DSO Leaders Reveal Top Priorities for Fall 2025
This DSO article was written by Planet DDS and originally published in DrBicuspid.com.
Despite ongoing technological changes and staffing challenges, dental support organization (DSO) leaders are doubling down on smart, sustainable growth strategies to take them through the final months of 2025.
From talent retention and tech optimization to expanding clinical access and building infrastructure, six executives at Dykema’s 12th Annual DSO Conference shared their top priorities for the rest of the year, offering key insights to where the industry is heading next.
Talent Retention and Provider Support
With staffing shortages still top of mind, DSOs are prioritizing efforts that keep providers supported and engaged, both clinically and culturally.
“Our priorities are focused on talent retention, technology optimization, and disciplined growth,” said Mick Janness, CEO of Oakpoint. “We are working to expand our human resources reach in helping practices better recruit, engage, and retain team members.”
For Yahya Mansour, DDS, co-founder and chief dental officer of Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics, strengthening the doctor pipeline is as much about systems as it is support: “Our top priorities are strengthening doctor retention, streamlining clinical operations, and expanding leadership capacity at the office level. As demand continues to grow, we must build durable systems that support scale without sacrificing quality.”
Dale Hockel, CEO of Great Expressions Dental Centers (GEDC), also emphasized the importance of team support: “Recruitment and retention of providers remain a critical priority, and we are advancing efforts to create supportive, high-performance environments where operators and clinicians can thrive.”
Progressive Dental Management is focusing on provider development at every stage. “Our key priorities include building out centralized systems, advancing provider enrichment programs, and launching two prototype practices,” said COO Emma Cifuentes. “We’re also doubling down on doctor leadership development and team retention to ensure we’re building a sustainable and resilient foundation for the long term.”
Expanding Access to Patient Care
As DSOs scale their operations, improving access remains central to their strategies, particularly in underserved communities.
“In the second half of 2025, our priorities are focused on expanding access, enhancing patient care and engagement, and continuing to invest in our clinical teams and leadership,” said Dale Hockel. “These initiatives reflect our belief that sustainable growth comes from continuously improving the experiences of both patients and providers.”
At SOHDental, increasing access is tied to facility and provider growth. “We’re expanding multiple facilities and hiring more providers to increase access to care,” said Samson Liu, DDS, CEO. “We’re also ramping up our affiliation pipeline to continue expanding our geographical footprint.”
Smile Brands is focused on boosting availability of services through expanded provider schedules and procedures. “Smile Brands will continue to focus on expanding provider days and access to care while expanding the procedure base by offering an ever-widening array of continuing education opportunities,” said CEO Steve Bilt.
Operational Efficiency and Technology Optimization
Improving internal workflows, automating processes, and integrating smarter tools is a priority across organizations as DSOs look to scale more effectively.
“We’re investing in technologies that can simplify the electronic claims processing and revenue cycle,” said Dr. Samson Liu. “This will reduce human error, reduce the administrative burden on practices, and increase efficiency and accuracy. We are also focused on education and training for the new providers we’ve hired.”
Oakpoint is taking a similar approach. “We’re accelerating AI-powered analytics and automation to streamline workflows, improve patient journey tracking, and enhance back-office operations,” said Mick Janness.
At Smile Brands, technology is also playing a central role in organizational efficiency. “We will continue to streamline our technology and process backbone to enable more efficient support to each of our practices,” said Steve Bilt.
GEDC’s executive team is focused on digital patient engagement and optimizing front-office operations. “The teams are focused on streamlining the patient journey by leveraging digital tools and optimizing front-office processes,” said Dale Hockel. “We also plan to deepen our use of AI and analytics to personalize care delivery and improve clinical outcomes.”
Clinical Expansion and Specialty Growth
From launching new products to expanding specialty services, DSOs are doubling down on strategic expansion.
“The first priority is growth,” said Dr. Samson Liu. “We’re rolling out Curodont, a remineralizing dental gel.”
Mick Janness noted that Oakpoint is allocating capital toward footprint growth in targeted areas. “We continue to invest CapEx dollars to expand our existing footprints, with an emphasis on specialty care, where we see a significant runway for growth and differentiation in underserved markets.”
Emma Cifuentes added that Progressive Dental Management is testing new clinical models for broader application: “Our key priorities include building out centralized systems, advancing provider enrichment programs, and launching two prototype practices—one general dentistry and one pediatric-led specialty office—that will serve as scalable models for future expansion.”
Smile Brands is also exploring opportunities to grow through affiliations. “Finally, we continue to look at like-minded groups to extend our reach over time,” said Steve Bilt.
Leadership and Scalable Infrastructure
Strong leadership and system-wide support remain a shared priority as DSOs look to scale with consistency.
“By investing in our providers, anchoring teams with strong local leadership, and enhancing same-day care protocols, we’re positioning ourselves to grow smart—and sustainably—through the back half of the year.” said Dr. Yahya Mansour.
GEDC is building a leadership team designed for long-term impact. “We’ve built a high-caliber and industry leading executive team, with recent promotions of Dr. Jessica Buehler, DDS, as CCO and President, Nathan Smith as SVP of Care Delivery, and added a critical role and industry veteran, Theresa Neuhauser, as Chief Growth Officer,” said Dale Hockel.
Build Your Growth Strategy Now
While each DSO or dental group brings a unique approach to growth, they are all focused on building scalable systems that support both providers and patients. Whether through AI adoption, talent development, or expanding access to care, these DSO leaders are preparing for a future in which innovation, efficiency, and clinical excellence will define the most successful dental organizations.
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