Dr. Greg White on Reinventing Dental Business Through Doctor-Owned Partnerships
What if you could build a dental organization focused on preserving local practices while delivering exceptional growth? In this episode of The Dental Economist Show, host Mike Huffaker sits down with Dr. Greg White, President and CEO of PepperPointe Partnerships, to explore a unique doctor-owned dental support organization (DSO) model that’s achieving 50 percent profitability increases across its practices and has grown to support over 130 locations while protecting doctor ownership, patient care, and local community roots.
What you’ll learn:
- How to structure a doctor-owned DSO that preserves true ownership while enabling collaborative growth
- Why geographic concentration creates stronger negotiating power with insurance companies and vendors
- How to balance individual practice autonomy with group decision-making in multi-practice organizations
- The three-generation approach to dental practice valuation and ownership transition
- Why technology investments should follow strategy, not lead it
- How to create sustainable practice profitability through personal accountability and clear metrics
- Why cultural alignment and shared long-term vision matter more than group size in practice partnerships
Tune in for a guide of actionable strategies on taking dental technology and your practice’s security to the next level!
About Our Guest
Dr. Greg White is the President and CEO of PepperPointe Partnerships, a unique doctor-owned dental service organization focused on preserving local practices through a cooperative model. With over 30 years of experience in orthodontics and entrepreneurship, Dr. White transformed his twenty-location orthodontic practice into an innovative DSO that now supports over 130 locations while maintaining doctor ownership and community integration.
His vision for preserving dentist autonomy while building multi-generational practices has led to remarkable results, including 50 percent profitability increases across member practices in challenging market conditions.
Episode Highlights
In this episode, find out from Dr. Greg White why dentistry is poised for a spending boom, projected to rise as much as 40% to 50% in the next decade. Here are some highlights from the show:
Founding PepperPointe Partnerships
PepperPointe Partnerships was built to protect the legacy of dentistry by keeping ownership in the hands of dentists, not private equity. Instead of competing, practices came together under one innovative structure that safeguards true ownership, ensures retiring doctors can maintain their lifestyle, and opens affordable pathways for new graduates. The lesson? Stop seeing each other as competitors and start building together.
The power of partnership
When you stop chasing quick exits and start building for the long term, everything changes. Dr. White’s model shows that by aligning doctors around shared ownership, accountability, and reinvestment, you can increase profitability even through crises like COVID, supply chain shortages, and high interest rates. Instead of squeezing value for three to five years, his groups focus on creating enduring businesses that last for generations, attract new talent, and share profits directly with doctors. This creates stronger cultures, better patient care, and a 50 percent rise in profitability in just six years.
Why most groups fail
Running a group with dozens of equal partners isn’t easy. Different voices, perspectives, and effort levels make alignment tough. But that’s also what creates resilience and opportunity. Success in this model comes down to the only three things you can truly control: your attitude, your choices, and your effort. When partners lean into those, they unlock growth far beyond what they could achieve alone. When they don’t, results vary.
The future of dentistry
The future of dentistry is powered by two forces: patient demand for aesthetics and the smart use of technology. Patients will continue to spend more on looking good, driving growth in dental care. For practices, success isn’t about chasing every new tool but about building a strong culture, clear strategy, and then using technology to amplify that vision. Focus on culture, accountability, respect, and digital-first workflows, and you’ll not only attract new patients but also the next generation of dental talent.
About The Dental Economist Show
Don’t miss insightful conversations with industry experts on the latest trends and top strategies to grow your DSO or dental business. Tune in to The Dental Economist Show each week as we meet at the intersection of profit and purpose. Listen to full podcasts here:
