How to Retain Dental Staff Without Losing Control: Scott Leune’s Long-Term Strategy for Dental Employee Retention

Retaining great dental staff isn’t just about money. It’s about structure.
In this episode of The Dental CEO Podcast, Dr. Scott Leune shares a practical, battle-tested framework to keep high-performing associates, office managers, and team leaders engaged for years. Instead of endless raises or unrealistic ownership offers, Scott introduces a scalable, flexible system to reward key employees—while maintaining full control and protecting your profit margins.
If you’re tired of losing top people or struggling to retain dental staff, this episode is a must-listen.

About the Podcast:

The Dental CEO Podcast is where real conversations meet real solutions. Hosted by Dr. Scott Leune, each episode brings high-level dental business strategy down to earth. From marketing and leadership to staffing and systems, Scott gives dentists the playbook for building high-growth, high-retention practices. It’s not theory—it’s real-world wisdom from a dental CEO who’s built and sold practices nationwide.

About the Host:

Dr. Scott Leune is one of the most sought-after business minds in dentistry. As the founder of Breakaway Seminars and a coach to thousands of dentists, Scott has helped launch and scale hundreds of successful practices. With experience in both solo and multi-location models, he brings a unique perspective to growth, leadership, and dental employee retention. His goal? Equip dentists to lead like CEOs—without losing their sanity, margins, or mission.

Check out all Scott Leune webinars

Key Highlights

Retaining Great People Starts With Financial Alignment

Scott Leune emphasizes that the biggest risk to growth is losing your best people. High-performing associates, trusted managers—once they leave, replacing them isn’t just hard, it’s often impossible. That’s why Scott teaches that if someone is essential to your growth, they should be financially tied to that success.

The “Profits Interest” Model Explained

At the heart of Scott’s retention strategy is a tool called profits interest—a legal financial incentive structure that mimics equity without giving up control. Sometimes known as phantom stock or profit sharing, this model lets you reward your dental staff with a percentage of profit distributions, not ownership.

• No voting rights
• No buy-in required
• No equity dilution
• No buyout needed if they leave

It’s clean, powerful, and completely aligned with the practice’s financial performance.

Vesting Ensures Loyalty Over Time

Scott teaches that long-term retention requires long-term reward. By creating a vesting schedule (usually over five years), your key dental staff earn their share slowly, building more value the longer they stay. Leave early? They lose it. Stay the full term? They win.

This vesting model gives your practice real retention power—while keeping salaries stable and predictable.

• It Scales With Growth—Without Losing Margin: As Dr. Leune explains, your profits interest pool can be capped at any size (for example, 20% of total profit). Whether one or ten people share it, the total pool doesn’t grow. This protects your margins while giving flexibility to bring more dental staff into the program as the practice grows.
• Multiple Pools for Multiple Levels: You can have different pools for different roles—associates, office managers, regional leaders, even hygienists. Scott shares how he’s done this across his own companies, creating structure and clarity in how team members are rewarded.
• You Stay in Control—Always: One of the strongest points Scott emphasizes: you never give up control. You retain all voting rights, make all business decisions, and retain full ownership. Your dental staff only earn a share of the profit distributions—when there’s profit to share.
• The Result: A High-Retention Culture Built Around Results: When implemented correctly, this model creates a culture of accountability, loyalty, and performance. Your team wins when the business wins. And when people know they’re financially tied to growth, they think differently, act differently—and stay longer.
• Real-World Results From Scott’s Companies: Dr. Leune shares that in his previous organizations, he had as many as 25 people in a profits interest pool. Every quarter, hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit distributions were shared across his top-performing dental staff—creating strong alignment and long-term retention without inflating base pay.
• It’s Not Just About the Money: Scott closes by reminding listeners that financial incentives are just one part of the retention equation. Leadership, culture, and career growth also matter. But if you don’t solve the money part, you’ll always be at risk of losing your best people. With profits interest, you solve the money piece—without giving away your business.

Explore expert advice on building a stronger, smarter dental business: https://scottleune.com/blog/

Final Thought from Dr. Leune

“If they leave, you lose their contribution anyway—so give them a reason to stay. Let them share in what they help create, but don’t give away control. This model protects your practice, your people, and your profit. That’s how you retain dental staff—and actually grow.”