09/09/2026
What does expressing a**l glands have to do with running a 130-office dental group?
More than you might think.
In the latest episode of The Business of a Clinic, Jared sits down with Dave Gaspar, CEO of SmilePartners, whose career has taken him from veterinary hospitals to dental practices across seven US states.
One theme runs through the conversation: you can’t lead a healthcare business effectively if you don’t understand what actually happens on the frontline.
Dave talks about learning the work from the ground up, the veterinarian who called him out for only showing up when things were going well, and why those experiences still shape how he leads today.
But the conversation goes much further than leadership.
They discuss how SmilePartners has grown to 130 offices, why preventive care is partly a communication problem, and why getting a patient to act before a filling becomes a crown, root ca**l, extraction and implant requires much more than simply presenting a treatment plan.
And when it comes to technology and AI, Dave uses a refreshingly simple filter:
👉 How does it affect the patient?
👉 How does it affect the clinician?
👉 How does it affect the team?
👉 And only then, how does it affect the business?
A wide-ranging conversation about scaling healthcare without losing sight of the people delivering and receiving the care.
🎥 Watch the highlights below, and catch the full episode of The Business of a Clinic with Dave Gaspar.