INTERVIEW WITH
Dr. Chr Vlanueva OF MB2 DENTAL
By Dr. Glenn Vo
DSO EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
Earlier this year, I launched the first annual “Nifty Awards” to recognize and honor the best professionals in the dental industry in the Nifty Thrifty Dentists community, a group of more than 54,000 dental professionals.
By opening the award process to the Nifty Thrifty Dentists community, I designed the Nifty Awards to make sure everyone in the dental community had a voice, including dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, dental vendors, coaches, consultants, and others. That way, nobody could win an award by just treating the dentists well. They needed to be recognized by everything in the community to win. In this article, I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Chris Villanueva of MB2 Dental who was voted “DSO Executive of the Year” about what he and his team are doing with MB2 Dental, how he maintains a healthy personal life, what he sees in the dental community, and more. Dr. Vo: I’m so excited to interview you for Dental Lifestyles Magazine. As many people know, I’m not just a fan of MB2 Dental but I’m also a partner with you. My office was number 200. As of this writing, MB2 Dental boasts 639 offices across 39 states. Talk a little bit about MB2 Dental and how you’ve been able to grow. Dr. Villanueva: Thank you for having me. A key factor contributing to our success is our dedicated focus on selecting the right doctors. While our growth has been substantial, we don’t view our journey as a competition with others. We’re not in a race with anyone. Our approach is not about acquiring offices for the sake of numbers, but about forming meaningful partnerships. We evaluate around 3,000 private practices annually. Despite the considerable interest we receive, we selectively choose to collaborate with 100 to 120 practices that share our values and vision. The journey has been immensely rewarding, marked by substantial growth in both central services and in our numbers, of course. Dr. Vo: Talk a little bit about MB2’s place among other DSOs and what makes you different. Dr. Villanueva: I travel the country constantly talking to doctors who inevitably compare us with a lot of groups. There are plenty of startup groups out there and others that have been around for a while. We tend to find ourselves at the table with a handful of startup groups when people are considering MB2 Dental. What I try to impress upon doctors is not to assume that we’ll all have the same track record. Statistically speaking, there are over 200 private equity-backed groups in the country. In terms of how many have actually had a recapitalization event and gave an opportunity to their doctors to monetize equity, we’re talking about a very small number, maybe in the single digits. More have actually gone into receivership or haven’t been able to scale and have gone back to the bank. There is sometimes an assumption that every group will have a positive track record because of the success of other groups, but it’s just not true. I think it’s a miscalculation. We’re fortunate to have a great track record, which is uncommon, and that’s really one of the things that sets us apart.
DENTAL LIFESTYLES • ISSUE NO. 5 2023
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