For over 20 years, Aspen Dental’s Practice Ownership Program has helped dentists become confident clinical leaders and business owners, with support at every step
When Nathalia Rodriguez, DMD, joined Aspen Dental in 2019, practice ownership wasn’t part of her plan. Like many recent dental school graduates, she felt confident in her clinical abilities but far less prepared to run a business. “At first, I just wanted to focus on becoming the best clinician I could be,” she said.
That hesitation is increasingly common, with research from the ADA Health Policy Institute showing ownership rates among early-career dentists declining significantly over the last 2 decades. Aspen Dental’s Practice Ownership Program fills that gap with a structured, supported path to practice leadership and clinical autonomy.
Unlimited Growth
After about a year working as an associate dentist, Dr. Rodriguez took on more responsibility as a managing clinical director, where she got her first real look at how a practice runs beyond the operatory.
“What stood out to me was that Aspen Dental didn’t put a ceiling on how much I could grow,” she said. “People kept encouraging me.”
Next, Dr. Rodriguez spent 4 days at The Aspen Group (TAG) headquarters in Chicago, where she took part in leadership scenarios, mock interviews, and role-play exercises built around the business side of operating an office. Soon after, she purchased her first practice in Georgetown, TX. “That moment was both terrifying and exciting,” she said. “I remember asking myself, 'Am I really doing this?'"
From 1 Practice to 5
Today, Dr. Rodriguez owns 5 Aspen Dental practices in the Austin, TX, area. The hardest practice to open, she said, was the second one.
“At that point, I realized I couldn’t do everything by myself,” she said. A follow-up course for Aspen Dental providers on multi-practice ownership gave her a framework for building systems, delegating work, and keeping care consistent across locations. That made opening her third, fourth, and fifth practices much easier.
“Aspen Dental gave me a path that I really didn’t think was possible 7 years ago,” Dr. Rodriguez shared. “Every time I open a practice, it creates opportunities not just for our patients but for my team members. Watching someone step into new responsibilities and accomplish something they thought was out of reach—that’s what’s most rewarding to me.”
Dr. Rodriguez encourages dentists who see themselves in her story—dedicated to the work, but unsure of the path ahead—to consider Aspen Dental.
“Don’t wait until you feel like you have it all figured out,” she said. “You won’t, and that’s okay. Whether you want to be a single- or multi-location practice owner, Aspen Dental provides all the tools you need to achieve that.”
