Joe Feldsien on Why PDS Health Bet on the Mouth Body Connection Before Anyone Else
June 11, 2026
PDS Health, one of the most innovative DSOs in the country, has been quietly building what might be the boldest bet in modern dentistry a fully integrated medical dental model rooted in the mouth-body connection. In this episode of The Dental Economist Show, host Mike Huffaker sits down with Joe Feldsien, a 22-year veteran of PDS Health who most recently stood up PDS Health Medical a primary care organization designed to operate alongside dental practices with shared clinicians, shared systems, and shared patient records through Epic.
Tune in to explore how a career that began in sales at 3M led Joe to become one of the key architects of dental-medical integration, why being founder-owned and PE-free has been a competitive advantage for PDS Health, and how the mouth-body connection is driving the future of both patient care and DSO growth. From Epic implementation to salivary diagnostics to a 10-year plan targeting 3,000 dental and 500 integrated medical practices, this conversation is a masterclass in long-term thinking and bold innovation.
#dentaleconomist #mouthbodyconnection #dsoinnovation
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, like, and comment📱
PDS Health, one of the most innovative DSOs in the country, has been quietly building what might be the boldest bet in modern dentistry a fully integrated medical dental model rooted in the mouth-body connection. In this episode of The Dental Economist Show, host Mike Huffaker sits down with Joe Feldsien, a 22-year veteran of PDS Health who most recently stood up PDS Health Medical a primary care organization designed to operate alongside dental practices with shared clinicians, shared systems, and shared patient records through Epic.
Tune in to explore how a career that began in sales at 3M led Joe to become one of the key architects of dental-medical integration, why being founder-owned and PE-free has been a competitive advantage for PDS Health, and how the mouth-body connection is driving the future of both patient care and DSO growth. From Epic implementation to salivary diagnostics to a 10-year plan targeting 3,000 dental and 500 integrated medical practices, this conversation is a masterclass in long-term thinking and bold innovation.
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, like, and comment📱
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction & Meeting Joe Feldsien
01:39 Sales Roots at 3M & the Lessons That Stuck
04:26 How Joe Found His Calling in Dentistry
06:00 The Through Line: Innovation Across 22 Years at PDS
09:04 Growing from 65 Practices to 1,190+
11:00 The Advantage of Being Founder-Owned, Not PE-Backed
15:00 The Origin Story of PDS Health Medical
17:42 Building Dental-Medical Integration with No Roadmap
22:00 Educating Patients on the Mouth-Body Connection
30:00 How PDS Knows the Medical Model Is Working
34:03 Epic at Scale: Replacing Core Systems Across 1,000+ Practices
41:11 The 10-Year Vision: 3,000 Dental, 500 Medical Practices
47:33 Mentors, Books & Influences That Shaped Joe's Leadership
Connect with the team:
You can also listen to our podcast here:
Want to be a guest on The Dental Economist Show?
If you're a growth-focused leader in the dental business world or someone shaping its future through technology, consulting, or innovation we want to hear from you.
Whether you're leading a DSO, building the next big dental SaaS tool, or redefining patient experience, this show is where the smartest minds in dental business come to talk strategy!
The Dental Economist Show with Mike Huffaker is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so