Why We Choose Not to DSO...

With the proliferation of Dental Service Organizations (DSOs) and DSOs buying up practices in our orthodontic profession, it is truly important to give the young doctors a different perspective on the value of being in private practice. With the amount of debt that orthodontic residents are graduating with, it may take a few years working as an associate orthodontist, prior to buying a practice, building a new practice, or becoming a partner in a group practice. Between dental school and his orthodontic residency, Dr. Lin worked for Dr. Rick Workman (Founder and CEO of Heartland Dental) in a DSO for 2 years as a general dentist and became a partner, so he has first hand experience with working in a DSO and will share his experiences with the audience (pros and cons). However, Dr. Lin has also now been in private group practice for over 25 years and has built 3 successful practices during this time. There are many advantages to owning your orthodontic practice(s) such as being your own boss, tax incentives, and building equity and value in the practice which can be utilized as a retirement vehicle just to list a few. Dr. Lin would like to give the younger generation of orthodontists an understanding of how to do this and why he chooses not to DSO.