more than shortening payment plans (10:09)
• The historical trend: starts from 2019 through 2026 (13:24)
• Why 2026 demand has begun to soften (18:22)
• Adult starts as a signal of consumer confidence (21:17)
• The shrinking 11–16-year-old patient population (22:28)
• Why the old orthodontic practice model may no longer be enough (23:24)
• Differentiate your practice before the market forces you to (24:20)
• Why every orthodontist needs to understand their sales funnel (27:02)
• How to reduce leakage from new patient exam to start (28:36)
• AI’s next phase: moving from isolated tools to intelligent systems (35:16)
• Using AI to predict patient behavior and personalize at scale (39:18)
• Why patient affordability is becoming increasingly important (44:37)
• The leadership lesson: right people, right seats, right time (46:53)

🟦 Additional Resources

If your practice has been flat or down, don’t beat yourself up. The data shows you’re not alone. But once you know the environment has changed, doing nothing is a choice. Look at your differentiation. Study your new-patient funnel. Make treatment affordable without destroying your economics. Build better systems. Put the right people in the right seats. And start using the technology and data available to you.

If you’d like to learn how Orthofy could help your practice improve starts, collections, patient affordability, and revenue-cycle management, visit:

🌐 Orthofi.com 

And have them assess your historical performance and opportunities for growth

👉 Airway Meeting:
https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026 

👉 For more information about Orthopreneurs, visit:
https://orthopreneurs.com/

👉 Become an OrthoPreneur and join the free Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/

What if I told you the biggest thing holding your orthodontic practice back isn’t your team, your market, or your overhead—it’s you waiting until you feel “ready”?

In this episode of Five Minute Friday, I’m challenging one of the most common patterns I see in orthodontists: delaying the very tools, technology, mentorship, and support that could make practice easier, more profitable, and less stressful. Whether it’s remote monitoring, aligners, consulting, masterminds, or better systems, too many doctors wait for the practice to improve before investing in the things that could actually create that improvement.

💬Quotes

“You are your own worst enemy. Get out of your own way.”

 — Dr. Glenn Krieger

“The most incredible achievers in our industry are the ones who said, ‘Help me.’” 

— Dr. Glenn Krieger

🎯 Key Takeaways

• Intro: Are you waiting until you’re “ready”? (00:00)
• Why orthodontists delay tools that could make practice easier (01:13)
• Why figuring everything out yourself makes no sense (02:07)
• What high-performing orthodontists do differently (02:27)
• Why investing in yourself can produce enormous long-term ROI (03:34)
• Technology, aligners, and remote monitoring: stop making excuses (04:03)
• Why high-performing peer groups accelerate growth (04:59)
• The real cost of waiting for “one day” (05:55)
• Why spending strategically can improve profitability (08:14)
• Final challenge: Are you your own worst enemy? (09:10)

🟦 Additional Resources

I’ve seen firsthand how much faster a practice can grow when you stop trying to figure everything out alone and start using the resources already available to you.

Look honestly at your practice this week. What technology, consultant, system, mastermind, or investment have you been putting off because you keep telling yourself you’re “not ready yet”? Pick one opportunity that could realistically lower your stress, increase your profitability, or shorten your learning curve—and take the next step.

If you’re stuck and want to talk through what that next move should be, reach out to me directly. Sometimes the biggest breakthrough comes from simply getting out of your own way.

- Airway Meeting:
https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026 

- For more information, visit:
https://orthopreneurs.com/

- Join our FREE Facebook group here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/

We explore the latest tip on closing open bites more predictably using dental TADS. 👉 Become an OrthoPreneur today: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OrthoPreneurs

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Nicole Scheffler. She is one of the amazing speakers lined up for the Orthopreneur Summit in September.

Dr. Nicole Scheffler received her dental and orthodontic training from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. She practices full-time in Boone, North Carolina.  

She lectures a lot on closing anterior open bites all over the country and the world.

Back in the year 2000, when nobody was doing TADS in the US, Dr. Nicole went to Belgium to learn how they were placing TADS and how the patient experience was. She came back and approached ORMCO, and that’s how VectorTAS came about.

Nicole recommends closing open bites with dental TADS in conjunction with an open bite splint to intrude the posterior because it’s just as stable as jaw surgery.

We also talk about creating a vibrant office culture where staff want to come to work. This is important as we all know getting and keeping dental assistants who are the right fit is key to the success of your practice.

💬Quotes

“Back in 2000, nobody was really doing TADs in the U.S., so I went to Belgium to learn how they were placing them and what the patient experience was like.”

— Dr. Nicole Scheffler

“Closing open bites with dental TADs in conjunction with an open bite splint can give us stability comparable to jaw surgery.”

— Dr. Nicole Scheffler

🎯 Key Takeaways

• Intro (00:00)
• Dr. Nicole Scheffler’s background and journey in orthodontics (01:38)
• The importance of the pedo-ortho relationship (06:48)
• How Nicole became focused on anterior open bites (10:30)
• When orthognathic surgery enters the conversation (14:31)
• Understanding the etiologies behind anterior open bite (16:14)
• Aligners vs. TADs for closing open bites (20:27)
• How to find and retain great assistants (22:53)
• Advanced Dental Assisting Academy (24:33)

🟦 Additional Resources

If open bite cases are still among the cases that make you stop and think twice, this conversation is worth your time. Nicole brings years of clinical experience to a problem that can easily become unpredictable when the underlying etiology and mechanics aren’t fully understood.

And if staffing is one of the bigger challenges in your practice right now, pay attention to the second half of this episode too. Better clinical systems matter, but so does building a team of people who actually want to stay, grow, and contribute.

👉 Airway Meeting:

 https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026 

👉 For more information about Orthopreneurs, visit: 

https://orthopreneurs.com/ 

👉 Become an OrthoPreneur and join the free Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ 

What if I told you there’s a guaranteed way to make your orthodontic practice more profitable—and it starts with identifying just ONE number?

Most practice owners know they want more production, better profitability, or higher case acceptance. The problem is that knowing you want growth isn’t the same as knowing exactly where to focus. In this Five Minute Friday, I’m challenging you to stop trying to fix everything and identify the one KPI that could make the biggest difference in your practice right now.

💬Quotes

“What is that one KPI you need to work on, and what are you going to do right now to solve it?”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger

“You’ve got the power. You’re smart enough. You were driven enough. Are you still driven enough to get it done?”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger

🎯 Key Takeaways

• The challenge: Find the one KPI that matters (00:00)
• There’s a way to make your practice more profitable right now (00:49)
• Why you can’t simply cut your way to profitability (01:13)
• Use AI to identify growth opportunities (01:31)
• Case acceptance, overhead, new patients—or something else? (01:56)
• Find the one KPI you need to fix (02:02)
• Why knowing the answer means nothing without execution (02:17)
• Stop waiting and start working on it now (02:31)
• The final challenge: Are you still driven enough? (03:04)

🟦 Additional Resources

I’ve seen firsthand how focusing on the right number can change the trajectory of a practice—but only if you actually do something with it.

So here’s your assignment: identify the one KPI that needs your attention most. Then sit down, use AI, talk with your team, and figure out what you can do to move that number. Don’t put it off until next week or when things “slow down.”

You’ve already proven you’re smart enough and driven enough to get where you are.

Now ask yourself: Are you still driven enough to get to the next level?

Go get it.

- Airway Meeting:
https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026 

- For more information, visit:
https://orthopreneurs.com/

- Join our FREE Facebook group here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/

What if I told you the difference between a stressful orthodontic practice and an efficient one could come down to eliminating just a handful of recurring problems? 

The episode is about orthodontic efficiency with Dr. Ron Roncone, exploring decades of strategies to optimize orthodontic practices, reduce appointments, and improve patient care while discussing broader business and treatment philosophies in orthodontics.

💬Quotes

“You can greatly reduce your stress by tackling the two or three issues causing most problems in your practice.”
— Dr. Ron Roncone

“It’s always been about what we need to do to reduce the number of appointments each patient has.”
— Dr. Ron Roncone

🎯 Key Takeaways

• Introduction (00:00)
• The drive for efficiency in orthodontics (01:28)
• Reducing appointments and eliminating emergencies (07:34)
• How to reach $600,000 in production per team member (11:08)
• Smarter scheduling strategies (21:56)
• Occlusion and treatment philosophy (37:28)
• The cost of ignoring basic occlusal principles (45:16)
• Why continuing education still matters after decades in orthodontics (49:14)

🟦 Additional Resources

If your practice feels busier than it should, don’t automatically assume you need more people, more chairs, or more days in the office. Start by asking where unnecessary appointments, emergencies, scheduling problems, and clinical inefficiencies are stealing your time.

Listen to the full episode and identify the two or three recurring problems creating the most friction in your practice. Fixing those first could dramatically change your stress level, productivity, and patient experience.

- Dr. Ron Roncone Course: The Just Short Of Perfect (JSOP)

- Airway Meeting: https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026 

- For more information, visit: https://orthopreneurs.com/

- Join our FREE Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/

What if doubling your take-home next year has less to do with working harder—and more to do with removing the limits you’ve placed on your own practice?

Too many orthodontists set goals based on what feels comfortable instead of what might actually be possible. In this episode, I want to challenge you to stop asking, “What do I think I can grow by next year?” and start asking a much bigger question: What would have to change for me to double my take-home, take more time off, and enjoy my practice more?

💬Quotes

“It was a self-imposed limitation that you put on yourself.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger

“I want you to come up with a way that next year you’re going to take off more time, you’re going to double your take-home, and you’re going to be happier.”
 — Dr. Glenn Krieger

🎯 Key Takeaways

• Intro: Double your take-home and take more time off (00:00)
• The rope maker story: How self-imposed limits hold us back (00:38)
• Why a $3M practice may be capable of much more than $3.4M (01:49)
• Your inability to imagine growth may be the real constraint (03:13)
• Growth vs. scale: Why they’re not the same thing (03:43)
• How technology and remote monitoring can create leverage (04:16)
• Real orthodontists who dramatically changed their practices (05:11)
• The challenge: Envision doubling your take-home (05:36)
• Why the goal is more income with less stress and more time off (08:14)
• How badly do you actually want the result? (08:42)
• Building a practice that gives you the freedom to walk away younger (09:14)
• Your homework: Build the plan instead of dismissing the possibility (10:04)

🟦 Additional Resources

I don’t want you working until you’re 85 because you have to. I want you practicing because you love it—or having the financial freedom to walk away when you choose.

So here’s your homework: sit down and figure out what would need to happen for you to double your take-home next year while taking more time off and lowering your stress. Think about your marketing, your technology, your systems, your training, and every assumption you’ve made about what your practice can handle.

Don’t start with why it’s impossible.

Start with: What would have to be true for this to work?

You’ve already proven you’re capable of doing difficult things. Now it’s time to stop measuring against the same nine-foot wall.

- Airway Meeting:
https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026

- For more information, visit:
https://orthopreneurs.com/

- Join our FREE Facebook group here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/