Dr. Mario Lucca @luccaofs - Dose of Dental Podcast #240 x Dr. Gallagher's Podcast

Top 5 Topics:

- Ditching Insurance for Fee-for-Service

- Starting a Solo Practice in One of America’s Most Expensive Cities

- The Shocking Ethics of Dental Insurance Pricing

- Wife Joins the Practice + Work-Life Balance in a High-Stress Career

- Lighter Sedation, Wisdom Teeth & Modern Oral Surgery Secrets

Quotes & Wisdom:

"At the time I was newly engaged. I had just turned 40 and it was like, do I repeat the associate track for another 5 years... Or do I just go for it?"

"We're fighting the good fight. I'm a bit of a dinosaur... solo practice startup... just building a brand."

"I feel better now just about having straight costs. This is what it costs; It doesn't matter who you are."

"You can lose 30% [of volume] and still make the same dollar amount. I had belief that it was feasible."

"I have more time with people. I'm not rushed. Patients are paying for that time and they're getting it and it just creates a more enriching experience."

"Sometimes in life... you really have to be tenacious, but sometimes things choose you too... oral surgery chose me."

"I got a little bit of a delayed start, but I was out of residency when I was 35... by ordinary standards we all end up somewhere in our early to mid thirties."

"None of us are in it just to work as a contract. We want it to be satisfying. We want a home base practice that we belong in."

"I would rather work to the end and then just close the doors, than work for another organization for 5 years."

Questions:

03:13 - "Where did you go to dental school, where did you grew up? Let's start from the beginnings."

05:01 - "Wow, so you took a 3 year gap. How was that coming back after 3 years of doing GP work?"

08:00 - "Was it at a practice where other doctors would take higher paying insurance reimbursements? How did that work?"

19:19 - "How do you handle that [financial discussions with patients]? Do you have the conversation... or your office manager?"

38:24 - "What's your typical sedation cocktail, the medication regimen that you use?"

42:36 - "What's your thirds [wisdom teeth] routine?”

52:28 - "They didn't give you a partnership offer? Why not?"

Now available on:

- Dr. Gallagher’s Podcast & YouTube Channel

- Dose of Dental Podcast #240

My watch in this episode = Tag Heuer Aquaracer Calibre 16 Chrono

- 5.2026

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