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How to Become the Only In-Network Dentist in Your Area (Yes, It’s Possible)

 

How to Become the Only In-Network Dentist in Your Area (Yes, It’s Possible)

“If you want to have no competition, become a category of one.”
—Seth Godin

That quote hits home for startup owners, doesn’t it? Especially when you’re opening a new practice and trying to stand out in a saturated market.

But what if you didn’t just “stand out”?
What if your practice could be the only in-network provider for local companies in your area?

Let that sink in. We’re talking about:

  • Increased patient flow

  • Predictable, consistent profitability

  • A practice that fills fast and keeps growing

  • Fulfillment from serving more people with excellent care

Sound far-fetched? It’s not. In this episode of the Ideal Practices Podcast, I walk you through the exact strategy to create a local advantage no DSO or private competitor can touch.

Why "Category of One" Practices Grow Faster

You’ll hear how one dental startup landed over 1,000 new patients every month and made the Inc. Top 500 list—without traditional advertising.

Here’s what else we break down:

  • What it means to be a “Category of One” in your market

  • How to structure your own in-house dental benefit plan

  • A strategy to create your own Fee For Service network

  • Why you can skip the headaches of denied claims and pre-authorizations

  • Two unexpected documents your patients will never throw away

  • My personal “Extra Juice” tactic that ties it all together

And yes—it’s all real-world, doable, and used by startups right now to carve out unstoppable momentum in their communities.

Make In-Network Work For You

You don’t have to be buried by PPO negotiations or overwhelmed by third-party games. You can flip the script, create leverage, and become the go-to dental provider for high-volume, high-loyalty patients.

Want to dive deeper into building a competitive edge as a startup?

Here’s where to go next:

Becoming “the only one” in your market isn’t about luck—it’s about strategy. And it starts with making smart, bold choices now.

Let’s build something that lasts.

—Stephen Trutter