Introduction

There is a reason associate compensation creates so many arguments among dentists.

One person says 28%.

Another says 30%.

Someone else says 32%.

Then the conversation moves to collections versus production, minimums, insurance, bonuses, and when the associate gets paid.

The math matters.

But Dr. Blake Hamblin and Gary Bird argue that the math is only one piece of the decision.

The bigger question is whether the owner, associate, practice, and patients are all getting enough value from the relationship.

You can build a compensation formula that looks great for the owner and terrible for the associate.

You can also build one that looks fantastic for the associate while making the practice impossible to operate profitably.

Neither creates a good long-term relationship.

The better approach is to start with the practice itself.

Is there enough patient demand?

Is there enough opportunity?

Does the practice have systems that work?

Would a good dentist actually want to work there?

And does the associate have enough upside to make the opportunity worth taking?

“There is no perfect answer to any of this.”

That’s the mindset shift.

Instead of asking, “What’s the perfect associate percentage?”

Ask:

“How do we create a deal where everybody wins?”

---

Compensation Is Not the Whole Deal

A dentist looking for an associate position can easily get trapped comparing percentages.

28% versus 30%.

30% versus 32%.

Production versus collections.

Those numbers are easy to compare because they’re sitting right there in the contract.

The harder things to measure can actually matter more.

Blake points to:

• Culture
• Mentorship
• Integrity
• The people you’ll work with
• The environment
• The opportunity available
• How much you actually enjoy being there

If two practices offer similar compensation, but one gives you great mentorship and a huge patient opportunity while the other gives you a slightly higher percentage and little opportunity, the higher percentage may not be the better deal.

That’s especially important for newer dentists.

Start with the opportunity

Before obsessing over the percentage, ask:

“What need am I filling?”

If a practice has more patients than its current doctors can handle, an associate can create significant value.

If a practice doesn’t have enough patients to keep another doctor busy, the percentage may not matter much.

You could negotiate 35%.

It doesn’t help if you’re sitting around waiting for patients.

“Have you married the right person?”

The best associate relationship starts with the right match.

---

Owner and Associate Need the Same Goal

This is where compensation conversations often go sideways.

The owner thinks:

“How can I keep enough margin?”

The associate thinks:

“How can I maximize my income?”

Both are reasonable.

The problem starts when each side builds a compensation system designed only for themselves.

The owner can create a formula that technically works financially but makes the associate unhappy.

The associate can negotiate a formula that maximizes their income but puts too much pressure on the practice.

Then the associate leaves.

The owner starts over.

Another dentist gets hired.

More onboarding.

More training.

More time lost.

The better philosophy is simple:

Create a win-win

The owner should want the associate to produce more.

The associate should want the practice to generate more patients.

The practice should benefit from the additional production.

Patients should get access to care faster.

Everyone should have a reason to make the relationship work.

That is a much healthier foundation than trying to “win” the compensation negotiation.

---

The First Question Is Demand

Before you hire an associate, figure out whether the practice can generate enough opportunity.

This is where Gary offers a very simple test.

If you’re unsure whether your marketing is working, change the input.

You have two basic options:

1. Cut your marketing substantially and see what happens.
2. Increase your marketing substantially and see what happens.

Gary favors increasing it when you’re trying to determine whether additional demand is possible.

For example, if you’re spending $5,000 to $7,000 a month, increase the investment and watch the practice.

If new patients increase significantly, you’ve learned something important.

Your marketing can create demand.

Now the associate conversation becomes much easier.

You have patients.

You have treatment.

You need capacity.

But what if growth doesn’t happen?

That’s useful information too.

If you increase marketing and nothing changes, you may have an operational problem.

Maybe calls aren’t being answered.

Maybe leads aren’t being converted.

Maybe the practice can’t get patients scheduled quickly enough.

Maybe the marketing itself isn’t producing.

The point isn’t simply to spend more money.

The point is to identify the constraint.

“It could be operational or it could be marketing.”

Before adding another dentist, understand what’s actually preventing growth.

---

Know When the Owner Has Become the Bottleneck

There’s a particular point where a practice can outgrow a solo dentist.

Blake describes seeing single-doctor practices producing roughly $1.5 million to $2 million a year while handling 200 to 250 exams every month.

That level of production is impressive.

It can also be a warning.

Blake uses 140 exams per month as a key benchmark for a single doctor.

Once you’re consistently beyond that number, the quality of those additional exams can suffer.

Not because you’re a bad dentist.

Because you’re overloaded.

You’re running multiple columns.

You’re checking hygiene.

You’re moving from room to room.

You’re trying to diagnose treatment.

You’re trying to lead the team.

Eventually, something gets squeezed.

More exams aren’t always the answer

A common thought is:

“If I want more production, I need to do more exams.”

But if you’re already overloaded, adding more exams can make the problem worse.

The goal isn’t to personally touch every opportunity.

The goal is to create enough capacity for the practice to handle the opportunity well.

Blake’s example is straightforward.

Some bread-and-butter procedures, such as Class I and Class V restorations, can move to the associate.

That doesn’t mean the owner can’t do them.

It means the owner’s time can be used differently.

Read: How to Scale without Burnout

---

Your Time Needs to Become More Valuable

This is one of the most important ideas in the episode.

If you’re producing $1.5 million by personally doing almost everything, the path to $2 million may not be doing even more dentistry.

It may be freeing yourself to do higher-value work.

An associate can handle some of the procedures that don’t require the owner’s involvement.

The owner can then spend more time on:

• Complex dentistry
• Treatment planning
• Team development
• Leadership
• Training
• Business decisions
• Growth

“Your time needs to become more valuable.”

That’s the leverage.

The associate doesn’t have to replace you.

The associate allows you to stop being required everywhere.

And once you experience that, the practice can begin to use other people in the same way.

Read: The 6 CEO Focus Areas That Create Dental Practice Momentum

---

Don’t Confuse an Associate Minimum With a Bad Associate

Minimum guarantees are another major source of disagreement.

Some owners hear “associate” and immediately think:

“Now I have to guarantee someone’s income.”

Blake’s approach is different.

His practice does use a minimum during the first three months.

But the purpose is onboarding.

During those first three months, the practice is responsible for:

• Training
• Coaching
• Teaching systems
• Explaining protocols
• Helping the associate understand how the office works
• Giving the associate the tools to succeed

After that, expectations change.

The associate should be able to take what they’ve learned and execute.

If they can’t, Blake sees that as a potential fit problem or leadership issue, rather than a reason to maintain a minimum indefinitely.

That distinction matters.

A guarantee can be useful during onboarding.

It shouldn’t become an excuse for an associate to avoid growth.

---

Build the Job You Would Want

Here’s where the responsibility shifts back to the owner.

If you’re struggling to attract ambitious associates, don’t immediately blame dentists entering the workforce.

Look at the job you’re offering.

Blake asks owners to imagine walking into their own office as an associate.

Would you want to work there?

Would you see enough patients?

Would you trust the team?

Would you believe the practice collects effectively?

Would you have mentorship?

Would you have room to grow?

Would you enjoy the culture?

If the answer is no, that’s not an associate problem.

That’s an owner problem.

“You have to build the job you would want to take.”

That means building an environment where a dentist sees opportunity instead of limitations.

Blake specifically describes a practice with strong collections systems, dependable patient volume, mentorship, training, and a culture people want to join.

That’s what makes compensation more attractive.

---

Think About Associate Compensation Like a Sales Opportunity

Gary offers an interesting way to look at the associate role.

Think about a commission-based sales position.

Two things matter:

1. What’s the upside?

How much can you earn if you perform?

2. What’s the volume?

How many opportunities do you have?

An associate position can become extremely attractive when both are high.

A dentist who has significant patient volume, meaningful production opportunity, and strong compensation upside has a reason to work hard.

They also don’t carry the same risks as an owner.

They don’t have to carry the practice’s entire overhead.

They aren’t responsible for the marketing budget.

They don’t have to manage every HR issue.

They don’t have to worry about every operational decision.

That creates a potentially powerful value proposition.

So if your associate applicants are obsessed with the minimum guarantee, ask yourself a different question:

Have you built enough opportunity for them to care about the upside?

---

Redundancy Is a Growth Strategy

Blake describes redundancy as one of the biggest advantages you can create in business.

He originally thought about redundancy with technology and equipment.

If one scanner breaks, have another.

If one autoclave goes down, have another.

The practice shouldn’t stop operating because one piece of equipment fails.

Then he started applying the same concept to people.

Redundancy in:

• Hygienists
• Associates
• Assistants
• Front-office team members

Why does this matter?

Because a business dependent on one person is fragile.

If the only doctor is unavailable, production stops.

If the only hygienist leaves, capacity drops.

If one team member knows the only way to perform a critical task, the system becomes dependent on that person.

Redundancy creates options.

And options create freedom.

“Redundancy is the biggest cheat code in business that you can ever have.”

---

Don’t Just Hire One Person. Calculate the Capacity

Blake offers a useful mental exercise.

If your practice has five people, ask:

“What would it look like if we had ten?”

You don’t have to hire five more people tomorrow.

That’s not the point.

Run the calculation.

What additional capacity would you have?

What additional patients could you serve?

How much additional production could the practice support?

How much freedom would you create for the owner?

Then ask:

“Would that freedom be worth the investment?”

That changes the conversation.

You’re no longer thinking only about payroll.

You’re thinking about what you’re buying with that payroll.

You’re buying capacity.

You’re buying redundancy.

You’re buying flexibility.

And ultimately, you’re buying back some of your time.

---

The Biggest Benefit May Be Freedom

An associate can also change what ownership looks like.

Without another doctor, the owner is tied to the practice.

Want to take a long vacation?

Production takes a hit.

Need time away?

Someone has to cover the patients.

Thinking about retirement?

You may feel like selling is the only option.

With another provider in place, you have more choices.

You can take time off.

You can work fewer clinical days.

You can focus on the business.

You can continue owning the practice longer.

Or you can keep doing dentistry because you enjoy it, rather than because the business requires it.

Gary describes this as buying back your time.

That is a much bigger benefit than simply adding another producer.

---

Challenge Your Own Beliefs About Associates

Blake ends with perhaps the most important challenge for owners who haven’t hired an associate.

Explore your reason.

Not everyone needs an associate immediately.

But owners should understand why they believe they don’t.

Maybe the practice doesn’t have enough demand.

Maybe the systems aren’t ready.

Maybe the owner genuinely prefers being the only doctor.

Those can be legitimate reasons.

But sometimes the reason is fear.

Fear that production will decline.

Fear that the associate won’t produce.

Fear of paying a minimum.

Fear of training someone who might leave.

Blake had those beliefs himself.

His perspective changed when he realized that an associate could give him more freedom, create growth, and allow him to focus on the things where he brings the most value.

“It’s not about you stepping away from the chair. It’s about you stepping into something that’s uniquely yours.”

That’s the real opportunity.

---

The Associate Hiring Framework

Before you hire an associate, work through these five questions.

1. Do we have enough demand?

Test your marketing.

If you increased demand, would the practice have enough patients?

2. Is the owner at capacity?

Look at exam volume.

For a solo doctor, consistently exceeding 140 exams per month is a major signal to evaluate additional capacity.

3. What work can move to another provider?

Identify procedures that don’t require the owner’s direct involvement.

Start creating room for the owner to do higher-value work.

4. Is this actually a great job?

Look at:

• Culture
• Mentorship
• Patient volume
• Collections
• Training
• Compensation
• Growth opportunity

Then ask yourself:

Would I take this job?

5. What does the extra capacity buy?

Don’t stop at production.

Calculate:

More patients + more capacity + more owner time + more flexibility = more options.

That’s the bigger picture.

---

Key Takeaways

• Associate compensation shouldn’t be evaluated by percentage alone.
• The right associate relationship starts with enough patient demand and opportunity.
• A solo doctor consistently handling more than 140 exams per month should seriously evaluate whether they have become the bottleneck.
• Test marketing before assuming there isn’t enough demand.
• A three-month minimum can be useful when it’s tied to onboarding, training, and development.
• Owners need to build a practice where talented associates actually want to work.
• Compensation should create upside for the associate while protecting the health of the practice.
• Redundancy in people creates flexibility and makes the practice less dependent on one person.
• Hiring an associate can buy back the owner’s time without requiring the owner to leave clinical dentistry.
• The best question may not be “What percentage should I pay?” but “How do we create a relationship where everyone wins?”

---

Conclusion

The associate conversation gets reduced to math because math is easy to compare.

28%.

30%.

32%.

Production.

Collections.

Minimums.

Those numbers matter.

But they don’t tell you whether you’ve built a good associate opportunity.

A great associate relationship starts much earlier.

It starts with demand.

It starts with opportunity.

It starts with a practice that has systems, culture, mentorship, and enough patients to keep another provider busy.

Then compensation becomes part of a much bigger equation.

For owners, the goal isn’t to find the cheapest associate.

For associates, the goal isn’t to find the highest percentage.

The goal is to create enough value on both sides that the relationship works.

And if you’re an owner who still doesn’t have an associate, Blake’s challenge is worth taking seriously:

Explore your reason.

You may discover that you’re not actually protecting your practice by doing everything yourself.

You may be limiting it.

---

Listen to the Full Episode

Want to hear Dr. Blake Hamblin and Gary Bird break down associate compensation, practice capacity, demand, minimums, redundancy, and the mindset behind building a win-win associate relationship?

Listen to Episode 54 of My Dental Playbook.