DecisionOne Dental Partners

DecisionOne Dental Partners is a Dental Support Organization (DSO) founded by two Chicago-born brothers, Dr. Mike Acierno and Dr. AJ Acierno, who both attended dental school at Creighton University. After graduation, Dr. Mike Acierno entered private practice while Dr. AJ Acierno went into corporate dentistry. Observing how declining insurance benefits and outside investors had reshaped the medical field, the brothers set out to build a better model for dentistry. Their answer was DecisionOne Dental, designed to combine the clinical autonomy and patient-first mentality of private practice with the cost efficiencies and administrative support of a DSO. The company positions itself as a network of like-minded dentists who collaborate to improve patient care while a full support team handles day-to-day business management. Its stated mission is "changing the way dentistry is done to improve lives" — for both patients and team members. DecisionOne has been recognized as a five-time Top Workplaces winner, a signal of its emphasis on workplace culture. Founder and CEO Dr. AJ Acierno has emphasized the importance of dentists maintaining relationships with their patients, a core part of the group's identity. DecisionOne operates over 35 locations and continues to grow, with a footprint concentrated in the Chicagoland area and beyond. Its Illinois locations include Aurora (two locations), Barrington, Bourbonnais (two locations), Cary, and multiple Chicago neighborhoods such as Belmont Heights, Edison Park, and Jefferson Park, among others. Rather than chasing a target number of offices, the group says its growth is driven by a desire to ensure communities receive the best possible patient care. Since 2018, DecisionOne has partnered with Smile Brands, a larger DSO, which provides best-in-class support for human resources, payroll, accounting, marketing, insurance, IT, and more, along with the financial stability to support future growth. Under this model, DecisionOne's independent, community-driven practices remain locally managed while benefiting from the resources of an award-winning DSO. The group describes its team members as part of a family committed to excellence, teamwork, and giving back, and it invites dentists to affiliate, join, or retire with support.

DecisionOne Dental Partners was created by two brothers born and raised in Chicago. Both attended dental school at Creighton University. After graduation, Dr. Mike Acierno went into private practice, while Dr. AJ Acierno headed into corporate dentistry. Their divergent career paths gave them a dual perspective on the dental industry: the clinical independence and patient relationships of private practice, and the operational scale and business discipline of corporate dentistry. Watching the medical field, the brothers saw how decreasing insurance benefits and the influence of outside investors had changed the landscape of medicine. They vowed to create a better model for dentistry — one that would avoid what they saw as the pitfalls of both pure private practice and pure corporate dentistry. The result was DecisionOne Dental, a Dental Support Organization designed to incorporate the best of both worlds: the clinical autonomy and patient-first mentality of private practice, combined with the cost efficiencies and support system inherent in a DSO. The company grew into a network of like-minded dentists who collaborate to continually improve patient care, backed by a full support team responsible for day-to-day business management. Its stated purpose is "changing the way dentistry is done to improve lives" — the lives of both patients and team members. DecisionOne has been recognized as a five-time Top Workplaces winner, reflecting its emphasis on culture and team member satisfaction. By the late 2010s, DecisionOne had established a significant presence in the Chicagoland area. In 2018, the group entered a partnership with Smile Brands, a larger dental support organization. This partnership enabled DecisionOne to guarantee best-in-class support for human resources, payroll, accounting, marketing, insurance, IT, and more, plus the financial stability to support future growth. Under the arrangement, DecisionOne's independent, community-driven practices remain locally managed while being backed by an award-winning DSO with the skills, tools, and resources to help drive success. DecisionOne has continued to expand, operating over 35 locations and growing. Its footprint includes Illinois communities such as Aurora (two locations), Barrington, Bourbonnais (two locations), Cary, and multiple Chicago neighborhoods including Belmont Heights, Edison Park, and Jefferson Park. The group has stated that its growth is not focused on hitting a target number of locations, but rather on ensuring that the Chicagoland area and beyond receive the best patient care possible. Founder and CEO Dr. AJ Acierno has emphasized the importance of dentists being able to have relationships with their patients, a principle that remains central to the DecisionOne model.

• 2018

  Partnership with Smile Brands established, providing HR, payroll, accounting, marketing, insurance, IT support and financial stability

• DecisionOne Dental founded by brothers Dr. Mike Acierno and Dr. AJ Acierno

• Recognized as a five-time Top Workplaces winner

• Network grows to over 35 locations across Chicagoland and beyond

A dentist-centric DSO that preserves clinical autonomy and patient-first private practice culture while providing the cost efficiencies and administrative support of a large dental group.

• Dental Support Organization (DSO) affiliation model

• General and cosmetic dentistry services

• Orthodontics and dental implants

• Practice management and business support for affiliated dentists

1. 1DecisionOne Dental Partners | Affiliate With Confidencedecisiononedental.com
2. 2DecisionOne Dental Partners | Dentist Alliance in Chicago ILdecisiononedental.com