Most conversations about work-life balance assume that life can be divided into neat, equal portions. But dentistry, business ownership, leadership, marriage, and parenting rarely work that way.

In this reflective monologue, Dr. Greg Grillo explores a different way to think about a sustainable and fulfilling life: not as a perfectly balanced scale, but as a wave with natural periods of effort, momentum, resistance, and recovery.

Greg examines why so many driven professionals find themselves living from vacation to vacation, physically leaving work while remaining mentally trapped there, and confusing collapse with genuine rest. Drawing from his own experience as a dentist and practice owner, workplace research, and the wisdom of the Stoics, he explains how ambition and delayed gratification can quietly become the habit of delaying life.

This episode offers practical ways to create a healthier rhythm, including measuring the real sources of energy loss, establishing a recovery floor, building intentional transitions out of work, and separating personal responsibility from outcomes that cannot be controlled.

The goal is not to eliminate life’s peaks and valleys. It's to make the movement between them less destructive, while building ordinary days that feel meaningful enough that we no longer need to escape our lives in order to feel alive.

In this episode of CEO Chairside, Dr. Greg Grillo sits down with entrepreneur and dental growth strategist Devyn Grillo for a candid conversation about one of the most overlooked challenges in dentistry: conversion.

Devyn built and sold a seven-figure dental lead generation company after starting his marketing career as a teenager. After helping more than 100 dental practices generate thousands of patient inquiries, he discovered something surprising: practices receiving the exact same leads often produced dramatically different results.

The difference wasn't marketing.

It was what happened next.

Together, Greg and Devyn explore why practices lose opportunities after the phone rings, how consumer expectations have changed, why speed-to-lead matters more than most dentists realize, and where AI may help practices improve communication, follow-up, and case acceptance.

Topics include:

• Why lead generation is only one piece of the growth equation

• The hidden revenue leak inside many dental practices

• What separates high-converting offices from low-converting offices

• Why front desk conversations matter more than most dentists think

• The role of trust, empathy, and patient psychology in case acceptance

• How AI can support teams without replacing the human element

• Why dentists must begin thinking like business owners as well as clinicians

Whether you're spending heavily on marketing or simply trying to help more patients move forward with treatment, this conversation will challenge how you think about growth.

Because sometimes the biggest opportunity isn't finding more patients.

It's serving the ones already raising their hands and asking for help.

NOTE: Do NOT attempt AI analysis as described in this interview without HIPAA-compliant steps in place. The system Devyn describes includes vital safeguards every dentist must have when using AI.

Learn more at: https://www.theimplantinitiative.com/

Dentistry is changing fast, and many practice owners can feel it.

In this solo episode of CEO Chairside, Dr. Greg Grillo explores a growing reality inside the profession: the “middle-class” dental practice is getting squeezed.

Rising overhead. Flat insurance reimbursement. Staffing instability. Operational complexity. More competition. More pressure. And yet many dentists are producing more than ever while feeling less profitable, less clear, and more exhausted.

This episode takes a deep dive into why the traditional “comfortable” private practice model is under pressure — and what separates the independent practices that are still thriving from the ones quietly struggling behind the scenes.

Dr. Grillo breaks down:

• Why being “busy” no longer guarantees profitability
• The hidden operational leaks hurting many practices
• How hygiene instability affects the entire business
• Why patient expectations have changed dramatically
• The growing divide between intentional practices and reactive ones
• How DSOs and sophisticated groups are reshaping competition
• Why independent dentistry still has a massive advantage — if practices evolve strategically

This is not a doom-and-gloom episode about private practice dying.

It’s a conversation about leadership, clarity, systems, patient trust, and the future of independent dentistry.

If you’ve felt like dentistry has become heavier, more complicated, or harder to navigate than it used to be, this episode will probably resonate deeply.

Because the future may not belong to the biggest practices.

It may belong to the most intentional ones.

In this episode of CEO Chairside, Dr. Greg Grillo sits down with Dr. Doug Sandquist for a raw, honest, and deeply practical conversation about what it really takes to build a successful, and sustainable, dental practice.

This is not another discussion about doing more dentistry, chasing production, or scaling at all costs.

Instead, Dr. Sandquist shares the hard-earned lessons from nearly three decades in practice, including how he transitioned from chasing “what works” to building a model rooted in clarity, confidence, and fulfillment. From walking away from implant surgery to redefining case acceptance through trust, not pressure, this episode challenges many of the assumptions dentists are taught early in their careers.

You’ll hear how slowing down can actually accelerate growth, why multiple consult visits can outperform same-day closes, and how defining non-negotiables, both clinically and personally, can transform not just your practice, but your life.

This conversation also goes beyond dentistry. It dives into burnout, identity, and the reality that success is not just about profit; it’s about profit plus fulfillment. From the “10 summers with your kids” mindset to designing a practice that aligns with your values, this episode is a powerful reminder that you have more control than you think.

Key Takeaways:

• Why the best dentists focus on trust-building, not speed

• The hidden downside of “strike while the iron’s hot” case acceptance

• How to design a practice around your strengths—not industry norms

• The real difference between fee-for-service and PPO stress

• Why taking more time off may actually increase productivity

• The importance of defining personal and professional non-negotiables

• How discovering your “why” can reshape your entire career

If you’ve ever questioned whether the traditional path in dentistry is the right one, or felt the tension between production and purpose, this episode will hit home.

Listen now and rethink what success in dentistry really looks like.

What would actually change in your practice… if someone with fresh eyes took it over tomorrow?

In this episode of CEO Chairside, Dr. Greg Grillo breaks down exactly what he would do in the first 30 days of owning a dental practice; no fluff, no theory, just real-world execution.

From hidden production leaks to underperforming hygiene systems, weak case acceptance, and inefficient schedules, most practices aren’t broken. They’re leaving massive opportunity on the table. The problem is, these gaps are often invisible to the doctor living in it every day.

This episode walks through a clear, week-by-week plan to uncover what’s really happening inside your practice and fix the issues that are quietly costing you growth, profitability, and time.

If you’ve ever felt busy but not as productive or profitable as you should be… this will hit home.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why most practices misdiagnose their real problem
• Where $300K–$1M in lost production is hiding
• How to immediately improve hygiene performance and diagnosis
• The biggest breakdowns in case acceptance and follow-up
• What separates a full schedule from a truly productive one

This isn’t about working harder or chasing more new patients.

It’s about fixing what’s already there, and finally running your practice like a CEO.

In this episode of CEO Chairside, Dr. Greg Grillo sits down with a multi-million dollar a year dental practice owner operating in a typical PPO-heavy market. Dr. Mike's no-BS approach breaks down what actually drives growth inside a practice.

At first, it sounds like a straightforward conversation.

Production per visit. Case acceptance. Hygiene performance. Scheduling discipline.

But as the discussion unfolds, there’s a level of clarity… and consistency… that feels different.

Not theoretical. Not polished. Just… unusually precise.

The kind of perspective that makes you stop and think:

Why don’t more practices operate this way?

If you’ve ever felt like your practice should be producing more with the patients you already have, or that something in your system just isn’t clicking, this conversation will challenge the way you think about growth.

Listen closely.

Every dental practice invests time and money trying to attract new patients.

But what if one of the biggest growth opportunities in your practice isn’t marketing at all?

What if it’s simply answering the phone?

In this episode of CEO Chairside, Dr. Greg Grillo explores one of the most overlooked revenue leaks in modern dentistry: missed calls.

Research shows that up to 40% of business calls go unanswered, and dental practices are no exception. Yet when a potential patient calls your office, that moment often represents $3,000–$7,000 in lifetime patient value. If the phone rings and no one answers, the patient usually moves on to the next practice.

Dr. Grillo breaks down the Missed Call Revenue Leak Model, showing how even a small percentage of missed calls can quietly cost practices tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why the phone has become the true front door of the modern dental practice
• The real lifetime value of a new patient, and why most dentists underestimate it
• How missed calls quietly drain revenue without showing up on your reports
• Why many practices think they have a marketing problem when they actually have a capture problem
• Practical solutions, including two you probably haven't tried that ensure every opportunity is handled

If you want to understand one of the fastest ways to improve the economics of your practice without adding more dentistry to your schedule, this episode will change how you think about the ringing phone.

Because sometimes the biggest growth opportunity in dentistry isn’t finding more patients.

It’s making sure someone answers when they call.

In this episode of CEO Chairside, Dr. Greg Grillo sits down with Dr. Eric Nelson to unpack the emotional labor of dentistry, the invisible workload that comes from treating anxious, fearful, and vulnerable patients all day while still needing to perform with precision.

They break down why many dentists don’t burn out because they don’t care… they burn out because they care too deeply without the tools to protect their nervous system. Dr. Nelson shares the framework behind his CE course The Compassion Equation, including the critical difference between empathy (absorbing emotion) and compassion (caring with boundaries), how mirror neurons and stress chemistry can hijack decision-making, and simple in-the-moment resets that help clinicians stay calm, present, and sustainable over decades.

This isn’t a “wellness” chat. It’s a conversation about performance, longevity, and leadership—built for real clinical life.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What “emotional labor” looks like in dentistry and why it’s uniquely intense

• The empathy vs. compassion reframe that prevents emotional depletion

• How stress impacts the prefrontal cortex and clinical decision-making

• Practical boundary language that preserves care without carrying outcomes

• Simple between-patient resets (breathwork + movement) for busy days

• Habits that protect the long game—physically and emotionally

Bonus: Dr. Nelson’s CE course The Compassion Equation: Sustaining Empathy Without Burnout in Dentistry offers 2 free CE credits. Find it HERE: https://ce.methodpro.com/course/the-compassion-equation-dentistry

If you’ve been feeling exhausted, irritable, numb, or “on edge” after work and can’t quite explain why—this episode will give you language, clarity, and a path forward.

Subscribe for more clinician-to-clinician conversations on leadership, profitability, and building a sustainable career in dentistry.