Dr. Sarah Severson of Shine Pediatric Dental Co. joined Shane Simmons on the Dental Practice Launch Podcast to share how she built a thriving pediatric dental practice in Round Rock, Texas after transitioning from associate to owner.
She shares what really goes into starting from scratch: picking the right location, offering niche services, and building a brand that families connect with. If you’re exploring ownership, especially in pediatrics, her story is packed with practical lessons and hard-earned insight.
Why She Chose Practice Ownership and Pediatric Dentistry
Sarah Severson grew up in the Austin area and always enjoyed working with children. At first, she considered becoming a pediatrician, but years of babysitting and an orthodontic experience led her to dentistry. After about seven years as an associate, including long commutes and feeling constrained in clinical decisions, she knew she wanted a practice where she could shape care the way she believed best benefitted kids and balanced family life.
Two particularly practical reasons pushed her toward ownership: her commute was becoming unsustainable as she planned to start a family, and she wanted the freedom to provide pediatric services she felt passionate about without being limited by associate agreements.
Differentiating Clinical Services
From day one, Dr. Severson aimed to offer more than routine pediatric dental care. Her practice emphasizes:
- Infant and toddler care, including laser frenectomies for lip and tongue ties
- Early orthodontic interventions and space expansion
- Airway-focused evaluations and parent education
Before her practice opened, she invested heavily in continuing education, shadowing established providers, attending specialized courses, and mastering tools like lasers. The result is clinical confidence and specialized services that both stand out in her market and deliver real benefit to families.
Finding the Right Location and Planning the Build-Out
Location selection was data-driven. Dr. Severson used demographic reports, including Dental Graphics, to analyze pediatric population density and competitor presence. The research led her to Round Rock, a location close to home with many families and young children.
In designing the physical space, she was selective. She opted for an end unit, wanted natural light on three sides, and emphasized an efficient footprint that prioritized revenue-generating areas over wasted space. The design and blueprint phase took the most time, including collaboration with the general contractor and a consultant. Once plans were finalized, construction moved quickly.
Marketing Before Opening: Filling the Schedule Early
Dr. Severson made a point of launching marketing months before the doors opened. She opened the appointment schedule in advance, ran Facebook and Instagram ads, and established a dedicated phone line and VIP phone system so that calls would be handled professionally from day one.
By the first week of opening, the practice averaged 20 to 25 new patients, encouraging for a new startup. Seeing people request appointments months ahead was both motivating and a clear signal that operational readiness was essential from day one.
Staffing: Reality and Hard Lessons
Staffing turned out to be one of the hardest parts of ownership. Dr. Severson was fortunate to bring on an excellent assistant from a prior associate position, but front-desk hiring proved far more difficult. One candidate backed out a week before opening. Another stayed nearly a year but proved volatile during a critical time.
Then life threw her a curveball. Her daughter was born seven weeks early and spent time in the NICU. Eight days after giving birth, a key front-desk employee left. Dr. Severson was balancing newborn challenges, NICU visits, and keeping the practice operational, answering calls between patients, filling in where needed, coordinating help. It was undoubtedly one of her most difficult periods.
What she learned:
- Never rely on one person for critical functions, build redundancy
- Outsource where possible, including billing and insurance verification, so one staff departure does not cripple operations
- Be ready for hiring to feel humbling. Some people will not fit, and that is normal
Building Resilience Through Adversity
Getting through opening a practice while managing personal challenges like a premature birth, NICU stay, and staffing issues gave Dr. Severson perspective. What once felt overwhelming became more manageable. As the practice grows, new challenges arise with hiring, workflows, and operations, but she remains humble and open to learning through each wave of change.
Branding and Presence Matter
Dr. Severson devoted significant effort to developing a brand that reflects her energy, with bright colors, a memorable logo, and consistent messaging. A strong, cohesive brand helped Shine Pediatric Dental stand out in a crowded market and made families feel comfortable even before walking in the door.
Coupled with a steady digital presence, including social media ads and patient experience highlights, the word-of-mouth earned from real patient care amplified the brand’s visibility. In under two years, Shine Pediatric Dental has earned over 350 five-star Google reviews, proof that traction builds quickly when brand, service, and patient experience align.
Practical Checklist: What to Prioritize Before You Open
Here are key priorities Dr. Severson recommends for anyone preparing to open a dental practice:
- Run demographic and competitive analysis to choose location
- Begin marketing and open scheduling well before your target opening date
- Invest in continuing education to build standout services
- Design a functional floor plan focused on patient flow and revenue-generating spaces
- Set up phone and appointment systems early to capture leads
- Hire essential staff early, build redundancy, outsource back-office tasks
- Develop a strong brand identity and use it consistently
Advice for Dentists Moving Toward Ownership
If you are considering the leap, whether starting from the ground up or acquiring an existing practice, Dr. Severson’s experience shows that it is possible. Ownership is challenging and humbling, but it brings deep rewards when done with intention.
Her top pieces of advice:
- Invest in clinical skills that make you unique in your market
- Start your marketing early and stay consistent
- Plan for staffing hurdles, build backups and outsource critical functions
- Make incremental improvements. Small daily gains compound over time
Closing Thoughts
For Dr. Sarah Severson, owning a pediatric dental practice has meant clinical autonomy and the chance to make meaningful impact in children’s lives, far beyond routine procedures. There are hard days, long hours, staffing headaches, and personal stress. But the satisfaction when families improve because of what the practice offers makes it worth it.
If you want more detail on how Shine Pediatric Dental structured its brand and services, check out the show notes for this episode of the Dental Practice Launch Podcast on Crimson Media. For anyone serious about ownership, invest in yourself, plan carefully, and remember that the challenges are part of the journey.
You can do this - one patient, one hire, one improvement at a time.
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