The Orthopreneurs Podcast with Dr. Glenn Krieger

We spend so much time thinking about marketing, advertising, referrals, and getting more people into the top of our sales funnel. Those things absolutely matter. But if those patients are already walking into your office and your case acceptance isn’t where it should be, you may be overlooking one of the biggest opportunities sitting right in front of you.
In this Five Minute Friday, I break down three basic ways to increase profitability: bring more people into your funnel, improve case acceptance, and reduce overhead. The problem with overhead is that there’s a limit to how much you can realistically cut. But improving case acceptance allows you to generate more production from patients you’ve already spent the time and money to acquire.

💬 Quotes

“Increase your case acceptance. That’s the key. Increase your case acceptance.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger
“If the case acceptance didn’t go up, you are leaving money on the table.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger

🎯 Key Takeaways

Intro: The sales funnel, closing, and getting more starts (00:25)
How to make more money without increasing new-patient volume (01:02)
Three ways to improve profitability in your practice (01:40)
Why improving case acceptance can be more powerful than cutting overhead (02:37)
Why you can’t simply cut your way to profitability (03:48)
How your sales funnel should nurture patients before the TC room (04:36)
Why you need to know where the consultation is headed before it begins (05:04)
The simple math behind case acceptance (05:24)
Why you need to accurately track your true case acceptance rate (06:06)
How a 10% improvement can translate into significant additional production (06:41)
Why most practices may overestimate their case acceptance (07:17)
The metrics you should be auditing over the course of a year (07:50)
The opportunity when fewer patients are coming through the door (08:10)
The change you can start making without spending more on marketing (09:26)
Why the doctor/TC process needs a repeatable system (09:44)
The step-by-step science behind improving the close (10:17)
What the Close More Cases meeting will cover (10:57)
Final takeaway: Keep marketing — but put more effort into closing (12:54)

🟦 Additional Resources
Keep marketing. Keep advertising. Keep looking at your overhead. But don’t spend all your energy getting more people through the front door while ignoring what happens once they’re already inside.
Know your numbers. Audit your case acceptance. Train your TC. Understand the doctor-TC relationship. And build a repeatable system for moving patients through the consultation process.
If you want to dive much deeper into the psychology of buying, the words that matter, and the systems I use to improve case acceptance, join me and Victor Antonio at Close More Cases 2027.
👉 Close More Cases Meeting:
https://closemorecases2027.com/home 
👉 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/

I've seen firsthand how quickly patients become convinced they need MARPE or another expansion procedure without fully understanding what's actually causing their breathing problems. In this episode, I join Girljaw from Get Expanded to discuss one of the most important principles in orthodontics: diagnosis must always come before treatment. We explore the growing interest in adult palatal expansion, the misconceptions surrounding airway treatment, and why even the most advanced technology won't necessarily solve a problem that hasn't been properly identified.
I also share my personal journey into airway-focused orthodontics, including the patient experience that completely changed my perspective on expansion. We dive into CBCT imaging, sleep studies, custom bone-borne expanders, FME, and why an interdisciplinary team is essential when treating complex cases. Whether you're already offering expansion or considering incorporating airway-focused care into your practice, this conversation will help you approach treatment planning with greater confidence, make more informed clinical decisions, and ultimately deliver better care for your patients.

💬Quotes
"A MARPE is a device. That's not a treatment, right? You need some sort of expansion of your maxilla."
— Dr. Glenn Krieger
"We're not getting a second piece of lumber to work on here, folks. We want to do this once. We want to do it right."
— Dr. Glenn Krieger

🎯 Key Takeaways

Introduction and the importance of diagnosis-first treatment (00:00)
Why patients are increasingly requesting MARPE without understanding their diagnosis (03:42)
Multiple treatment options, but one correct diagnosis (06:52)
My first experience with bone-borne expansion and Dr. Won Moon's MSE (08:18)
The patient who changed my perspective on airway treatment (14:01)
Why CBCT is valuable and what it cannot diagnose (19:21)
The most important diagnostic tool: listening to your patients (24:19)
Understanding skeletal discrepancies and dental compensation (29:44)
Why expansion should be customized to each patient's anatomy (37:11)
Building an interdisciplinary airway treatment team (42:47)
Why getting the diagnosis right matters more than choosing a specific appliance (51:40)
Custom bone-borne expanders vs. FME: understanding the differences (59:40)
Nasal obstruction, sleep studies, and treatment considerations (1:06:00)
The importance of prevention and patient advocacy (1:24:40)

🟦 Additional Resources
If you're treating patients with airway concerns or considering adding expansion to your practice, I encourage you to listen to this conversation before making your next treatment decision.
Great orthodontics starts with great diagnosis. Take the time to understand what's really happening, surround yourself with knowledgeable specialists, and never stop learning.
👉 Girl Jaw:
https://www.youtube.com/@GirlJaw 
👉 Get Expanded:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXV6P5r8vbNICm8cvgasDwA 

👉 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/OrthoPreneurs

What if some of the best decisions you’ll ever make in your career come from learning which mistakes not to repeat?
After more than three decades in practice, I’ve made plenty of decisions that worked out — and plenty that taught me expensive lessons. In this Five Minute Friday, I’m breaking down five of the biggest mistakes I’ve made throughout my career so you can hopefully avoid learning some of these lessons the hard way.

💬 Quotes
“Life is about making three great financial moves and avoiding that one disastrous one.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger, sharing advice from Michael Cohen
“If you’re chasing money, that’s the wrong reason to do something.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger

🎯 Key Takeaways
Intro: The five biggest mistakes I’ve made in my career (00:32)
A mentor’s lesson: Make great financial moves and avoid the disastrous one (01:18)
Mistake #1: Taking unnecessary investment risks when you’re young (02:11)
Why capital preservation matters early in your career (02:40)
Mistake #2: Bringing an associate into your practice too soon (03:08)
Why adding an associate can change a practice you already love (03:25)
Mistake #3: Choosing the wrong reasons to enter a partnership (04:54)
Why strong relationships matter when partnerships get difficult (05:25)
Mistake #4: Expanding into additional locations for the wrong reasons (06:04)
The hidden responsibilities that come with opening another practice (06:32)
Why organizational support changes the satellite-office equation (07:17)
Mistake #5: Not specializing sooner (07:36)
Why becoming an expert in orthodontics ultimately appealed to me (08:17)
Why I still wouldn’t erase my years in restorative dentistry (09:20)
Final takeaway: Learn from my mistakes without having to repeat them (09:44)

🟦 Additional Resources
today. But that doesn’t mean you have to make every mistake I made to learn the same lessons.
Protect your capital. Think carefully before bringing in an associate. Choose partners for reasons that will survive the difficult times. Don’t expand simply because you think another location means more money. And above all, think seriously about what kind of career and life you actually want to build.
If you see me at an upcoming meeting, come say hi, pick my brain, and let’s talk. And if you’re interested in our upcoming Airway & Sleep meeting, visit opairway.com for more information.
👉 Close More Cases Meeting:
https://closemorecases2027.com/home 
👉 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/OrthoPreneurs

CBCT technology has been a game changer in how we visualize, diagnose and plan treatment for our orthodontic patients. It can be said to be the foundation of what we do.

But there remain some doubts among some people as regards the effect of radiation patients are exposed to. This is despite numerous studies and research papers that show otherwise.

In this episode, I am joined by probably the most experienced person when it comes to CBCT technology. He does a lot of consulting and helps doctors use their CBCT systems more efficiently. He also lectures at orthodontic meets all over the country.

In fact, he is one of our speakers at the OrthoPreneur Summit 2023 in Orlando.

He helps us separate the facts from the myths and outlines the common mistakes he sees in the usage of CBCT.

Ty Ramsey also helps doctors with practice transitions by connecting them to firms that are the right fit for their needs.

Watch this video to learn more about CBCT and how Ty can help you in other areas of practice management.

🎯 Key Takeaways

Intro (00:00)
Meet Ty Ramsey (01:06)
3 truths and a lie (05:12)
 Leveraging CBCT for practice growth (09:22)
Common misunderstandings about CBCT (10:32)
Mistakes doctors make using CBCT (14:32)
How CBCT improves our patients' lives (16:20)
Take the Ferrari out of the garage (18:21)
Practice transition and M&A consultation (21:54)

🟦 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/OrthoPreneurs

#OrthoPreneurs #DrGlennKrieger  #TyRamsey

What if expanding the palate is only one piece of the airway puzzle — but we’re treating it like the entire solution?
I believe orthodontists have an important role to play in airway and sleep-disordered breathing, but that doesn’t mean we should try to do everything ourselves. Expansion can be incredibly valuable, but treatment should start with the right diagnosis — and that diagnosis often requires an interdisciplinary team.
In this Five Minute Friday, I explain why my airway cases routinely involve ENTs, oral surgeons, and myofunctional therapists, and why I believe collaboration should happen before treatment rather than only after something doesn’t work. Every patient deserves to have their symptoms, anatomy, imaging, and other relevant findings evaluated so the team can determine what may actually be contributing to the problem.

💬Quotes
“For every patient, there are multiple treatment modalities, but only one correct diagnosis.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger, quoting Morty Amsterdam 
“The overwhelming majority of orthodontists are under-treating airway and sleep-disordered breathing. But there’s a right way and a wrong way. The right way is to be part of a team.”
— Dr. Glenn Krieger 

🎯 Key Takeaways

Intro: A different conversation about airway and sleep-disordered breathing (00:38)
Why the airway conversation needs more diagnosis and teamwork (01:44)
Expansion can help — but it isn't the entire answer (01:50)
What true interdisciplinary airway care looks like (02:08)
Why treating airway alone can miss the underlying problem (02:50)
Multiple treatment modalities, but one correct diagnosis (03:13)
How I incorporate oral surgeons, ENTs, and myofunctional therapists (03:41)
Why airway treatment shouldn't simply be about expansion (04:40)
The philosophy behind the Airway & Sleep meeting (05:01)
What orthodontists can learn from myofunctional therapists and ENTs (05:19)
Why every patient needs an effective diagnosis (06:03)
How I work through an airway case with my interdisciplinary team (06:20)
Why diagnosis matters more than getting a same-day start (07:05)
The problem with treating first and referring only when necessary (07:19)
Airway & Sleep meeting in Scottsdale + opairway.com (07:32)
Final takeaway: Expansion is valuable, but teamwork is essential (07:53)

🟦 Additional Resources
If you’re treating airway and sleep-disordered breathing, don’t make expansion the diagnosis. Diagnose first, collaborate with the right specialists, and then determine what treatment actually makes sense for that patient.
That’s exactly why I created the Airway & Sleep meeting in Scottsdale. Bring an ENT. Bring an oral surgeon. Come learn what each member of the interdisciplinary team should be looking for, how we should communicate with one another, and how we can make better decisions 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/