Episode 29: Practice Acquisition Vs. Start-Up Episode 7 with Dr. Williams

Dr. Williams, a seasoned clinician with decades of academic and private practice experience, provides a historical and practical perspective on dental practice ownership. From building a multi-operatory faculty practice within a HUD building to growing alongside Baltimore’s Inner Harbor redevelopment, he explains how dentistry—and the process of opening or acquiring a practice—has evolved across generations. His insights highlight the realities of starting lean, expanding as demand increases, and navigating patient demographics long before modern marketing tools existed.

Dentists will gain an appreciation for how practice models have changed, what challenges remain constant, and how ownership decisions differ dramatically between eras.

Topics include:

● Building a practice from one operatory to a multi-suite facility

● Using used equipment and lean resources to grow sustainably

● How patient demographics and urban development shaped practice growth

● The limited acquisition opportunities available in earlier decades

● How associateships and slow buy-ins functioned historically

● Differences between past and modern startup challenges

● Lessons today’s dentists can learn from long-term practice evolution