Introduction
Growth sounds great until you run out of people to handle it.
Dr. Blake Hamblin’s practice is approaching 300 new patients in a month. That’s a great problem to have, but it creates another question:
Who is going to do all the dentistry?
That question is where a lot of growing practices get stuck.
The owner generates more demand, the marketing works, new patients keep coming in, and suddenly the practice needs more doctors.
At that point, hiring isn’t simply about finding someone with a dental degree.
Blake is looking for something much more specific.
He wants dentists who can connect with people, communicate well, deliver strong clinical outcomes, work hard, and continue growing. He also wants people who can eventually help other doctors and team members grow.
That’s important because the goal isn’t to build a practice where every patient depends on one dentist.
The goal is to build a group of excellent dentists who can support one another.
That creates something much more valuable than additional production.
It creates capacity.
And capacity gives the practice room to grow.
“If you know how to communicate with people, if you know how to connect with people, then the dentistry and the money and all the other things take care of themselves.”
Growth Changes the Hiring Question
When you’re doing $800,000 a year, your hiring question may be:
“Can this person help me get through the schedule?”
When you’re building toward several million dollars, the question becomes different:
“Can this person help me build what comes next?”
Blake’s practice is a good example.
The practice is creating enough new-patient demand that Blake isn’t simply looking for someone to fill an empty schedule. There are patients waiting to be treated and enough treatment opportunities to support additional doctors.
The practice is looking for four dentists while also exploring opportunities to open additional practices in the Houston area.
That changes the definition of a good hire.
You don’t just need another set of hands.
You need someone who can contribute to the culture, treat patients well, develop clinically, and eventually take on more responsibility.
Read: Want to Grow? Fix Your Hiring First
Hire for Connection Before You Hire for Everything Else
Blake’s first requirement isn’t an implant certification.
It isn’t a production number.
It isn’t a specific procedure.
It’s the ability to connect with people.
He describes the ideal dentist as someone with high emotional intelligence who enjoys being around people, communicates well, builds relationships, and is simply a good person.
That tells you something about how Blake views dentistry.
Clinical skill matters.
But dentistry happens inside a relationship.
A dentist has to communicate with:
- Patients
- Assistants
- Hygienists
- Front-office team members
- Other doctors
- Leaders
- Future team members
If someone struggles to connect with people, additional clinical training won’t automatically solve the problem.
A dentist who can communicate, listen, build trust, and work well with others has a much stronger foundation to build on.
The “Good Dentist” Test Is Too Small
When interviewing an associate, don’t stop at:
“Are they clinically competent?”
Ask:
- Do patients naturally connect with them?
- Do they communicate clearly?
- Do they enjoy working with other people?
- Can they build relationships?
- Do they bring positive energy into the practice?
- Are they someone other doctors will want to work beside?
Those questions tell you much more about long-term fit.
Clinical Skill Still Matters
Connection comes first in Blake’s hiring philosophy, but that doesn’t mean clinical standards are low.
They’re not.
He wants doctors who are clinically competent and confident enough to walk into an operatory and perform the foundational dentistry they were trained to do.
The important distinction is this:
You don’t have to know everything.
A dentist doesn’t need to arrive already trained in every implant pathway, advanced procedure, or specialty treatment.
That’s part of what the practice can help develop.
What Blake does want is a strong clinical baseline.
The associate should be able to provide:
Great patient experience + strong clinical outcomes.
That’s the combination.
“When you merge those two, you have a really good future in dentistry.”
Hiring Insight:
Connection Comes First
Clinical skills matter, but Blake starts with the ability to connect with people. Look for dentists who communicate naturally, enjoy being around people, build relationships, and work well with others. A strong clinical foundation can continue developing, but poor communication can affect the entire patient and team experience.
Don’t Hire Only for What They Can Do Today
This is where growing practices have an advantage.
A dentist can join with strong general dentistry skills and then expand.
Blake describes a wide range of clinical opportunities available inside a practice generating significant new-patient volume.
Those opportunities can include:
- Fillings
- Crowns
- Bridges
- Invisalign
- Root canals
- Extractions
- Bone grafts
- Immediate implants
- Cosmetic dentistry
- Full-arch dentistry
That doesn’t mean every associate needs to become an expert in all of them.
In fact, Blake’s point is almost the opposite.
Let doctors grow in different directions
One dentist may want to become excellent at general dentistry.
Another may want to pursue implants.
Another may want to develop full-arch skills.
Another may want to focus heavily on cosmetic dentistry.
The practice can create an environment where different doctors develop different strengths.
That’s how you build a team rather than a collection of identical providers.
Growth Insight:
Don’t Hire Only for Today
A dentist may join your practice doing general dentistry and eventually develop into implants, full-arch, cosmetic, or other advanced procedures. Hire someone with a strong baseline and the confidence to learn. The goal isn’t to find someone who already knows everything. It’s to find someone capable of becoming better.
Build a Stable of Dentists Who Support One Another
One of Blake’s bigger ideas is to create a stable of great dentists who can support one another.
That’s different from simply hiring several associates.
If every doctor operates independently, you have multiple providers.
If those doctors actively help each other grow, you have a team.
That distinction becomes especially important as the practice expands.
A doctor who learns a new procedure can eventually help another doctor.
A doctor who is strong with patients can help someone else improve communication.
A doctor with leadership ability can help develop assistants, hygienists, or other providers.
Blake specifically describes associates helping lead and grow assistants, doctors, and hygienists.
That’s leverage.
The practice doesn’t just gain another dentist.
It gains another person capable of making the people around them better.
Read: How to Scale Without Burnout
Leadership Insight:
Build Replacement Capacity
The strongest associate teams don’t operate as isolated providers. Doctors help each other, develop team members, and create enough overlap that one person’s vacation doesn’t create a crisis. That turns hiring from a production decision into a capacity and leadership decision.
Your Associate Can Be More Than a Producer
This is an important mindset shift for owners.
An associate doesn’t have to be valuable only because of how much dentistry they produce.
They can also create capacity throughout the organization.
Think about what happens when doctors can cover for one another.
Someone takes a vacation.
Another doctor can help.
Someone gets sick.
The practice doesn’t grind to a halt.
A doctor needs help with a procedure.
Another doctor can step in.
Someone wants to learn a new skill.
Another doctor can teach them.
Blake describes the goal as having doctors who are intermingled enough that they can help and replace one another when needed.
That is a much stronger model than having one “hero dentist” carrying the entire practice.
“When one wants to go on vacation, the other doesn’t suffer.”
Read: The 6 CEO Focus Areas That Create Dental Practice Momentum
Define What Success Means Before You Hire
One of the smartest parts of Blake’s approach is recognizing that dentists don’t all want the same career.
That matters when you’re hiring.
One dentist might want to become an elite clinician.
Another might want to produce as much dentistry as possible.
Another might want to become a partner.
Another might want leadership responsibility.
Another might simply want to do excellent dentistry and have a great life outside the office.
None of those goals is automatically wrong.
The mistake is putting someone into a role that doesn’t match what they actually want.
Blake talks about defining what success looks like for each person.
Think About Three Types of Associate Goals
1. The Clinical Doctor
Their definition of success is becoming better clinically.
They’re excited about continuing education, advanced procedures, and improving their skill set.
Give them opportunities to learn.
2. The Production-Focused Doctor
They are motivated by doing more dentistry and increasing their production.
Give them volume.
Give them patients.
Give them a clear path to increase their clinical output.
3. The Future Leader or Partner
They want more responsibility.
They may want to help lead the team, develop other doctors, or eventually participate in ownership.
Give them opportunities to lead.
The point isn’t to force every dentist into the same definition of success.
The point is to understand what motivates them and build a path around it.
When people feel fulfilled by what they’re doing, they’re more likely to stay engaged and committed.
Quick Tip:
Define Success Early
Ask every associate what success means to them. Some want advanced clinical training. Some want production. Some want leadership or partnership. When the practice understands the individual’s goal, it can build a path that creates fulfillment instead of forcing everyone into the same model.
Don’t Assume Every Great Associate Wants Partnership
Owners sometimes assume that the best associate is automatically someone who wants ownership.
That isn’t necessarily true.
Blake describes multiple paths that can work, including an actively developing partnership track.
But the key is flexibility.
Some doctors want ownership.
Some want clinical growth.
Some want high production.
Some want leadership.
Some simply want to practice great dentistry.
A good practice can accommodate different versions of success.
That makes the opportunity stronger because the doctor isn’t forced into a career path that doesn’t fit them.
The better question is:
“What does this person want to build?”
Then:
“Can our practice help them build it?”
Hire Someone Who Raises the Standard
Blake also draws a clear line around work ethic.
He wants people who don’t want mediocrity.
That matters because a growing practice can’t afford to have people who are comfortable staying exactly where they are.
The expectation isn’t that everyone has to become an owner.
It’s that everyone should want to improve.
For a growing team, look for doctors who:
- Have a strong work ethic
- Want to improve
- Communicate well
- Work well with others
- Care about patient outcomes
- Want to grow clinically or professionally
- Are willing to help other people improve
That’s the type of person who can eventually contribute beyond their own operatory.
The Same Dentist You Hire Today Could Help Build Tomorrow’s Practice
Blake isn’t only hiring for his current practice.
He’s also considering dentists who could eventually partner with him to open additional locations in the Houston area.
And his ideal candidate doesn’t change.
He wants strong communicators.
Strong producers.
People who work well with others.
People who can lead.
People who can grow other people.
That means the hiring standard for the current practice and the hiring standard for future locations are essentially the same.
That’s a powerful way to think about hiring.
Don’t ask:
“Who can fill this position?”
Ask:
“Who could eventually help us build the next version of this organization?”
That question produces a very different candidate profile.
Read: Before You Open a Second Dental Office
Make the Practice a Place Where Dentists Can Learn
One of the most practical lessons from Blake’s story is his willingness to let other dentists come observe the practice.
Dentists can shadow.
They can spend a day.
They can spend a weekend.
They can have dinner with the team.
They can see how the practice works.
They can learn different styles of dentistry.
Blake says this comes partly from his own experience with a mentor who maintained an open-door policy and allowed dentists from different places to visit and learn.
That is more than recruiting.
It’s a culture of learning.
Don’t Sell the Opportunity. Let People Experience It.
If you’re trying to recruit a high-quality dentist, don’t rely only on a job description.
Let them see the practice.
Let them meet the team.
Let them watch dentistry.
Let them ask questions.
Let them experience the environment.
Then both sides can make a better decision.
The dentist gets to see what the opportunity actually looks like.
The owner gets to see how the candidate interacts with the people and environment.
That’s far more informative than a resume.
The Associate Hiring Framework
If you’re hiring an associate right now, use this simple framework.
1. CONNECTION
Can they connect with people?
Look at communication, emotional intelligence, relationships, and patient interaction.
2. CLINICAL BASE
Can they confidently perform foundational dentistry?
They don’t need to know everything.
They need enough clinical competence to deliver a strong patient experience and good outcomes.
3. GROWTH
What do they want to become better at?
Find out what motivates them clinically and professionally.
4. CONTRIBUTION
What can they add beyond their own production?
Can they help assistants, hygienists, other doctors, or future leaders grow?
5. FIT
Does their definition of success match the practice?
Don’t force a clinical-growth dentist into a leadership role.
Don’t assume a production-focused dentist wants partnership.
Don’t assume every excellent dentist wants the same career.
6. FUTURE
Could this person help build what comes next?
The best associate may eventually become a leader, partner, mentor, or future practice owner.
“The beautiful thing is, is it’s the same exact person.”
What 300 New Patients Really Changes
The headline number is 300 new patients.
But that’s not really the story.
The real story is what happens when demand exceeds one doctor’s capacity.
At that point, the practice has a choice.
The owner can keep trying to personally handle more.
Or the owner can build a team capable of handling the opportunity.
That’s the transition from individual production to organizational capacity.
And that’s where the next level of growth happens.
You don’t need every dentist to be you.
You need a group of dentists who are excellent at what they do, who work well together, and who can continue getting better.
That gives the practice something one dentist can never create alone:
More capacity without making one person carry all of it.
Read: From 20 to 100 New Patients
Key Takeaways
- A growing practice needs more than additional dentists. It needs the right dentists.
- Communication and the ability to connect with people are foundational hiring traits.
- Strong clinical fundamentals matter, but associates don’t need to arrive knowing every advanced procedure.
- High new-patient volume can create opportunities for associates to grow clinically.
- Build a team where doctors support, teach, and replace one another.
- Define what success means for each associate instead of forcing everyone onto the same career path.
- Some dentists want clinical growth. Others want production, leadership, or partnership.
- Hire people who want to improve and don’t accept mediocrity.
- Let prospective associates experience the practice through shadowing and observation.
- Think beyond the current vacancy. Hire people who could help build the next version of the practice.
Conclusion
When your practice starts generating more patients than you can personally handle, you have reached an important point.
You can keep trying to do more yourself.
Or you can build a team.
Dr. Blake’s approach is clear.
Start with people who connect with other people.
Make sure they have a strong clinical foundation.
Give them opportunities to grow.
Figure out what success looks like for them.
Then create an environment where doctors can support one another.
That’s how a practice goes from needing another dentist to building a team of dentists.
And that’s the real opportunity behind reaching 300 new patients.
The goal isn’t simply to find four more people to fill operatories.
It’s to find the people who can help you build what comes next.
Listen to the Full Episode
Want to hear Dr. Blake Hamblin and Gary Bird break down what a high-growth dental practice actually looks for when hiring dentists?
Listen to Episode 56 of My Dental Playbook: “We Hit 300 New Patients… Then This Happened.”
