The Apex Perspective features conversations with Apex Dental Partners’ leaders, exploring the real issues shaping today’s dental practices. Hosts Matt Hale and David Lohmann sit down with guests from across the organization to talk culture, leadership, growth, patient experience, and the business side of dentistry. Honest perspectives. Practical insights. Real conversations for doctors and leaders in modern private practice.
What does it take to keep growing as a dentist long after dental school?
In Episode 14 of The Apex Perspective, Becoming the Dentist You Want to Be, Matt Hale and David Lohmann sit down with Dr. Brennan Welch to explore the decisions, relationships, and experiences that have shaped his approach to dentistry and professional development.
Dr. Welch shares why he pursued a general practice residency, how mentorship has influenced nearly every aspect of his career, and why he believes growth requires being willing to step outside your comfort zone. He also reflects on the challenges of transitioning from dental school into practice, including the leadership, communication, and business skills that aren’t always emphasized during clinical training.
The conversation also explores the importance of remaining open to unexpected opportunities, learning from other dentists, developing leadership skills, and making intentional decisions about continuing education that translate into meaningful improvements in daily practice.
2 Oct 2026
A Lifetime in Dentistry
What becomes clear only after spending more than five decades in dentistry?
In Episode 13 of The Apex Perspective, Matt Hale and David Lohmann sit down with Dr. Doug Bogan to reflect on a career shaped by private practice, continuing education, organized dentistry, mentorship, and service.
Dr. Bogan shares how the profession has changed over the course of his career, from the way dentists enter practice to the expanding role they play in a patient’s overall health. He also reflects on what has stayed consistent, including the importance of strong patient relationships, continued learning, and building a career around more than the work happening in the operatory.
The conversation also explores the responsibility experienced dentists have to help develop the next generation, how younger doctors can think about long-term career decisions, the role of service and organized dentistry, and why Dr. Bogan believes ethics and professionalism ultimately come down to the individual rather than the practice model they choose.
9 Sept 2026
The Parts of Dentistry Nobody Really Plans For
What happens when a career in dentistry takes turns you never planned for?
In Episode 12 of The Apex Perspective, Matt Hale and David Lohmann are joined by Dr. Terry Reavis to reflect on nearly four decades in dentistry and the lessons that only time, ownership, and experience can reveal.
Dr. Reavis shares how his practice grew alongside his community, how dentistry changed over the course of his career, and why relationships with patients and team members ultimately mattered more than he realized early on.
The conversation also explores the physical demands of the profession, the importance of planning for what comes next, and how an unexpected health event accelerated Dr. Reavis’ retirement and reshaped the way he looked back on his career.
16 Aug 2026
Who Are You Becoming as a Leader?
Being the doctor doesn’t automatically make you a leader.
In Episode 11 of The Apex Perspective, Dr. Layla Lohmann joins Matt Hale and David Lohmann to talk about her own evolution from believing her responsibility was primarily clinical to recognizing the role she had to play in leading her team, shaping the culture of her practice, and taking ownership of its success.
They discuss why leadership starts with personal accountability, how consistency builds credibility with a team, what it takes to become more comfortable with difficult conversations, and why effective leadership doesn’t have to look the same for every doctor.
The conversation also explores how Layla’s own leadership development influenced the way Apex thinks about supporting doctors and practice teams today, and why becoming a stronger leader often starts with deciding who you want to become.
31 Jul 2026
Communication Under Pressure: Self-Awareness, Accountability, and Stronger Teams
What changes when leaders become more intentional about how they communicate?
In Episode 10 of The Apex Perspective, Matt Hale and David Lohmann are joined by Apex co-founder Dr. Layla Lohmann to explore how self-awareness, communication styles, and intentional leadership shape stronger teams and healthier workplace cultures.
Drawing from her own experience as a practice owner, Dr. Lohmann shares how learning to adapt the way she communicates transformed her relationships with patients, team members, vendors, and fellow leaders. Together, they discuss why effective communication starts with self-awareness, how tools like DISC can help leaders better understand those around them, and why clarity and accountability go hand in hand.
The conversation also explores navigating difficult conversations, recognizing personal communication blind spots, reducing unnecessary friction within a team, and building stronger relationships through greater empathy and intentionality. Whether you’re leading a dental practice or any growing organization, this episode offers practical insights for becoming a more effective communicator and a more impactful leader.
17 Jul 2026
Proactive Patient Care Playbook: Confidence, Communication, and Consistency in Action
What does proactive patient care actually look like in practice, and how can dentists present it with greater confidence and consistency?
In Episode 9 of The Apex Perspective, Matt Hale and David Lohmann are joined by Apex co-founder Dr. Layla Lohmann to explore how a proactive approach to dentistry can strengthen patient understanding, improve treatment acceptance, and create better long-term outcomes.
Drawing from her own evolution as a practice owner and clinician, Dr. Lohmann shares how she moved beyond a “wait and watch” mindset without changing her commitment to thoughtful, conservative care. Together, they discuss why proactive dentistry is not about recommending more treatment, but about helping patients understand their current condition, the risks of delaying care, and the options available to them.
The conversation also explores the role of confidence, communication styles, technology, and team alignment in making proactive care part of the daily patient experience. From using dental health scans and AI to create greater clarity, to helping team members understand the purpose behind new workflows, this episode offers practical insight into building consistency around a patient-first philosophy.
Ultimately, proactive care begins with the confidence to communicate clearly and the discipline to follow through. When patients understand what is happening, why it matters, and what their choices are, they are better equipped to make informed decisions about their long-term oral health.
3 Jul 2026
The Financial Realities of Private Practice: What Doctors Often Overlook
What really drives the success of a dental practice, and why do so many dentists struggle to see it clearly?
Most dentists are trained to focus on clinical excellence. But as practices grow, the factors that shape long-term success often extend far beyond patient care alone.
In Episode 7 of The Apex Perspective, Matt Hale and David Lohmann are joined by Apex CFO Tully Wyatt to explore the financial realities behind private practice dentistry and the operational decisions that quietly influence performance every day.
The conversation challenges common assumptions about growth, profitability, and practice management, examining why numbers matter, how culture and accountability shape results, and what happens when business decisions become disconnected from the patient experience. Along the way, they discuss the role of leadership, the importance of measuring what matters, and why the healthiest practices are often the ones that understand the connection between people, operations, and financial outcomes.
19 Jun 2026
What You Don’t See When You’re Too Close to Your Own Practice
What happens when a successful practice becomes harder to manage than it is to grow?
In Episode 7 of The Apex Perspective, Matt Hale and David Lohmann sit down with Dr. Jonathan Sanderson to discuss the realities of building a multi-location dental group and the challenges that often emerge long after the numbers say you're successful.
Over the course of his career, Dr. Sanderson helped grow a single practice into a four-location group. Along the way, he discovered that growth doesn't just create opportunities. It creates complexity. Staffing, leadership, training, and operational responsibilities all begin competing for the same limited time and attention.
The conversation explores a challenge many dentists quietly face: the better a practice performs, the easier it becomes to overlook the systems, processes, and support needed to sustain that success. Dr. Sanderson shares what it was like navigating those pressures, the moment he realized something needed to change, and how finding the right partner helped him refocus on the parts of dentistry he enjoyed most.
For dentists who have ever felt pulled between practicing dentistry and running a business, this episode offers an honest look at the hidden demands of growth and what happens when success starts creating as many challenges as it solves.
11 Jun 2026
True Partnership in Dentistry: Why Alignment Defines Success
What does “partnership” actually mean in dentistry, and why does alignment matter more than the structure on paper?
In this episode of The Apex Perspective, Matt Hale and David Lohmann are joined by Ben Willoughby, Vice President of Business Development at Apex Dental Partners, for a conversation about one of the most used, and often misunderstood, words in the dental industry: partnership.
They explore why partnership is about more than equity, purchase price, or a legal structure. True partnership depends on alignment, shared expectations, communication, and a clear understanding of what both sides are trying to build together.
The conversation also digs into what doctors should be asking before choosing a partner, why culture matters more than most people realize, and how long-term success depends on finding an organization whose values, leadership style, and vision actually fit.
Partnership is easy to promise. This episode explores what it takes to make it last.
18 May 2026
Balancing Innovation with Simplicity: How Technology Should Actually Work in Dentistry
Is more technology actually making dental practices better, or just more complicated?
In Episode 5 of The Apex Perspective, Matt Hale and David Lohmann are joined by Apex Chief Information Officer David Hanson to challenge how dentistry thinks about innovation in a rapidly evolving landscape.
With new tools, platforms, and AI solutions constantly entering the space, the pressure to adopt is real. But this conversation takes a different angle. Instead of focusing on what is new, they explore how practices can stay grounded in what actually matters, identifying real problems, simplifying workflows, and making decisions that hold up long after the excitement of a new tool fades.
They unpack why some practices get stuck chasing technology while others use it to quietly accelerate, how adoption often breaks down at the team level, and why complexity, not cost, is often the bigger risk. The discussion also touches on the growing expectations from patients and how convenience, accessibility, and experience are becoming just as important as clinical outcomes.
24 Apr 2026
Why Building a Thriving Practice Starts with Developing the People Behind It
What actually determines whether a dental practice grows or stalls?It is easy to point to marketing or technology., but what if the real growth strategy is sitting in the break room?
In Episode 4 of The Apex Perspective, Matt Hale and David Lohmann are joined by VP of Operations Christina Powell for a candid conversation about building successful teams and why developing people is often the most overlooked lever in dentistry.
They explore the difference between training and true development, why so many practices misdiagnose staffing problems, and how small leadership habits, like immediate feedback and clear expectations, quietly shape culture every single day. The discussion moves beyond hiring and into something deeper: ownership, mindset, accountability, and what happens when a team genuinely feels invested in the success of the practice.
20 Mar 2026
What Kind of Support and Development Should a Dentist Expect from a DSO?
What should “support” actually mean when you are choosing a DSO, and why do so many dentists realize too late that it wasn’t what they thought?
In Episode 3 of The Apex Perspective, hosts and co-founders Matt Hale and David Lohmann are joined by Dr. Layla Lohmann and Dr. Michael Fooshée to take a closer look at one of the most commonly used, and least clearly defined, words in dentistry: support.
From mentorship to leadership development, the conversation explores what real growth actually looks like at different stages of a dentist’s career, and why confidence often plays a bigger role than clinical skill alone. They also unpack the role of community, why environment shapes development more than most expect, and how to recognize whether an organization is truly invested in your long-term success.
Support is easy to promise. This episode challenges what it actually takes to deliver.
30 Jan 2026
Everything is Marketing
When most dentists think about marketing, they think ads, tactics, and new patient numbers. But what if that mindset is exactly what’s holding practices back?
In this episode, hosts Matt Hale and David Lohmann sit down with Jake Dold, Chief Marketing Officer at Apex Dental Partners, to unpack a bigger idea: that everything a practice does is marketing, whether it realizes it or not. From the first Google search to the phone call, the first visit, and years of ongoing care, every touchpoint shapes trust and long-term growth.
They discuss why great marketing starts inside the practice, how small breakdowns quietly cost practices patients, and why no amount of advertising can fix a poor experience. The conversation challenges common assumptions and reframes marketing as a support system, not a volume play.
The dental industry has gotten very good at talking about marketing, but not always at understanding it. This episode challenges the idea that growth comes from spending more and instead looks at why alignment, consistency, and experience matter far more than most practices realize.
3 Dec 2025
The Apex Perspective: Why we built Apex
What happens when three people look at the dental industry and all see the same problem, yet no one else is fixing it? In our very first episode, founders Matt Hale, David Lohmann, and Layla Lohmann pull back the curtain on the conversations that changed everything.
They share the frustrations they couldn’t ignore, the moment they realized the traditional model was fundamentally broken, and the surprising principles that became the backbone of Apex Dental Partners.
If you have ever wondered why Apex exists, or what sparked a partnership model that many said wouldn’t work, you will hear the origin story exactly as it unfolded. And the turning point that convinced them they had to build something different? You might be surprised.
Listen in and discover the belief that started it all.
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