Hear directly from dental practice owners on how MB2’s partnership helps them keep autonomy, gain balance, and thrive in their practice.
As a private practice owner, you’ve probably asked yourself things like:
- Should I sell my dental practice or stay private?
- What’s the difference between a DSO and a DPO?
- Can I join a dental group and still be in control of my practice?
- How can I reduce overhead costs and protect my legacy?
You’re not alone. These are the same questions dentists across the country are asking. These challenges inspired MB2’s founder, Dr. Chris Steven Villanueva, to create the Dental Partnership Organization (DPO) as a better way to practice dentistry; the way for dental practice owners to keep their autonomy and gain support to thrive.
Below, you’ll hear directly from our doctor partners who once had the same questions you’re asking and found answers through partnership with MB2 Dental. Their stories shed light on what makes MB2 different and how partnership can transform your dental practice.
What Is the Difference Between a DSO and a DPO?
Traditional DSOs (Dental Service Organizations) often require dentists to sell their practice and give up ownership. Big decisions around hiring, staffing, and even treatment planning can be shifted to the DSOs leadership team. This means you may not have a say in what goes on inside your practice walls.
MB2’s DPO (Dental Partnership Organization) model is different:
- You’re still a practice owner.
- You keep full clinical autonomy, meaning you call the shots.
- You gain business support in areas like HR, marketing, accounting, vendor negotiations, and more.
Dr. Domenic Lombardi explained it this way:
“To have full autonomy and decision-making power of where the trajectory of the business is going to go, and having the support on the back end to actually make it happen, with experts in every facet of the business, whether it’s marketing, HR, accounting, investment planning, all that stuff. It’s unbeatable.”
Why Do Dentists Choose MB2?
Every doctor has their own personal and professional reasons, but the common themes are clear: private practice owners are looking for support, opportunity, culture, and work-life balance. MB2 helps make their goals attainable by offering business support, opening doors for growth, a place to connect with like-minded owners, and the freedom to enjoy life beyond the practice.
Dr. Adrian Bertulfo
“When you enter a career that is as growth-focused and people-focused as dentistry, you need to be able to put things in place to get you somewhere far, right? It doesn’t mean go quick. It doesn’t mean go in a rush. It doesn’t mean go alone. It means you need to have the support behind your back and the resources on your belt to be able to make it to your goals. You can learn any of this stuff on your own. It might just take you a lot longer. So, I partnered with MB2 to work with their teams, and it’s dramatically shortened the amount of time it took to really feel comfortable in my own skin as an owner.”
How Can MB2 Help Reduce Overhead Costs?
Financial pressure is one of the biggest reasons dentists consider selling. MB2 helps reduce costs significantly through collective buying power. Our Procurement team maintains strong relationships with leading dental vendors and takes the headache out of vendor negotiations, handling the process on your behalf.
Dr. Aaron Lerg
“Since partnering with MB2, my overhead has come down dramatically in my practice. I think in the first year, there was a 20-25% drop in supply costs. And just having the buying power of more than 800 practices is something that a solo doc, myself, couldn’t compete with before I was a partner with MB2.”
Dr. Kelly Cronin
“I was experiencing more stress simply managing the practice because insurance reimbursements were staying the same or getting lower, but all my supplies and labor costs were increasing, and it was hard to keep up and have a healthy profit margin. I was getting burned out in dentistry, but after partnering with MB2, I’m more excited about dentistry than ever and I’m doing more dentistry now than I did before.”
Will I Lose My Autonomy If I Join MB2?
This is often the number one concern. With MB2, the answer is no. We believe that dentists should be the captain of their own ship. They know what’s best for their patients and what’s best for the practice.
Dr. David Nguyen
“I was an associate in the practice before I acquired it and really had very minimal business exposure and had no idea how to manage that aspect of my practice. I knew the clinical, but the business aspect was something I was still learning. Now, I’m taking ownership of this practice and trying to manage it and run it and not understanding what things are supposed to look like. Any questions I had about what numbers were supposed to look like for my practice, MB2 was able to help. And while it’s been a partnership, they give a lot of clinical autonomy, and even business autonomy to the doctors to run the practice and make it different from any other practice they’re partnered with.”
Can MB2 Help with Work-Life Balance?
Absolutely. Many of our doctor partners say MB2 gave them back something priceless: time. Time for the things they love outside the practice and the people who matter most.
Dr. Jaclyn Orozco
“One thing in my personal life I’ve been able to prioritize more is my family. My son is really into sports, and I wasn’t always able to go to his games because I was working on the practice. And now with MB2’s support, I’m able to be more present and be there for my family. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been as a dentist since I’ve been with MB2 because, with their support, I can focus more on providing great care to my patients and worry less about business overhead or the admin things we didn’t go to school for.”
Dr. Chessa Calabrese
“I have young kids, so it was important for me to have the office support to take off some of the things I would have to take home. The work-life balance aspect of partnering with MB2 has been big for me. Just having support with the HR and operations side of things allows me to focus more on the practice and being a good dentist and a good mom, too.”
Dr. Joseph Dove
“I needed support. I needed infrastructure. I needed systems. When I got to the zenith of my stress level and I realized that, well, I need something different. Clinically, I was fine. Administratively, systems, negotiating skills, all that, that was a complete deficit. I could keep fooling myself, or I could find a partner. And that’s why I joined MB2. I got years of my life back that I never thought existed. I got at least 20 -25 hours a week back in my life. I’m able to take several breaks a year, the financials are much better, stability and the growth model that we have is fantastic. It’s just been like heaven on earth.”
Why Is MB2 a Better Fit Than Selling to a Corporate DSO?
Selling to a corporate DSO often means giving up your say in how the practice runs. We do things differently at MB2. We’re focused on partnerships, not buyouts.
Dr. Ben Bratcher
“The primary reason I chose to partner with MB2 was the culture. When we visited the headquarters, everybody was just so nice. They’re friendly. They were upbeat. They’re positive. They were very business-oriented, professional, and just confident. It seems like everybody at MB2 has the confidence that they know they’re doing the right things, and they know they’re doing it well. And I just want to be a part of that. I suffered an injury a few years ago; it was an injury that knocked me out of clinical practice. Thankfully, my MB2 family has been so supportive. There was no question when I called and told them what had happened, they were just completely supportive and said we’ll just figure it out together.”
This culture of honest, hardworking partners is why so many dentists, from young owners to those thinking about a succession plan, choose MB2 as the partner to protect their legacy and elevate their careers.
Is MB2 Right for You?
If you’ve been wondering:
- Should I sell my dental practice? If I do, is there a way to stay involved?
- How do I reduce overhead costs in my dental practice?
- What’s the best alternative to selling out to a DSO?
MB2 may be the right fit. We’re a little biased, but as Dr. V puts it, MB2 is “the best place to practice dentistry.”
Take the Next Step
Your future in dentistry doesn’t have to mean selling out. With MB2, you stay the owner, stay in control, and gain a trusted partner who has your back every step of the way.
Fill out the form below to connect with our doctor partners and learn how partnership could work for you.
