Success Story
Clinician Development That Increased Production by 40%
Dental clinician development helped P1 Dental improve doctor ramp-up, production growth, treatment communication, and retention.
The Problem
P1 Dental Partners sees clinician development as a competitive advantage. With nearly 100 clinicians across multiple states, leadership recognized that improving doctor production required more than hiring talented doctors.
“As we brought on younger doctors, we realized we needed a better way to standardize education and support their growth,” said Dr. Anthony Ponzio, Clinical Director at P1 Dental Partners. “We wanted our doctors to become more efficient in their dentistry while creating stronger engagement and long-term value across the organization.”
P1 leadership wanted a scalable solution that could strengthen clinical skills, improve patient communication, and create greater consistency across practices while also supporting doctor retention.
“We wanted our doctors to become more efficient in their dentistry while creating stronger engagement and long-term value across the organization.”
— Dr. Anthony Ponzio
The Solution: Clinician Development by Spear
To address those challenges, P1 launched the P1 Academy, an internal doctor development program built around Spear’s integrated clinical growth system. The goal was to create a scalable development system that could improve production, strengthen patient communication, and help doctors contribute more quickly across the organization.
P1 initially piloted Spear’s enterprise system with 10 early-career doctors, combining live seminars with customized Spear Online learning pathways aligned to each clinician’s developmental goals. What really stood out was Spear’s flexibility,” Dr. Ponzio said. “Whether a doctor wants to learn full-mouth rehabilitation or simply become more efficient with everyday dentistry, Spear has content that meets them where they are.”
Spear also provided on-site education at P1’s Indianapolis headquarters, focused on treatment planning and patient communication.
Beyond clinical development, P1 leadership found the program strengthened doctor morale and organizational culture across locations.
“The community aspect matters,” Dr. Ponzio said. “When doctors feel connected to something bigger, the learning sticks. They’re not just isolated in their own offices. They’re sharing ideas and growing as a group.”
The Result
As P1 invested in structured clinician development, measurable operational improvements followed.
“Each doctor who completed our P1 Academy while using the Spear platform showed an increase in production-per-hour growth from 2025 to 2026. The results ranged from a 10% increase to over 40%, depending on the doctor.”
— Dr. Anthony Ponzio
Clinical and Operational Results:
Increased doctor participation
Stronger culture and retention potential
Greater clinical confidence and treatment capabilities
Increased interest in CE and long-term development
Improved patient communication and
treatment presentation
P1 also observed doctors becoming more proactive in learning and discussing comprehensive treatment with patients.
“You can hear the difference in their conversations,” Dr. Ponzio said. “Doctors are presenting treatment more clearly, patients better understand their options, and that’s leading to stronger engagement and case acceptance.”
