What if your dental practice didn’t rely on you being there every single day?
For many dentists, practice ownership starts with freedom — but quickly turns into longer hours, constant stress, and feeling chained to the chair. In this episode of the No BS Dental Growth Podcast, Chris Pistorius sits down with Dr. Grace Yum, pediatric dentist, entrepreneur, and founder of Mommy Dentists in Business, to talk about what it really takes to grow a dental practice that is scalable, sustainable, and sellable.
This conversation goes far beyond marketing tactics. It’s about leverage, systems, delegation, and mindset — the things most dentists aren’t taught, but desperately need.
Meet Dr. Grace Yum
Dr. Grace Yum is a pediatric dentist, mom, and serial entrepreneur. She founded and grew a multi-location pediatric dental practice before successfully selling it — without using a broker — and walking away on her own terms.
Along the way, she identified a major gap in dentistry: a lack of support for dentists who are also parents and business owners. In 2017, she launched Mommy Dentists in Business, a nationwide community focused on mentorship, leadership, business growth, and work-life integration.
Today, the community includes tens of thousands of dentists across the U.S. and Canada, with live events, CE, partnerships, and peer support — all built around one core idea: you don’t have to do this alone.
The Hidden Cost of “Doing It All”
One of the biggest themes in this episode is delegation — and why most dentists struggle with it.
Dr. Yum explains that many dentists see outsourcing (whether at home or at work) as an expense, when in reality it’s an investment in time, energy, and focus. The mental load of running a practice doesn’t stop when you leave the office. When dentists try to handle everything themselves, burnout isn’t a risk — it’s inevitable.
Her perspective is simple but powerful:
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Your time is valuable
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Your energy is limited
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Your highest value activities should get your best focus
If a task doesn’t require your license, your expertise, or your decision-making ability — it’s a candidate for delegation.
Why Delegation Starts at Home
One of the most relatable moments in the conversation is when Dr. Yum talks about sitting in her car after a long day, dreading walking into a house full of responsibilities.
Her solution wasn’t “work less” — it was delegate more.
By outsourcing household tasks and non-essential responsibilities, dentists can:
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Reduce decision fatigue
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Improve relationships at home
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Show up better as leaders at work
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Protect their mental bandwidth
Just like in a dental office, it makes no sense for the dentist to do everything. The same logic applies at home.
Building a Practice That Runs Without You
Perhaps the most impactful lesson in the episode is Dr. Yum’s approach to practice ownership.
From the beginning, she designed her practices with one goal in mind:
The business should not rely on me.
That mindset influenced everything — hiring, systems, patient communication, and leadership structure. As a result:
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Patients were comfortable seeing other providers
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The practice could scale beyond one location
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The business became significantly more valuable
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Selling the practice was smooth and strategic
This is a crucial lesson for any dentist who wants options — whether that’s growth, time off, or a future exit.
Selling a Dental Practice the Smart Way
When Dr. Yum decided to sell, she wasn’t forced into it. There was no burnout-fueled fire sale.
Because her practices were systemized and operator-independent, she:
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Sold directly to colleagues
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Avoided a broker
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Negotiated from a position of strength
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Walked away at her desired price
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Never had to return to the office
Her advice for dentists?
If you want maximum value someday, build your practice like a business — not just a job.
The Power of Community in Dentistry
Another major takeaway is the role of community and mentorship in long-term success.
Mommy Dentists in Business started as informal conversations and evolved into a nationwide organization because dentists needed:
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A safe space to ask questions
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Peer support without judgment
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Honest conversations about leadership, parenting, and business
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Camaraderie in a profession that can feel isolating
Research even shows that strong community connections have a measurable positive impact on health, stress, and longevity — especially for women.
In dentistry, where isolation is common, community isn’t optional. It’s strategic.
Advice for Dentists Just Starting Out (Especially Parents)
For dentists considering parenthood or early in their careers, Dr. Yum offers one core principle:
Design your business to work without you — from day one.
That means:
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Planning coverage early
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Hiring intentionally
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Creating systems
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Letting go of ego-driven ownership
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Understanding that patients will adapt
The earlier you build leverage into your practice, the more freedom you’ll have later.
Final Takeaway
If your practice collapses when you step away, it’s not a scalable business.
This episode is a powerful reminder that growth in dentistry isn’t just about production or marketing — it’s about structure, leadership, delegation, and intentional design.
Whether you’re a solo provider, multi-location owner, or thinking about your long-term exit, Dr. Grace Yum’s insights offer a clear roadmap for building a dental practice that supports your life — not consumes it.
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