How Alina True stopped waiting for permission and built something that was finally hers.
For years, Alina True figured she’d be an associate forever.
That wasn’t a fear. It was just her plan. She was good at her job, she liked the work, and ownership felt like someone else’s ambition. She wasn’t the type to rush into big decisions — never had been.
Then she had her boys, in 2021 and 2023. As her family grew, her perspective on her time and her career began to shift.
It wasn’t a dramatic moment. No blowup, no breaking point. Just a slow accumulation of things she couldn’t control at the practice where she worked. How staff was treated. How patients were treated. The brand she was representing. The philosophy she was practicing under.
“The more you stay at a practice, the more you realize how much is out of your control,” she says. “There were a lot of things I wasn’t happy with that I couldn’t control. That’s where I started thinking about doing my own thing.”
Alina is not someone who makes decisions fast. She’ll tell you that herself.
She spent about a year actively searching for a practice, and three years total letting the idea of ownership take shape in her head. She was looking in Utah and California, she and her husband were trying to figure out where they wanted to live long term, and she was on maternity leave running through every possible scenario in her mind.
By the time she found the practice in Paso Robles, she had already done most of the hard work internally.
“By the time I found this practice and was doing due diligence, I didn’t have many doubts. I had already run through all the scenarios in my head.”
What she was looking for wasn’t just a financially sound practice — it was a fit. A place with a similar philosophy. A patient base she could see herself serving. A foundation she could build on without tearing everything down first.
When she found it, she knew.
From letter of intent to closing took about three months. For Alina, that was the right pace.
“I don’t like rushing things. By the time we got to closing day, I was ready.”
And then the first month hit.
“I had no doubts up to purchase. And then the first month in is when I was like, is this the right decision? Because it’s just a lot.”
Three months in, the fog lifted. The problems she had now were the right kind — being booked too far out, a schedule that couldn’t keep up with demand.
“Finding the right practice has given me all the right problems to have.”
The practice is called True Dental Studio.
Her last name. Her name on the door. The thing she built after years of working in a place where too much was out of her hands.
When asked what she’d say to a dentist who keeps putting it off, she doesn’t talk about being ready. She talks about starting.
“If you never start that search and start that process, it’s never going to happen. Even if you’re still a little unsure, once you find a couple of practices you can see yourself in, that doubt will be behind you.”
She pauses.
“I owe a lot of it to the DBA team. They were super helpful in the decision and finding the right practice.”
Alina True closed on True Dental Studio on January 9th. She is a general and cosmetic dentist in Paso Robles, California.
Ready to start your own search? You don’t have to navigate the scenarios alone. Ally yourself with a team that represents only you—not the seller. Download the first chapter of How to Buy a Dental Practice, 5th Edition free, or book a no-pressure consultation at dentalbuyeradvocates.com.
