Smile Source
Empowering independent dentists through buying power, marketing support, continuing education, and collaborative practice management
No clinician wants to practice on an island. And we’re not talking about an actual island with palm trees and white sands—but a virtual island that lacks the support, resources, and community needed for a practice to thrive in our increasingly competitive dental market. But instead of dialing up that competition, Smile Source, a growing and diverse network of over 1,000 dentists, aims to bring private practices together.
“Smile Source is the first group I’ve heard of whose sole intention is to focus on independent dentists and help them become more successful and competitive,” said Denver, CO, clinician and educator Dr. Gary Radz, who became a Smile Source member about 5 years ago and now sits on its board of directors.
Smile Source helps clinicians grow their practices in 4 key areas—buying power, marketing support, continuing education, and collaborative practice management—without having to relinquish their practice ownership.
"Smile Source is the first group I've heard of whose sole intention is to focus on independent dentists and help them become more successful and competitive."
-Gary Radz, DDS
So Much More Than Savings
What might initially grab clinicians’ attention is the immediate savings. By leveraging its pool of over 750 practice members, Smile Source negotiates pricing with vendors—leading dental manufacturers, labs, dealers, and service providers—who have been vetted and selected to be part of its formulary.
"Smile Source has multiple lab partners that doctors can choose from and see a 30% to 40% reduction in their lab bill immediately," added Dr. Radz.
So, why not just join a dental buying group? “What you find as soon as you become a member of Smile Source is that it is so much more than just a buying group. For example, the continuing education aspect is pretty unique to what we do,” said Dr. Radz.
Smile Source continually surveys its members to identify subject areas they are most interested in, and then finds or develops continuing education to meet those needs. This can mean providing members with discounted fees to attend courses or creating entirely new ones. Creating course content that directly addresses the needs of its members is a key benefit.
“If we see a lot of interest in a specific area, then we research it, partner with the right vendors, find a great speaker, and create a new course,” said Dr. Radz.
Fostering Growth
Private practice clinicians may often feel discouraged competing against DSOs with multimillion-dollar marketing budgets. Smile Source supports its members in this feat by providing access to valuable marketing audience data and making personalized recommendations—whether they’re building a practice from the ground up or growing a 20-year legacy.
Smile Source members also enjoy plenty of face time through local Smile Source groups that meet multiple times a year to discuss business and marketing challenges, share best practices and ideas, or ask for advice in a noncompetitive space.
“For me, this is a really big deal,” said Dr. Radz. “I didn’t know a lot of dentists in my area, but after 5 years of being a Smile Source member, some of my best professional friends are people I’ve met in my local Smile Source group.”