How Capital Meets Care
Featuring Larry Benz, CEO of Dental Care Alliance
What if the strongest driver of growth in dentistry is not more technology, more locations, or even more efficiency, but better human connection?
In this episode of The Executive Edge with Dr. Aman Kaur, Dr. Kaur sits down with Larry Benz, CEO of Dental Care Alliance, for a candid conversation on culture, clinical excellence, artificial intelligence, talent development, and what it takes to build healthcare organizations that deliver both strong results and meaningful human impact.
A physical therapist by training, Larry has spent nearly four decades building and leading multi-site healthcare organizations. His path into dentistry gave him a unique outsider’s perspective on an industry filled with exceptional clinicians, but also an opportunity to rethink the relationship between provider and patient.
His belief is clear: dentistry must move from transactional to relational.
Together, Dr. Kaur and Larry explore why clinical expertise alone is not enough, how empathy and communication can be developed as professional skills, and why the so-called soft skills may now be some of the most valuable capabilities a clinician can possess.
Larry also challenges the idea that leaders must choose between culture and financial performance. He calls it a false trade-off. Strong culture can improve retention, patient relationships, referrals, treatment acceptance, and ultimately business performance.
At Dental Care Alliance, that philosophy has shaped investments in mentorship, clinical development, customer service, care and compassion training, and pathways to partnership.
The conversation also turns to artificial intelligence and Larry’s distinctly human approach to innovation. Rather than asking only what AI can automate, he asks whether technology can help clinicians spend more meaningful time with patients.
Whether you are leading a DSO, managing a healthcare organization, or building a clinical career, this conversation offers a compelling argument for why sustainable growth still begins with people.
In this Executive Feature, you’ll discover:
- Why dentistry must evolve from transactional care to relational care
- How Larry’s clinical background shaped his leadership philosophy
- Why clinical excellence must be paired with service, empathy, and compassion
- Why Larry believes soft skills are becoming the new hard skills
- How stronger relationships influence retention, referrals, and treatment acceptance
- Why culture and financial performance are not competing priorities
- How Dental Care Alliance reduced dentist turnover from 70% to 20%
- Why investing in dental professionals can create greater value than simply adding locations or equipment
- How mentorship, education, and pathways to partnership strengthen retention
- Why EBITDA should be the byproduct of building a company well
- How Dental Care Alliance approaches AI through the lens of human connection
- Why AI insights matter only when they lead to action
- Why “high tech” must still be accompanied by “high touch”
- What Called to Care taught Larry about burnout and humanizing healthcare
- Why curiosity, learning, and relationships remain central to his leadership
About Larry Benz
Larry Benz is the CEO of Dental Care Alliance and a clinician, healthcare entrepreneur, executive, author, and investor whose career spans nearly four decades.
A physical therapist by background, Larry pursued advanced education including an MBA, doctorate, and master’s degree in applied positive psychology. He went on to build and lead multi-site healthcare organizations, including Confluent Health, while serving in roles ranging from founder and CEO to executive chairman, board member, and investor.
He later joined Dental Care Alliance, first as a board member and executive chair and ultimately as CEO.
Today, his leadership centers on culture, clinical excellence, professional development, human connection, and sustainable operating performance.
Larry is also the author of Called to Care. His forthcoming dental edition, Called to Care: The Dental Professional’s Guide to Humanizing the Patient Experience, brings that philosophy directly into the dental setting.
At the center of his work is a simple idea: develop people, build meaningful relationships, and better results follow.