.png)
📚 Why Business Education Is the Missing Piece in UK Dentistry
- Dr Dan Shaffer
- Jul 6
- 3 min read
By Dr Dan Shaffer, Active Aligners
You can have the sharpest hand skills in your clinic. Deliver smile makeovers that stop people in their tracks. Build a flawless clinical reputation.
But if you don’t understand how to manage your money, lead a team, or structure your business...you’ll always hit a ceiling.
That’s the uncomfortable truth facing thousands of UK dentists right now.
Despite years of education and professional development, many clinicians still feel overwhelmed, underpaid, and stuck — not because they lack talent, but because they were never taught the business of dentistry.
🏥 We Learned How to Treat Patients — Not Run Practices
Ask most dentists how confident they feel in:
Reading a set of management accounts
Delegating effectively
Building a high-performing team
Creating multiple income streams
Understanding tax and profit strategy
The answer? Not very.
And it’s not their fault.
Dental education in the UK — while rigorous clinically — still leaves a gaping hole when it comes to real-world financial literacy, leadership training, and commercial thinking. These aren’t just “nice-to-haves.” They’re essential skills for building a sustainable, fulfilling career in dentistry.
💸 Why This Gap is Hurting Dentists (and the Profession)
Here’s what we see happening time and time again:
Associates undervalue themselves and never gain financial independence
Principals burn out trying to micromanage every aspect of the business
Practices operate on fragile margins due to poor pricing, inefficient systems, or unclear planning
Great clinicians walk away from the profession early, simply because the pressure becomes too much
Meanwhile, patients expect more. The market is evolving. And dental business owners are expected to wear more hats than ever.
So the question is:
Why are we still expected to figure it all out as we go?
📈 What Business Education Really Offers Dentists
When dentists start to learn business principles — not just clinical protocols — everything changes:
They start to charge appropriately for the value they deliver
They create systems that give them time back
They understand how to structure their finances for growth and security
They develop confidence as leaders, not just providers
They build careers that are resilient, scalable, and fulfilling
And here’s the key: you don’t need an MBA to get there.
You need clear, relevant, dental-specific knowledge — delivered by people who’ve been in your shoes.
🧠 Where to Start (and What to Look For)
If you’re looking to fill this gap in your career, start by exploring:
Business podcasts and YouTube channels created by dentists
Financial literacy courses designed for healthcare professionals
Masterminds, workshops, and conferences where clinicians share how they built successful businesses, not just beautiful composites
Books on leadership, systems, and marketing — even outside the dental space
One example? The Business of Dentistry Summit brings together real-world experts to share practical business, finance, and mindset strategies for UK dentists — a rare space where commercial acumen meets clinical relevance.
🔄 From Surviving to Thriving
The truth is, we’re long past the point where “drill and fill” alone is enough.
Dentists today are:
Business owners
Team leaders
Entrepreneurs
Content creators
Mentors
Investors
...whether they realise it or not.
Learning how to thrive in these roles isn’t just good for your bottom line — it’s good for your patients, your team, and your long-term wellbeing.
👣 Final Thoughts: Start Small, Start Now
You don’t have to overhaul your entire practice overnight.
But you can:
Spend 30 minutes a week learning about profit and loss
Take a course in delegation or team culture
Work with a mentor who’s already built what you want
Shift your mindset from clinical provider to practice leader
Because dentistry isn’t just a career. It’s a business.
And the sooner we’re trained to run it like one, the sooner we start winning — on every level.
For more insights into building a fulfilling, financially sustainable dental career, explore articles, tools, and event listings at www.bizdentistry.com.
Let’s change the way dentists think about business — together.
Comments