The Cut Team

Dental Practice

The Fall M&A Pipeline Is Stacked. Your Practice Might Be on a Buyer's List.

The Fall M&A Pipeline Is Stacked. Your Practice Might Be on a Buyer's List. PE firms have identified 200+ practices for acquisition in Q4 2025 through Q1 2026. If you're in a desirable market, have $800K+ production, and clean financials, you're probably

Dental Practice

Three Major Dental Labs Merged. Your Local Lab Just Became a Box on Someone's Spreadsheet.

Three Major Dental Labs Merged. Your Local Lab Just Became a Box on Someone's Spreadsheet. Glidewell acquired Crown & Bridge Solutions. Aspen Labs consolidated three regional labs. When consolidation happens, prices go up and quality gets standardized into mediocrity. You care because your local lab that knew your

Dental Practice

Congress is Fighting Over Medicare Dental. Either Way, Your Reimbursement Sucks.

Congress is Fighting Over Medicare Dental. Either Way, Your Reimbursement Sucks. The House wants to expand Medicare dental coverage. The Senate wants to slow it down. Both parties are arguing about which scenario costs less and whether dentists get paid enough. Spoiler: We don't get paid enough either

Scheduling 40% of Your September Slots in August. Do It Now.

Scheduling 40% of Your September Slots in August. Do It Now. Scheduling 40% of Your September Slots in August. Do It Now. Fall scheduling patterns: practices that schedule aggressively in July-August fill their September-October schedule completely. Practices that wait until September run 20-30% open slots. Why. Behavior. Parents schedule kids

Associate Salary vs Percentage: Know Which Model Pays More

Associate Salary vs Percentage: Know Which Model Pays More Associate Salary vs Percentage: Know Which Model Pays More Compensation models for dental associates: Straight salary: $100K-$130K annually. Predictable. Low incentive to produce. Percentage: 25-35% of production or collections. If you do $350K production, you earn $87K-$122K. High upside,

Dental Practice

Your Associates Are Leaving for $5K More per Year. Your Turnover is Suicidal.

Your Associates Are Leaving for $5K More per Year. Your Turnover is Suicidal. Dental associate salaries spiked 8-12% this summer as practices competed for talent. The associates who left your practice didn't leave because of the money—they left because your culture made them replaceable and your DSO

Dental Office Build-Out Costs $250-$500 Per Square Foot. You Can Reduce It.

Dental Office Build-Out Costs $250-$500 Per Square Foot. You Can Reduce It. Dental Office Build-Out Costs $250-$500 Per Square Foot. You Can Reduce It. New dental office construction runs $250-$500 per square foot depending on location and finishes. A 2,000 square foot practice build-out runs $500K-$

New Patient Phone Call Conversion Rates Are Tanking. Here's Why.

New Patient Phone Call Conversion Rates Are Tanking. Here's Why. New Patient Phone Call Conversion Rates Are Tanking. Here's Why. Average dental practice converts 35-45% of new patient phone calls to scheduled appointments. Top 25% practices convert 65-75%. The difference: clarity and urgency. Bad converters fumble

Sterilization Tech Upgrades: When the ROI Is Actually Real.

Sterilization Tech Upgrades: When the ROI Is Actually Real. You're probably running autoclave equipment that's 8-12 years old. The newer stuff claims faster cycles, better reliability, lower overhead. Most of that is hype. Some of it isn't. Real wins: a modern steam sterilizer cuts

Google Reviews Now Drive 40% of New Patient Flow. Is Your Team Aligned?

Google Reviews Now Drive 40% of New Patient Flow. Is Your Team Aligned? This isn't new data, but the trend is accelerating. Patients under 40 almost never call to verify credentials. They check reviews first, filter by rating, and book if it's 4.7+ stars. Most

Your Instagram Posts Drive Almost No Patient Bookings. That's Fine.

Your Instagram Posts Drive Almost No Patient Bookings. That's Fine. Your Instagram Posts Drive Almost No Patient Bookings. That's Fine. Dental social media ROI is terrible. Survey data shows <5% of dental patients research practices on social media. Most find you through Google, referrals, or

Dental Practice Brokers Charge 8-10% Commission. Negotiate It.

Dental Practice Brokers Charge 8-10% Commission. Negotiate It. Dental Practice Brokers Charge 8-10% Commission. Negotiate It. When you sell your practice, the broker takes 8-10% of sale price. A $1M practice sale means $80K-$100K to the broker for marketing and deal facilitation. That's not unreasonable for a

Dental Sleep Medicine: Untapped Revenue or Liability Trap?

Dental Sleep Medicine: Untapped Revenue or Liability Trap? A screened patient with sleep apnea generates $8-12K in annual revenue if you're making the appliance (not referring). That's attractive. The liability piece is where most practices get nervous. Here's the reality: sleep medicine isn'

Dental Practice

New CAD/CAM Resins Are Better. They're Also Expensive. Does It Matter?

New CAD/CAM Resins Are Better. They're Also Expensive. Does It Matter? Vita and Cerec released new ceramic and hybrid resins in July that claim 20% higher durability and better stain resistance. They cost 15-30% more than the standard blocks. The question: Do your patients care enough to

Your Dental Office Air Quality Might Be Failing OSHA Standards

Your Dental Office Air Quality Might Be Failing OSHA Standards Your Dental Office Air Quality Might Be Failing OSHA Standards HVAC standards for dental offices: 6-8 air changes per hour with 25% outside air minimum. Most older offices run 3-4 air changes per hour. Aerosol contamination from high-speed handpieces travels

Replacing a Hygienist Costs You 25 Grand. You're Still Underwater.

Replacing a Hygienist Costs You 25 Grand. You're Still Underwater. Replacing a Hygienist Costs You 25 Grand. You're Still Underwater. When a hygienist quits, you lose: backfill labor (temporary hygienist for 4-6 weeks), training (40-80 hours), lost revenue (patients skip or defect during transition), lost production

Dental Practice

Three Major Dental DSOs Got Hit By Ransomware This Summer. Yours Isn't Immune.

Three Major Dental DSOs Got Hit By Ransomware This Summer. Yours Isn't Immune. Midwest Dental, Brite Smile, and one regional DSO had ransomware incidents in July and August. Patient records leaked. Insurance claims delayed. One paid $2.1 million to restore systems. These aren't mom-and-pop practices.

Dental Practice

Your Overhead Is 62%. Industry Average Is 58%. Here's Why You're Bleeding Money.

Your Overhead Is 62%. Industry Average Is 58%. Here's Why You're Bleeding Money. Labor costs are eating practices alive. DSOs are reporting 35-40% labor as a percentage of production. Independents are hitting 45-50% because they don't have purchasing scale. Rent alone runs 8-12% in

Cone Beam CT Costs $150K Upfront and Pays for Itself in 18 Months

Cone Beam CT Costs $150K Upfront and Pays for Itself in 18 Months Cone Beam CT Costs $150K Upfront and Pays for Itself in 18 Months Cone beam CT: $100K-$200K upfront, $5K/year service, $2-3 per scan in software. Panoramic X-ray: $20K upfront, no service, $0.50 per scan.

Your Operatories Are Empty 40% of the Time. Here's the Benchmark.

Your Operatories Are Empty 40% of the Time. Here's the Benchmark. Your Operatories Are Empty 40% of the Time. Here's the Benchmark. Chair utilization benchmarks: top 25% practices run 70-75% utilization. Median practices run 50-60%. Bottom 25% run 30-40%. Utilization is production minutes per chair divided

Dental Practice

Teledentistry Killed the Cash-Only Dream. Insurance Won't Reimburse It.

Teledentistry Killed the Cash-Only Dream. Insurance Won't Reimburse It. Every platform selling "remote monitoring" and "virtual check-ins" makes the same pitch: reduce chair time, increase revenue. But insurance doesn't reimburse video calls with dentists. They just don't. Medicaid won'

You Need Dental Practice Business Insurance. You Probably Don't Have It.

You Need Dental Practice Business Insurance. You Probably Don't Have It. You Need Dental Practice Business Insurance. You Probably Don't Have It. Most dental practices have malpractice coverage. Almost none have business interruption insurance, property insurance, or key person insurance. Your practice manager quits. Suddenly you&

Oral Surgeons Are Pulling Surgical Referrals Back In-House

Oral Surgeons Are Pulling Surgical Referrals Back In-House Oral Surgeons Are Pulling Surgical Referrals Back In-House Oral surgery referral patterns are shifting hard. Fifteen years ago, any surgical case left the practice. Now a large percentage of extractions stay in-house. Why. Economics. OMD/DMD with surgical training means you keep

Credentialing Delays Are Killing Your New Associate's Revenue.

Credentialing Delays Are Killing Your New Associate's Revenue. A fresh associate ready to produce hits your practice in month two. By month three, if they're not credentialed with major PPOs, they're effectively on FFS only. Your revenue opportunity drops 35-40% immediately. Most practices don&

Dental Office Square Footage Economics: More Space Doesn't Mean More Revenue.

Dental Office Square Footage Economics: More Space Doesn't Mean More Revenue. You're probably paying $25-35 per square foot annually in a decent market. Most practices think they need 3,500-4,500 square feet. Here's what the numbers actually say: the practices making the most