The Orthopreneurs Podcast with Dr. Glenn Krieger

What if I told you one of the biggest financial decisions of your career shouldn’t start with “yes” or “no” — it should start with getting educated?
The OSO and private equity landscape is changing quickly, and I don’t believe orthodontists should make a decision based on fear, hype, or someone else’s agenda. If you’re considering an OSO, this could become one of the largest financial transactions of your life. You owe it to yourself to understand exactly what you’re evaluating.
In this episode of Five Minute Friday, I share my perspective after roughly six years of studying the OSO space and five years inside Smile Doctors. I break down why today’s environment looks different from 2021, how the cost of money and broader economic uncertainty can affect deal flow, and why OSOs and DSOs should not automatically be treated as the same thing.
💬Quotes
“I’m not telling you to say no, and I’m not telling you to say yes. I’m telling you to get educated.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger
“This could be the largest financial decision you do or don’t make for the rest of your life.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger

🎯 Key Takeaways
Intro: Why the OSO conversation needs more education and less absolutism (00:00)
How the OSO landscape has changed over the last five years (00:39)
Why the broader economy and cost of borrowing matter to private equity (02:04)
Why orthodontics and general dentistry can look very different financially (02:46)
Capital preservation and the risks of smaller or less-established groups (04:05)
Why the right OSO can make sense for the right doctor at the right time (05:21)
The questions I would ask before joining: de novos, JV structure, equity and specialty mix (07:17)
Why solvency and adaptability matter more than hype (08:24)
What future consolidation in the OSO market could look like (08:41)
Why changing capital costs may affect future multiples and deal flow (09:37)
My final advice: learn the facts and make your own decision (12:08)

🟦 Additional Resources
I created a neutral e-book designed to help orthodontists better understand OSOs — including the revenue cycle, pros and cons, common mistakes, and questions you should be asking before making a decision. If you want a copy, DM me on Facebook, tell me you heard this episode, and send me your email. I’ll make sure you get it.
Don’t let someone else make this decision for you. Get educated, understand the facts, and choose what makes sense for your future.
👉 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/

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/