Dr. Rehan Shahid, multi-practice owner, dental coach, and
COVID-era graduate, reveals an uncomfortable truth about modern dentistry: dental school teaches clinicians how to drill and fill — but not how to run a business.

Key Revelations:

• Many Dental Owners first see their financial statements from their CPA and don’t know how to interpret profitability, overhead, or where money is leaking.

• Dental school teaches clinical dentistry, not how to run a business. Yet successful practices depend on systems, leadership, financial management, and operational structure.

• Most dentists graduate with almost zero training in reading financial statements, running KPIs, or understanding business operations, even though many will eventually own a practice.

• Execution beats perfection in business. Many dentists fall into “analysis paralysis,” waiting for the perfect plan instead of taking action, learning from mistakes, and improving systems along the way.

The Business Education Gap in Dentistry

AVAILABLE ON

“Is EBITDA manipulation just part of the game when selling a dental group?”

Ken's Answer: Accuracy matters far more than appearance. Private equity firms will always run a quality-of-earnings review, and any attempt to manipulate EBITDA can destroy a deal immediately. Clean, transparent financial reporting is the only sustainable path when preparing a practice for a sale or partnership.

The "Ask Ken" Question:

Top 3 Episodes Of The Dental Truth Project. Listen Now!

(E.27) Hiring Entitled Dental Grad Nobody Talks About: Dr. Anushka Gaglani & Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj, Areo Dental Group
(E.24) Why Your Associate's Professional Insurance Won't Save Your DSO: Herb Ford, Risk Strategies Dental Practice
(E.18) Why Half Your DSO Budget Is Disappearing Into Toxic Culture: Gabriel Hofmann, The Dental Efficiency Guy

As a result, many highly skilled dentists unknowingly build practices that struggle financially because they lack leadership systems, data-driven decision making, and business fundamentals.

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