Dental Service Organizations, or DSOs, have become one of the biggest forces reshaping how dental practices operate and change hands. If you're a practice owner considering a sale, or an associate joining a DSO-affiliated office, understanding how these deals work will save you from costly surprises. DSO 101. A DSO provides non-clinical business support — administrative, marketing, HR, and back-office services — to dental practices, in exchange for either a management fee or,

Before you sign your first dental associate agreement, watch for these five contract red flags that could cost you money, flexibility, or your next job. You've spent years in dental school learning clinical skills — but almost none of that training covered how to read a legal contract. That gap matters, because your associate agreement is the document that determines your income, your schedule, your ability to leave, and even where you can practice next. Here are five red f