The Level Up Podcast w/ Paul Alex

Episode: Scaling Dental Practices into Millions: Dr. Alex Planes’ Blueprint for Growth

Date: September 14, 2025
Host: Paul Alex Espinoza
Guest: Dr. Alex Planes

Episode Overview

This episode brings an inspiring, actionable masterclass for aspiring and established dentists (and entrepreneurs alike) on how to scale a dental practice into a multi-million-dollar business. Host Paul Alex interviews Dr. Alex Planes—a Miami-born dentist who grew from humble beginnings to build multiple eight-figure dental businesses in Florida. The conversation delivers the real, raw challenges, mindset shifts, team investments, and marketing playbooks that fueled Dr. Planes’ explosive growth, as well as his new mission: mentoring other dentists and entrepreneurs to achieve similar success.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dr. Alex Planes’ Humble Beginnings & Journey (02:26–09:24)

• Background: Born and raised in Miami, struggled financially growing up—“The most my grandparents ever made was $8 an hour… There was a time in my life that all we could eat is eggs and white rice for a period of four to five months.” (Dr. Planes, 02:44)
• Initial setback: Allergic to dental acrylics, initially gave up on being a dentist.
• Sales experience: Did various sales jobs—newspaper, insurance; credits sales for building communication skills.
• Critical leap: Encouraged by a friend, decided to pursue dentistry in the Dominican Republic at age 21. "I had no other options. I literally packed my bags, got on an airplane…” (05:04)
• Hardship: Lived with unreliable electricity, nearly robbed twice, but persevered through adversity with daily goals and mental vision boards.
• Graduation & U.S. breakthrough: Graduated after four years, passed U.S. boards, and got into Columbia University.

2. Mindset, Resilience, & Vision (06:42–09:38)

• Daily Mindset: Faced intense lows, but learned from a stepfather, “Take it day by day. So I made small wins every day till eventually it became, like, quarters and then years…” (Dr. Planes, 07:06)
• Manifestation: Used mental vision boards to stay motivated.
• Advice: “If you want it badly, just get on an airplane, do your research… and you start your journey.” (09:25)

3. Starting the Dental Practice & Overcoming Barriers (10:44–13:10)

• First jobs: Worked multiple associateships, making minimal income; realized he needed to move away from Miami to seize greater opportunities.
• Aspen Dental: Became lead dentist; noticed as having business skills.
• Ownership opportunity: Purchased his first practice in affluent but “dead” Vero Beach—faced cultural discrimination and resistance from landlord.
• Breakthrough Growth: “...we went from collecting $300,000 part time… to collecting over $1 million. And then nine months later, I was buying my second location.” (13:10)

4. Scaling Blueprint – The Step-by-Step Growth Strategy (13:33–17:31)

• Core advice: “Leave ego out. Never have ego because it can be taken away… I was still living like a student. I was saving because I knew that I had to have at least 10% of my next deposit…” (13:58)
• Financial discipline: Reinvested profits, lived modestly, didn’t splurge on lifestyle; focused on knowing P&Ls inside out.
• Team Development: Invested heavily in staff training—paid $25,000 for training hygienists (2015); within a year, earned 10x ROI. Later invested $150,000 in advanced programs—practice jumped from $1M to $2.5M revenue. “I got addicted [to investing in development].” (Dr. Planes, 17:16)
• Culture: Stressed the importance of treating staff well—“...you gotta invest into your people. You gotta make sure your people are taken care of…” (Paul, 15:18)

5. Marketing Playbook for Dentists (23:21–30:52)

• Direct Mail Mastery: Sent 8–10,000 branded postcards per month/per location, generating steady stream of new patients.
  • “It’s a numbers game. You’re shooting them out… and then you will convert them in house...” (24:20)
• Digital Ads: Early (2014-2015) adopter of Google and Facebook Ads, with modest ad spend ($1500–$2500/mo), yielding 20X return on ad spend (ROAS).
• Specialized Print: Launched a glossy magazine for high-end procedures (implants, veneers), further boosting premium case volume.
• Expansion: Successfully replicated the blueprint—grew new Orlando practice from zero to $1 million in a year with <$350k total investment.
• Adapting with AI: “With AI… we’re getting everything to the microscopic level right now.” (30:41)

6. Niching Down & Profitable Specialization (27:08–30:17)

• Full Arch Procedures: Shifted focus to high-value full arch dental implants (full mouth reconstructions), scaling from a few cases/month to 30–40/month within two years.
• COVID Opportunity: Despite stress and risk, the post-pandemic boom became Dr. Planes’ most profitable window.

7. Transition to Consulting & Industry Advocacy (31:21–36:11)

• Mission: Now runs “the realest and rawest dental coaching company," mentoring dentists to scale with integrity, avoid exploitative coaches, and embrace full business transparency.
  • “A lot of the dentists are very stuck up, very ego driven… I want to be able to mentor doctors and tell them it’s not all going to be glamour.” (31:43)
• Industry Advice: Urges dentists to stop price wars and race-to-the-bottom discounting.
  • “You guys are not competing against each other—you’re competing against Chanel, Louis Vuitton, cruise travels, vacations… Don’t lower your prices anymore.” (Dr. Planes, 33:32)
• Legacy: Building an educational resource for doctors and entrepreneurs, grounded in authenticity and proof of results.

8. Building Community & The Human Side of Success (36:19–40:02)

• Lifestream You Community: Founded a platform for entrepreneurs/dentists for business support, health, and work-life balance, especially during burnout.
• Personal Costs: Candid about business success straining family/marriage, emphasizing need for boundaries and personal leadership.
• People First: Key to staff retention and growth is genuine caring and listening—“What makes the best CEOs and founders is they care.” (Paul, 38:37)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “There was a time in my life that all we could eat is eggs and white rice for four to five months.”
  — Dr. Alex Planes (02:44)

• “I made small wins every day till eventually it became, like, quarters and then years… I did a lot of manifestation and vision boards in my mind.”
  — Dr. Alex Planes (07:06)

• “My wife, who’s also a dentist, told me, ‘You cannot buy that practice. You’re not going to make it.’ And I said, ‘Let’s try it.’”
  — Dr. Alex Planes (12:30)

• “Leave ego out. Never have ego because it can be taken away from you in a second… I was still living like a student.”
  — Dr. Alex Planes (13:58)

• “I remember my first training… I paid $25,000. I was like, what the heck am I doing?... Within a year, man, I made that 25, 10 times.”
  — Dr. Alex Planes (16:59, 17:16)

• “You don’t go ahead and expand to multiple locations because you’re making a ton of money. No. That’s how you go bankrupt, guys.”
  — Paul Alex (15:20)

• “You’re not competing against each other… Don’t lower your prices anymore. Let’s stick with standards and let’s make sure that we’re united.”
  — Dr. Alex Planes (33:32)

• “What makes the best CEOs and founders is they care… You have to be able to actually interact with your people…you gotta listen all the time.”
  — Paul Alex (38:37)

• “The most important thing that you got to have is… you got to have God first... Always listen to that word in your head that says, keep going, keep going, keep going. Keep focused. There’s going to be light at the end of the tunnel.”
  — Dr. Alex Planes, final advice (41:10)

Key Timestamps

• Early struggles & sales years: 02:26–05:19
• Dentistry in Dominican Republic & adversity: 05:04–07:06
• Mindset & manifestation: 06:42–08:18
• First practice purchase & discrimination faced: 10:44–13:10
• First major team training investment: 16:47–17:31
• Marketing strategies (direct mail, digital): 23:21–25:40
• Expansion & Full Arch focus: 27:08–29:53
• The COVID growth window: 28:11–29:28
• Consulting mission & industry advice: 31:21–33:46
• Community, family, people-first leadership: 36:19–38:37
• Closing motivational advice: 41:10–42:42

Tone & Language

True to the episode, the conversation is raw, relatable, and packed with practical and emotional insights. Both Paul and Dr. Planes speak in a direct yet caring manner, sharing hard-won lessons (“leave ego out,” “take care of your people”), personal struggle, and repeated focus on integrity, discipline, and generosity.

Final Takeaway

Dr. Alex Planes’ blueprint is not just about tactical marketing or aggressive expansion—it's a testament to grit, humility, continuous learning, and leading from service. If you’re in dentistry (or any business), the journey isn’t linear—embrace adversity, invest in your people, master your numbers, and always vision bigger even when the world tells you "no." As Dr. Planes puts it: “Keep your connection to God… keep going, keep going, keep going. There’s going to be light at the end of the tunnel.” (41:10)

For more:

• Connect: @dralexaplanes on Instagram | livestreamyou.com
• Full interview: Listen to The Level Up Podcast w/ Paul Alex.