Dental insurance is not automatically the enemy. The bigger problem is often unclear strategy, inconsistent scheduling standards, and making an emotional decision to drop plans before the practice is ready.
In this episode, T-Bone and Meredith explain how to make smarter insurance decisions without going cold turkey. They discuss when an owner doctor can go out of network while the practice remains in network, how to evaluate plans using real revenue data, and why waitlists can help create more control over hygiene schedules, cancellations, and patient behavior.
Main Topics
- Why dropping dental insurance should be a strategic, data-driven decision
- Balancing insurance participation with associate growth and hygiene capacity
- Taking the owner doctor out of network while keeping the practice in network
- Evaluating an insurance plan by revenue, fees, patient behavior, and opportunity cost
- Using waitlists to manage cancellations and limit access to overbooked schedules
- Prioritizing patients who keep appointments and follow through with treatment
- Tracking broken appointments and creating clearer scheduling standards
- Building a gradual plan to reduce dependence on unprofitable insurance plans
In This Episode
- Why “What problem are you trying to solve?” is the first insurance question to ask
- How dropping insurance too early can make it harder to fill an associate’s schedule
- Why associates often need significantly more patient flow than owner doctors
- A $35,000-per-month insurance plan example that was not ready to be dropped
- How medical billing and sleep apnea revenue can affect insurance decisions
- A waitlist framework for last-minute cancellations and repeatedly unreliable patients
- Why future appointments should go first to patients already committed to the schedule
- How clinical standards protect the practice from “supervised neglect”
- Why insurance can support a profitable, high-performing practice when managed strategically
Timestamps
00:00 – The $35K-per-month insurance plan that was hard to drop
00:28 – Why insurance is a major coaching conversation right now
01:55 – Start with the real problem you are trying to solve
03:02 – Owner out of network, practice still in network
04:04 – Why associates need more patient flow
06:47 – Use revenue data, not emotion, to evaluate plans
10:24 – The waitlist strategy for insurance patients and cancellations
11:59 – Prioritizing scheduled patients for short-notice openings
16:46 – Preparing the practice for a future insurance transition
23:31 – Why insurance is not the enemy
Resources & Links
3D Dentists:
https://www.3d-dentists.com/Join the free 3D Dentists community:
https://pro.3ddentists.com/Connect with T-Bone
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/tbonespeaks/ TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@tbonespeaksLinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tbonespeaks/Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/tbonespeaks/reels/YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@tbonespeaksThe Bottom Line
Dropping insurance is not a one-size-fits-all decision. Before leaving a plan, get clear on the problem you are trying to solve, review the revenue and patient data, consider your associate and hygiene capacity, and build a phased plan that protects the practice.
Use waitlists, scheduling standards, team training, and stronger patient conversations to create more control over your schedule. Insurance may not be the enemy. A lack of strategy is.
Small steps create a big future.
What is Dentistry Made Simple with Dr. Tarun 'TBone' Agarwal?
The podcast for dentists ready to transform chaos into confidence—in business, clinical skills, and life.
You didn't go to dental school to become a stressed-out manager, yet here you are—overwhelmed by team drama, stuck at a revenue plateau, and working harder than ever with less to show for it.
Welcome to Dentistry Made Simple, where practicing dentist Dr. Tarun "TBone" Agarwal shares the exact systems, frameworks, and truth bombs that help dental practice owners:
✅ Add $500K-1M in revenue without working more hours
✅ Master profitable procedures like implants with confidence
✅ Build teams that actually run the practice (so you don't have to)
✅ Create predictable growth using the proven 3D GPS framework
✅ Transform from stressed operator to confident CEO
This isn't another theory-based podcast from consultants who've never owned a practice. TBone runs a successful practice while teaching 10,000+ dentists the unfiltered truth about what actually works—from single implant placement to 7-figure practice systemization.
Every Tuesday, get:
Actionable frameworks you can implement immediately
Real case studies with actual numbers (not vague success stories)
Clinical confidence builders for high-value procedures
Leadership strategies that create aligned, accountable teams
Truth bombs that challenge everything you think you know about practice success
Whether you're an ambitious associate ready to level up, a growth-minded owner hitting the ceiling, or a veteran who's lost the spark—this is your roadmap to practice transformation.
Join thousands of dentists who've discovered that success isn't about working harder—it's about working smarter with proven systems from someone who's actually in the trenches with you.
New episodes drop every Tuesday. Subscribe now and stop building a job. Start building a business.