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Office Visit: The Heart of a Network by Benjamin Lund, Editor, Dentaltown Magazine

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The Heart of a Network
by Benjamin Lund, Editor, Dentaltown Magazine

Dr. Jeff Whiteside started the first day of his career as a dentist with a network of supporters, a benefit many just-graduated dentists can’t claim to have. With Heartland Dental Care’s community of professionals, he was able to springboard his practice into the bustling office he has today. Herein, Dentaltown Magazine talks to Dr. Whiteside about why he chose the dental service organization route, and why he thinks calling it “corporate” is a misnomer.

Dr. Whiteside, tell me why you chose dentistry as your profession?
Whiteside: It was in high school when I first considered working in the health-care profession. I just wasn’t sure which branch of health care I wanted to join. It was my parents who first suggested I observe at my hometown dental office. I found that the dental profession could fulfill many of the core values that my parents instilled in me while growing up such as work ethic and serving the community in a positive way. I also found that dentistry allowed me the opportunity to serve while still fulfilling my core value in having time to spend with my wife (and soon to be born daughter!). In addition to fulfilling my desire to work in health care, I saw dentistry as an opportunity to be an active and respected member of my community as well as to be able to provide a stable income for my family. Dentistry has proven to be the ideal professional fit.



Tell me about your experience in dental school.
Whiteside: In dental school, not only did I receive a great clinical education, but I also encountered several instructors and members of the dental profession who were instrumental in shaping me into the professional I am today. During my time in dental school, I had several opportunities to serve the community including volunteering for Give Kids a Smile as well as serving on a dental mission trip to Jamaica. I was also a member of the Xi Psi Phi Dental Fraternity.


How did you get involved with Heartland Dental Care (HDC)?
Whiteside: I attended a presentation by the HDC Recruiting Team during my fourth year of dental school. I was incredibly impressed with the presentation and in what Heartland had to offer any dentist, much less a new graduate. The opportunities for both professional and personal growth are almost unlimited within HDC and it was immediately obvious to me during that presentation that HDC was the best fit for me. I have never regretted that decision and am so glad I attended that presentation.

Why did you choose to join HDC rather than become an associate at a stand-alone practice or try to start your own practice?
Whiteside: My concern with being an associate at a traditional stand-alone practice was limited growth opportunity. The owner doctor has to have enough patients to satisfy his or her economic needs as well as having enough to share with an associate. While doing my research into associate practices, I realized that only a small percentage of dental practices actually have that economic reality. Starting my own practice right out of school was not much of an option due to the macro-economic situation in the country at the time. Added to that is the fact that I could not envision myself running a business directly out of school while trying to focus on delivering high quality dentistry to my patients on a consistent basis. I believe that many new dentists have those same concerns and we just don’t have those skill sets right out of school. I knew I didn’t! I chose HDC and I would do the same today because of the opportunities to work in a busy practice right away alongside strong, experienced doctors, the ability to be able to focus on my patients while learning how to run a successful business, attend continuing education classes and have both personal and professional support from HDC’s mentor program.

What is the one thing you’ve learned about dentistry that you wish you had learned in dental school?
Whiteside: That’s an easy question for me. Without hesitation my answer would be leadership. I have learned that while doing the clinical dentistry is demanding, it’s really the easiest part of my job description. Learning how to lead and inspire team members to do better and to be better than even they themselves believe possible is something I was never exposed to in school. Our team is the most important asset our practice has. I owe it to them to work everyday to become the best leader I possibly can. HDC and the other doctors within our practice have helped me grow in my leadership more than I can explain.

What have you learned at HDC that you never learned in dental school?
Whiteside: Besides leadership skills it has to be my communication skills. One of the “rocks” that HDC is built upon is communication. I have found that communication between doctor and patient, doctor and team members, as well as between team members is the most critical aspect to having a successful dental practice. While I have always considered myself able to “talk” with just about anyone, it became evident to me rather quickly that I needed to learn how to truly and openly communicate. Without clear, concise and meaningful communication, patients are less likely to get the treatment they want, need and desire. In addition, without open communication between doctors and their teams, team members are left without a clear vision of what the practice’s goals and vision are. We spend quite a bit of time in our practice and as a company fine-tuning our communication skills every day. I can’t stress enough how important communication is.

Tell me about a typical day at your office. How many hours do you work? What sorts of patients do you see? Tell me about your team. Tell me about HDC’s input.
Whiteside: A typical day in our practice starts with a 15-minute huddle each morning. We come together as a team to get our “game faces on” and prepare for our day. We follow the YTT morning huddle formula. YTT stands for Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Each department within our practice (business, hygiene and doctor) has the opportunity to discuss what went well for them the previous day, what they are working on as well as any opportunity that today might present to serve our patients and what tomorrow looks like so we can plan for that as well. The huddle is instrumental in getting us focused on our patients and in communicating between ourselves. Our practice has a mixed payer profile. We want to be available to serve as many patients as we can while remaining a viable business model. While most of our patients are fee for service, we do have a healthy mix of PPO plans as well. Our office consists of three full-time equivalent dentists, six business assistants, six hygienists and six dental assistants. Every team member within the practice is very well trained and committed to helping our patients in as many ways as we can every day. HDC supports our team structure. They support us in many ways so that we as doctors and as a clinical team can focus on delivering the highest quality dental care possible for our patients.

Your particular office is pretty new. Did you have any input in its design or construction?
Whiteside: We recently relocated our practice into a beautiful new facility. We have a spectacular freestanding building that our entire community is talking about. While HDC took on the responsibility of the primary design of the facility as well as interviewing contractors and securing bids, the team had the opportunity to review the plans and to offer input. The new facility is not only aesthetically pleasant, it is functional and comfortable for us to work in and for our patients to enjoy. Our practice was quite successful prior to our move, but since our relocation, our growth has been explosive.

What’s the biggest advantage to working for a “corporate” dental entity?
Whiteside: I don’t like the word “corporate” as it stirs up too many negative images. “Corporate” insinuates that some “corporate” entity is constantly looking over your shoulder, maybe even telling me what to do. My experience with HDC is the exact opposite of that. HDC and its administrative team are there to support my team and me. I am the leader and decision maker in my practice, yet I always know that I have a coach in HDC just a phone call away if I need help. I find the biggest advantage in working with HDC is having a network of doctors that I can contact at a moment’s notice with any type of question. I can have dozens of supportive and meaningful answers literally within minutes to any questions I might have. The network is available through the company wide e-mail, the mentor program and at company and doctor functions.

What would you say is the biggest disadvantage?
Whiteside: The one possible disadvantage that I have found is that HDC is an open-book company. That means that every day our practice numbers are tracked and posted on the company intranet so that anyone from within the company can see what it is I am doing on a daily basis. We know what our peers in the other affiliated offices are doing on a daily basis, viceversa, they know what I am doing. HDC is not a very good place for someone to hide! Truth be told, I like that we’re an open book. I can compare my performance to some of the best, most productive dentists in the country to see how my clinical standards measure up. If I were a solo practitioner, I would not have access to that kind of information. Being involved with an open book company has helped me become a better clinical dentist as well as a better leader and businessman.

What surprised you the most when you started working in a dental practice full time?
Whiteside: The most surprising thing was my realization that doing the actual clinical dentistry was the easiest part of my day-to-day job. I was also surprised at how many people want to get treated the same day they come to see us. As a doctor, I thought patients didn’t mind being rescheduled to another day for their needed treatment. I had to teach myself to quit thinking like a doctor and how to think more like a patient. Patient’s want treatment today! Saying yes to our patients and getting them cared for the same day was the single most important “aha” moment I have had, and has helped us grow our practice to where it is today.

What would you recommend to those in dental school right now?
Whiteside: Learn and experience everything you possibly can while in dental school. Most importantly, learn how to give painless injections and then learn how to do predictable, routine endo and extractions. Patients want to be cared for same day when possible, especially when they’re in pain. Providing treatment to patients in a painless manner especially when they’re hurting will cause a practice to immediately experience growth.

Tell me about your favorite part of your job.
Whiteside: Working together with my team to deliver a high quality dental experience and improving the patient’s oral health.

What are your five favorite pieces of equipment in your practice? Why?
Whiteside:
  • Kavo Comfort Drive Electric Handpieces – quiet and efficient while preparing teeth
  • Picasso Lite Soft Tissue Laser – lightweight and easy to set up
  • Intra-oral Camera – great way to communicate the patient’s needs to them
  • Feather Light LED Loupe – so light that I don’t even notice it on my loupes
  • Digital X-rays – quick and, in my opinion, more diagnostic


You’ve been a member of Dentaltown since 2009. In what ways has it been a resource for you?
Whiteside: I receive Dentaltown Magazine and I spend a lot of time on the Web site. Dentaltown has been a valuable resource to me in that it provides information on just about any technique and product. I often use the message board search to read threads for information on any dental topic.

What other dental resources do you use?
Whiteside: JADA, Epocrates, Illinois Dental News.

Let’s say someone told you couldn’t be a dentist anymore. What would you do?
Whiteside: I would probably be a science teacher at the high school level and maybe serve as a coach for one of the athletic teams.

When you’re not practicing, what do you like to do to unwind?
Whiteside: I enjoy working out, sports, boating, hunting and spending time with my wife and family.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
Whiteside: Five years from now, I hope to be the best leader that I can be, delivering the highest quality dental care that I can deliver to our patients.
Dentaltown Magazine
October 2025
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