The Protocol Live

Fair doesn't exist. Deserve doesn't exist. Only earned.

25 years of work earned us the right to do what we do. Not given. Earned.

Sometimes you put in the work and still come up short — that's life. So what? You put the energy in anyway, because no one owes you anything.

Your only competition is the person in the mirror.

"It doesn't seem fair."

I hear that a lot. A young dentist, just under 10 years out, told me she felt stuck taking insurance while watching others build the practice she wanted.

Here's what I told her: fair isn't the point. You have one life, one career, and every year you spend complaining without changing anything is a year you don't get back.

Come back in 12 months with the same complaint and the same choices, and I promise you — sympathy runs out. Nobody's going to fight for your practice but you.

My partner Rob Ritter has a line for this: "We don't use the word fair." Because fair implies someone else owes you an outcome. Nobody does. You build it.

If your local dental society meeting is just a room full of people venting once a month and nothing changes — that's not a strategy, that's a habit.

Decide what you actually want. Then go build it.

Stop asking "are you in-network?" Start asking "do you bill my insurance, and can I pay the balance?"

That $30 copay-style balance (twice a year) means you keep your dentist, your hygienist, and skip the upsell pressure. That's the real win.

Ask better questions, get better care.

Do we take insurance? Yes. Are we in-network? No.

That's the hybrid model — we bill your PPO, apply the payment, and never let an insurance company dictate our value. 50% of our patients have insurance, and that's a win for them.

But if you're strictly in-network elsewhere and your dentist isn't being paid fairly, don't be shocked by the upsells. Fillings, crowns, deep cleanings — ask why you "need" them.

That $75 cleaning your insurance covers? It's costing your dentist money.

So dentists use it as a loss leader — and suddenly you "need" a deep cleaning that pays better. Healthy patient, unnecessary upsell.

We're calling out the shenanigans nobody else will say on camera.

Would you let a company you don't work for decide what your work is worth?

That's exactly what happens when you're in-network. Part 2 breaks down the real cost of "free" cleanings — for dentists AND patients.

"Do you take my insurance?" It's the #1 question in dentistry — and it's more nuanced than yes or no.

There are actually 3 categories:
✅ In-Network — we participate directly with your plan
✅ We Take Insurance — we're not in-network, but we'll bill your PPO and apply whatever they cover
❌ No Insurance Accepted — you pay 100% and handle your own reimbursement

At Ritter + Ramsey, we fall into category 2 — we accept PPO insurance. We bill the insurance, collect the payment, and you're covered for what your plan allows.

Save this if you've ever been confused about how dental insurance actually works 👇

Do you want to be a dentist? Or do you want to be the dentist?

Dentists come to us and we ask them the same question every time: "Was this your plan when you became a dentist?" Most say no. And most never make the changes to get where they actually wanted to be.

Our course isn't a substitute for foundational, hands-on training — it's what ties everything together. It's a mindset change. That's what nobody else is willing to say out loud, and it's exactly what we do differently.

"Why should I take your course instead of a veneer course?"

Honestly? I don't know what to tell you.

There are a million veneer courses out there — some genuinely great. But comprehensive? That's a different game.

We're not teaching one technique. We're walking dentists through the whole chronological journey — customer service, case layup, approach to care, curriculum built for someone 1 year out or 30 years out.

If you're an educator reading this: tell me where your course is different. Because most of what's out there is a "me too."

We're not trying to be everyone's course. We're trying to be the one that actually makes sense once you see the whole picture. 🦷

Marketing companies want you to think patients = a credit card swipe. They don't.

Patients want an emotional connection — with you, your team, your community. That's the miss most practices don't see.