"Success Syndrome." It's an increasingly common term used to describe the extreme negative attitudes and actions—sometimes destructive behaviors—of some children from highly successful dental practices.

While it's not an official dental or medical diagnosis, this label aptly fits some kids growing up in the shadow of thriving dental businesses.

​If you have children living under your roof—or if you're concerned that your child or grandchild might be heading down this path—it may be time to take action. There are numerous ways to combat Success Syndrome—from addressing negative behaviors and preventing their recurrence to structuring your dental practice assets in ways that don't exacerbate the "Success Syndrome fire."

"Advantage" has become a loaded term in recent years, so it's important to clarify what it means to be over-advantaged in the context of a successful dental practice. Different dental families may define this term differently, but generally, we observe that over-advantaged children tend to act recklessly without considering the consequences. Often, this leads to them harming themselves and their families due to serious issues such as addiction or aggression. In extreme cases, their actions can have far-reaching consequences—such as the widely reported incident of an affluent teen causing a fatal accident while driving under the influence.

These scenarios clearly surpass the typical levels of entitlement that might exist in some dental families.

Some of these children's actions may appear on social media. However, most over-advantaged children live away from the public eye—where they indulge excessively. They frequently find themselves in legal trouble, requiring their dental practice families to intervene in various ways.

Unsurprisingly, they tend to be in their teens and 20s. When they surpass 30, they might lose the label of over-advantaged "children"—even if their behaviors and attitudes remain unchanged.

​Several key characteristics are often observed among today's over-advantaged children in dental families:

Often, dental practice owners find themselves reacting to problems created by a child with Success Syndrome. Effectively dealing with these issues is often broadly conceptualized by behavioral professionals as a three-step process:.

Dealing with the problems caused by over-advantaged children and pursuing ways to help them can be a complex, lengthy process involving traditional professionals—such as psychiatrists, psychologists and clinical social workers—as well as family consultants, dental practice consultants and life coaches.

Dental families should also be thinking proactively when it comes to identifying and short-circuiting Success Syndrome and its potential impact. That means successful dental practice owners need to make careful plans for their assets.

Consider this: Leaving a thriving practice to a child who struggles with severe addiction could be disastrous.

From succession planning to asset protection planning, it is wise to understand the issues involved and work to mitigate the ability of over-advantaged kids to cause problems due to easy access to dental practice resources.

There are various practice planning strategies that can be used to protect the family and mitigate the impact of detrimental behavior. Example: using trusts that have built-in oversight of a child's inheritance of the dental practice. In certain instances, the practice planning becomes more specialized—for example, when there is both a multi-location dental business and over-advantaged children.

Important: The most critical aspect to achieving the desired (and necessary) results is truly understanding what the expectations are and identifying possible action steps required in order to meet them. That means if you work with a dental practice management professional, they should be adept at uncovering your specific needs and goals and bringing the appropriate solutions to the table.

Conclusion
​If you have a successful dental practice, it makes sense to be vigilant for signs of Success Syndrome among your heirs—as well as to take some time to examine your own behaviors and the messages you convey about wealth, influence and values. By communicating together as a family, you can potentially set your children up to have a healthy, positive relationship with the dental practice and its success throughout their lives.