From international expansion to new dental colleges to practice milestones, 2025 has been full of wins for dental industry leaders.
The 35 leaders featured in this article are speaking at Becker’s 2025 Fall Future of Dentistry Roundtable, set for Sept. 29-30 at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago.
If you work at a DSO or dental practice and would like to be considered as a speaker at a future event, please contact Scott King at sking@beckershealthcare.com.
Note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What has been your biggest win this year?
Christopher Brendemuhl, DMD. Director of Dentistry of Valleywise Health Medical Center (Phoenix): Our biggest win is the matriculation of our first resident for our newly accredited Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency program. It is the culmination of multiple years of planning and work to create and develop this program. We are over two months into this residency year, and not only has our resident exceeded all expectations, but we are already receiving applications for next year’s program. We’ve done all of this while also increasing our department-wide clinical encounter numbers as well as improving our patient satisfaction survey scores! We are a safety net healthcare system, focused on delivering exceptional care to every patient, every time. We’ve built a program that we’re incredibly proud of, and we couldn’t have done that without the support of our larger healthcare organization and partners like the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program.
Jeffrey Carter, MD, DMD. Founder and Chief Medical Officer of US Dental Surgery Network (Nashville): US Dental Surgery Network achieved full FDA DSCSA compliance by August 2025, a major milestone for its multistate oral surgery and general anesthesia platform. An internal wholesale pharmacy distribution division was implemented to manage and track controlled substances directly from manufacturers to surgical patients. Leveraging the Hercules Platform for digital anesthesia records and Bluelink ERP software, all records became digital. By eliminating paper 222s through CSOS technology and digitized DEA-required perpetual drug inventories across 50 clinics, the system enhances accuracy, security and efficiency while ensuring regulatory adherence.
This advancement strengthens patient safety and operational reliability across the network. It sets a new standard for dental surgery compliance and medication management in 2025. We are now ready for the mandatory serialized, package-level data exchange for FDA products and all DEA controlled substances.
Mark Censoprano, Co-CEO of MAX Surgical Specialty Management (Hackensack, N.J.): There’s no bigger win than forging partnerships with elite surgeons and their teams, delivering excellence in operational support, growth, peace of mind and prosperity. This year, we’ve partnered with six dedicated surgeons across the Northeast who are breaking new ground in OMS, and the momentum is only accelerating. I’m proud we’ve stayed true to our surgeon-led roots, providing surgeons with the operational excellence to stay at the top of their clinical game while they advance the profession and deliver exceptional patient outcomes.
Greig Davis. Managing Partner of QX Equities (Nashville, Tenn.): Implementing DentRec! DentRec is an advanced financial reconciliation tool that reconciles collections posted in the practice management system with our accounting software. With DentRec, we now have accurate day sheet reconciliations and posting and have eliminated hundreds of hours of manual labor.
Leilani Dawson. VP, People and Culture of Imagen Dental Partners (Scottsdale, Ariz.): Our biggest win this year has been the recruiting process enhancements that reduced time-to-fill by 35%, an average of 13 days faster, despite increased hiring demand. These improvements ensured patients continued to be served and revenue protected. By analyzing our processes, data and technology, we delivered these results without adding recruiting headcount, without stretching our recruiters too thin and while maintaining a strong candidate and hiring manager experience.
Jaideep Deshpande. Executive Director, Strategy and Marketing of University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry: We received the green light from leadership to move from discovery to full implementation of Epic Wisdom across the College of Dentistry. This will unify our patient record with UI Health, modernize scheduling and chair utilization, access to MyChart for patients and unlock analytics for research and value-based care, improving access and outcomes, especially for complex and special-needs patients.
Stacia Edmond. Director of Recruiting of Lumio Dental (Jenks, Okla.): My biggest win this year has been living out our core value of continuous improvement. In such a highly competitive industry, staying innovative and thinking outside the box to attract top dentists is a huge accomplishment. Our competitors aren’t just the large DSOs, but also small and mid-sized groups, along with private practices, so staying sharp, creative and in tune with the market is vital.
Armin Ghamari, DDS. Clinic Director of 42 North Dental (Waltham, Mass.): We partnered closely with specialists to keep referred patients on track across providers. Referral drop-off is a common failure point, so we built shared treatment plans, closed-loop communication and clear patient guidance across offices. We’re seeing higher completion rates and a smoother experience for both patients and teams. It’s a meaningful step toward truly coordinated care and a big win for patients and providers.
Iquebal Hasan, BDS. Associate Dean of Academic Affairs of Tanner College of Dental Medicine at the University of Pikeville (Ky.): My most significant achievement this year was guiding the school through its initial CODA accreditation. As associate dean of academic affairs, I carried responsibility not only for academics and admissions but also for research. It taught me how to balance high-stakes external review with internal growth and teamwork. I was incredibly pleased with myself that I was able to navigate my part successfully, and we received approval from CODA.
Sherry Hassler. COO and EOS Integrator of Today’s Dental Nebraska (Omaha): The biggest win of 2025 has been shaking off the post-COVID hiring drought. The more we’ve trusted ourselves to lean into hiring and firing by our core values, the stronger our culture has become.
Haim Haviv. Founder and CEO of Hudson Dental (New York City): This year, we’ve made big strides on two fronts: expanding specialty services and tightening operational execution. We’ve launched orthodontics, periodontics and oral surgery under the Hudson Dental umbrella, bringing more care under one roof and strengthening the patient journey.
On the operations side, we brought on an Operations Lead who transformed our daily focus — tracking everything from missed calls and online reviews to launching a centralized, systemwide recall effort across overdue hygiene, unscheduled treatment and cancellations. The result has been greater visibility, stronger accountability and real momentum in both growth and patient retention.
Geith Kallas, DDS. CEO of Smile Makers Dental Center (Tysons Corner, Va.): This year, our biggest win at Smile Makers Dental Center has been achieving true vertical alignment across every level of our organization. We’ve experienced strong, measurable growth across all locations, but what makes it truly rewarding is how we’ve achieved it—by building from the inside out. We’ve finalized and implemented comprehensive systems and protocols across all departments, empowered each location to operate independently with confident, self-sufficient teams and cultivated a positive, unified workplace culture that fully engages our people.
One of the most impactful milestones has been the launch of our internal mentorship program, built around our proprietary ‘Pyramid of Success’ model. This program provides a clear, personalized growth roadmap for every team member, from associate dentists to hygienists, assistants, administrators and every department working behind the scenes.
We’ve also strategically expanded our leadership team and strengthened partnerships across all facets of the dental industry — from technology manufacturers and dental labs to suppliers, third-party service providers and financial institutions. Notably, we’ve secured unlimited funding to support our acquisition strategy, ensuring we’re well-positioned for scalable, sustainable growth. It’s not just about expanding, we’re growing with purpose, grounded in values that prioritize excellence, culture and long-term impact. That’s been our greatest win this year.
Paul Kim. CEO of Planet Smile Partners (Hastings-On-Hudson, N.Y.): Attracting top talent is my biggest win. The people represent the company and provide value. Invest in the people and the return will be 10 times of what you put in, either good or bad.
Natalya Korobeynyk. Director, Operations of ProHEALTH Dental Management (New Hyde Park, N.Y.): This year, we achieved several key operational wins that have strengthened our performance and profitability. We reduced overhead costs by streamlining vendor contracts and centralizing supply ordering, resulting in significant savings across all locations. Our teams optimized provider schedules to maximize chair utilization and minimize downtime, improving production without increasing staffing costs. We also introduced Overjet AI to support our clinicians with real-time radiographic analysis and treatment planning, which has enhanced diagnostic accuracy, improved case acceptance and ensured greater clinical consistency across the organization. Combined with other AI-driven tools for scheduling and revenue cycle tasks, our focus on ruthless efficiency has allowed us to do more with less, boosting output while maintaining lean operations.
Eric Kukucka DD, VP, Clinical Removable Prosthetics & Design Technologies of The Aspen Group (Chicago): Leading the digital transformation of our denture capabilities across the entire Aspen Dental network has been incredibly rewarding this year, especially through the training programs we’ve built at TAG University. We’ve created hands-on courses that teach doctors and lab technicians advanced digital workflows, which really reduces traditional denture-manufacturing errors.
With digital technology, you can mitigate a significant amount of those errors, and our training ensures doctors feel confident implementing these new tools in their practices. As the only denturist on our clinical leadership team, I get to take cutting-edge technology and enable it for implementation across 1,100+ Aspen Dental-branded practices. We’re giving doctors the skills to create better dentures, which means patients who used to struggle now have access to much higher quality solutions.
Maria Kunstadter, DDS. Co-Founder and CEO of The TeleDentists (Overland Park, Kan.): Delighted to announce our global expansion with our first franchise in the UK. We launched our new partners this week. And look forward to expanding access to care globally, adding new locations every month.
Eduardo Laventman. COO of Lone Peak Dental Group (Denver): As the new COO at Lone Peak Dental Group, my role centers around analyzing and improving our people, processes and technology. This year, my biggest win has been our focus on people. I’ve personally visited 90% of our 74 practices in seven months, which has given me first-hand insight into daily operations and allowed me to build strong relationships with our providers and teams.
These visits have not only helped bridge the gap between our support center and the field but have also fostered trust and collaboration. I strongly believe that putting first things first means having the right people in the right roles. That alignment is essential for sustainable growth.
By focusing on culture and connection early on, we’ve laid the groundwork for meaningful change. We’re already seeing stronger engagement and buy-in from our doctors and teams, which will be critical as we begin to evolve and scale our processes to serve even more patients effectively. Enhancing the culture of support across our group has been the foundation for everything that comes next.
Emily Letran, DDS. CEO of Sea Breeze Dental (Huntington Beach, Calif.): My biggest win so far is to transfer management of my offices to my daughter, Class of 2023 graduate. It is very important for us to understand the concept of delegation and leveraging talents. Leaving the new graduates to make decisions of their own, with indirect supervision, is an invitation for them to grow and be challenged. This is a courageous path of leadership.
Sara Mahmood, DDS. Founder and CEO of brush365 (Dallas): My biggest win this year has been launching a comprehensive, A-to-Z onboarding and ongoing training program for my team at brush365. We built a full library of video content paired with automated workflows so every team member, whether clinical, admin or leadership, can learn consistently and revisit material as they grow. It’s transformed how quickly new hires get up to speed and has raised the bar for how we deliver dentistry with integrity across all locations.
Leann May. COO of Iowa Dental Associates (Spirit Lake): This year’s biggest win has been building and implementing a comprehensive operating system for Iowa Dental Associates: streamlining workflows, elevating regional leadership and strengthening financial and clinical standards. By simplifying Dentrix Ascend processes, tightening RCM performance and structuring vendor and financing partnerships, we’ve created a scalable foundation that supports both practice growth and smooth new-office integrations.
Bijal Mehta, DDS. Co-Owner, Mehta Dental Group (Anaheim, Calif.): Our most impactful win this year was gaining approval to bring RDAEF2 auxiliaries into the Central Valley Network — California’s largest and most underserved region. This game-changing step expands access, accelerates patients’ treatment plans and strengthens our ability to deliver high-quality care where it’s needed most.
Nimesh Patel, DMD. COO of Brite Dental Partners (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.): My biggest win, if you can call it that, is realizing that culture in our industry is the most important KPI. After higher than normal attrition in all offices and the loss of 90% of our clinical team in two weeks, I realized that our OMs knew their numbers but not their team members. We’ve shifted gears and are having the OMs spend more time with their team and less with spreadsheets. It’s too early to see if this will work, but early signs are positive.
Francesca Pregano. COO of Smile Makers Dental Center (Tysons Corner, Va.): My biggest win this year has been achieving organizational alignment across Smile Makers Dental Center, which has directly fueled both our growth in revenue and profitability in 2025. This success didn’t come from one initiative alone, it’s the result of working alongside my leadership team to unite multiple departments under a unified purpose: delivering a 5-star patient experience.
As COO, I’ve remained intentional about reinforcing our core values, mission and culture of accountability at every level of the organization. We’ve refined and standardized our operating procedures so that every step of the patient’s journey, from the first phone call to treatment completion, delivers consistent excellence. This alignment has reduced inefficiencies, strengthened trust with patients and most impactfully, created clarity for our teams.
A significant part of this win has also been the development of leadership within our offices. By coaching middle management and office administrators, reinforcing clear performance metrics, and holding teams accountable to both successes and setbacks, we’ve created a culture where leaders are empowered to drive outcomes. This structure allows us to scale sustainably while ensuring that quality of care and patient satisfaction remain at the forefront.
Ultimately, the biggest win is not just financial growth, it’s building a strong, values-driven infrastructure that allows Smile Makers to expand while never losing sight of what matters most: our patients and our people.
Sundeep Rawal, DMD. SVP, Implant Support Services of Aspen Dental (Chicago): My biggest win this year has been seeing how the TAG Oral Care Center for Excellence is changing lives on two fronts. Since opening in 2022, we’ve provided over $20 million in free comprehensive dental care to underserved Illinois residents, while also becoming the ultimate training ground for doctors who want to grow their skills. We’re attracting incredible talent to the Aspen Dental network because doctors know they can come here and learn advanced implant techniques with real patients in a state-of-the-art facility. There’s nothing like hands-on patient education for professional development, and that’s exactly what we offer. The best part is watching doctors gain the confidence to take these skills back to their practices and help more patients in their own communities, creating life-changing moments that restore not just smiles, but hope and dignity.
Cherie Score. Director, Hygiene Support of Elite Dental Partners (Chicago): Joining Elite Dental Partners last July has been an incredibly exciting journey, filled with meaningful opportunities to contribute to positive change. While I’m proud of many initiatives I’ve been involved in, my biggest win, and what I’m most proud of, is the development and implementation of a standardized, robust hygiene onboarding program.
In today’s hiring climate, clinicians are seeking more than just a paycheck, they’re looking for connection, growth and purpose. When I started, our hygiene team was experiencing high turnover and low engagement. Focusing on our Clinician First Culture, I partnered closely with our senior leadership and training and development teams to create an interactive onboarding and career development experience tailored specifically for our dental hygienists.
This program emphasizes 1:1 support and includes a thoughtful onboarding timeline for skill development, allowing clinicians to learn, grow and truly feel part of our dental family. Seeing the impact this has had on engagement and retention has been incredibly rewarding, and I’m excited to continue building on this foundation.
Mithila Sharma, DDS. Director, Clinical and Prosthodontic Support of Aspen Dental (Chicago): My biggest win this year has been transitioning from practice ownership into clinical and prosthodontic support leadership where I can empower even more doctors to succeed with implant therapies. Having owned and operated practices for over a decade, I understand the real challenges clinicians face when integrating advanced technologies like 3D printing and digital implant systems.
What excites me most is sharing practical, real-world insights that genuinely work in daily practice. Working with TAG University and the TAG Oral Care Center for Excellence has been especially rewarding because it allows me to mentor doctors through hands-on training, helping them build confidence, expand their capabilities and bring life-changing treatments to their communities.
It’s deeply fulfilling to take the lessons I’ve learned over the years and use them to support other doctors as they grow their skills, their practices and ultimately the level of care they can provide to their patients.
Leah Sigler. President of The TeleDentists (Overland Park, Kan.): We have established the first international franchise in the UK for The TeleDentists. We are thrilled to expand internationally, as access to dental care is a global issue. With our new partners in the UK, The TeleDentists has begun the process of global reach and addressing the World Health Organization’s mandate to include oral health in universal healthcare, utilizing technology and telehealth to provide access to care.
Stef Simich. Director, People Development of Lone Peak Dental Group (Denver): Our biggest win this year has been seeing our unwavering investment in people really take hold. We rolled out the Doctor Leadership (mentorship) Series and expanded Lone Peak University, and it’s been incredible to watch our teams not just learn new skills but apply them with confidence. Seeing doctors and leaders bring that growth back into their practices has been the most rewarding part for all of us.
Mariz Tanious, DDS. Chief Dental Officer of Affinity Dental Management (Holyoke, Mass.): This year, the main achievement was moving dental care toward a more complete and team-focused approach. By combining patient education, clinical outcomes and business needs, old boundaries within dentistry are being broken down. Dental providers are now thinking about the full health of patients and working more closely with doctors to improve care for everyone. Tools like Overjet AI and Dentlogics help providers and their entire team make better decisions using technology and learning. Together, these changes are closing the gap between current and ideal dental care and making constant improvement a regular part of our organization.
Chris Villanueva, DMD. Founder and CEO of MB2 Dental (Dallas): Our most significant achievement this year has been reaching the milestone of our 800th office. This was highlighted by our partnership with The Smile Lodge, which stands as the largest single-practice affiliation in the history of our company.
Sami Webb, DDS. CEO of Epic4 Specialty Partners (Scottsbluff, Neb.): Our biggest win has been bringing the EPIC4 pillars to life by fully building out our internal team and infrastructure at scale, ensuring every one of our 65 partner locations has the support and resources needed to thrive. This foundation allows us to stay true to our mission while driving organic growth, helping more patients than ever before begin their smile journey with the confidence that they will receive the highest-quality results. For us, it’s about living out our values, building smarter and creating sustainable growth that protects the legacy of our practices and quality patient care.
Lawrence Weiss, DDS, Chief Executive Officer, New York Family Dental (New York City): What my team and I have realized after painstakingly trying to get our data better and better this year is that sometimes it is good enough and you can’t let perfection get in the way of progress.
This has helped save time and expenses but most importantly has allowed us to make faster decisions.
James Willis, DDS. CEO of Willis & Associates Family Dentistry (Crozet, Va.): Our biggest win this year has been proving that a dentist owned, bootstrapped group can still scale with purpose and discipline in a landscape increasingly dominated by private equity. We’ve grown to 21 locations while keeping control of our culture, doctor-led decision making and patient experience.
Victoria Yu, DDS. CEO and Chief Dental Officer of Elite Dental Partners (Chicago): My biggest win this year has been leading EDP in transforming how we operate by fully embracing a clinician-first culture. We’ve realigned our strategy, systems and support teams empowering our clinicians to provide the highest level of patient care. That shift has not only elevated the experience for our providers but also strengthened engagement across our practices and improved outcomes for the patients we serve. It’s been a truly transformative year, and I believe this foundation will drive sustainable growth and innovation for years to come.
