Meet Dr. Carly
Dr. Carly Boudreaux is a board-certified pediatric dentist and owner-partner at Blue Sage Management Group, known for her commitment to clinical excellence and creating positive dental experiences for kids.
From a teenage dental assistant filing paper charts to a confident owner-partner shaping the future of pediatric dentistry, Dr. Carly’s journey is a testament to the power of mentorship, adaptability, and vision. Her passion for pediatric care was sparked at an early age and has only grown stronger through years of hands-on experience and the support of an organization committed to doctor-led leadership. In this interview, Dr. Carly shares her path to becoming a partner at Blue Sage Management Group, the pivotal moments that shaped her career, and her advice for the next generation of pediatric dentists. Whether you’re a dental student, a recent grad, or simply curious about what it takes to thrive in a modern group practice, her story offers inspiration and insight.
- What first sparked your interest in pediatric dentistry, and how did that early passion evolve into your career today?
I’ve known I wanted to be a pediatric dentist for as long as I can remember! A cousin of mine was in residency at LSU in New Orleans when I was about 8 years old, and after hearing her talk about how much she loved her career, I felt so inspired—I wanted to do it too! Thankfully, once I got old enough to understand what pediatric dentistry actually was, I learned that I really loved it! - Walk us through your journey—from dental school to becoming a practicing pediatric dentist. What pivotal moments or mentors shaped your path?
My cousin and my pediatric dentist from childhood ended up working together, and they hired me at 16 to work in the practice and start learning pediatric dentistry. It was the mid-2000s, and we were using paper charts—gasp! I would put the charts away at the end of the day and pull charts for the next day after school.That transitioned into helping answer calls, schedule appointments, call patients back, and eventually, I was given the chance to learn how to sterilize, take x-rays, and even became a dental assistant. I worked there during long school breaks, over summers in college, and was even at work with her when I learned the good news—that I had been accepted to dental school!
- Can you tell us about the moment you discovered Blue Sage Management Group? What made our organization stand out compared to others?
Despite having my best friend living in STL—and even being the reason I started considering living and working here—it was actually two other people in my life who put me in contact with Dr. Corey. One was a co-resident from the area who had amazing things to say about him, and the other was a mentor of mine who had learned about what Blue Sage was creating. Though she didn’t know Dr. Corey personally, she knew people who had worked with him and knew he was a stand-up guy. I came down to STL to meet with him, and the rest is history!
- Many young dentists are unsure of what kind of practice to join after graduation. What were you looking for in your early career, and how did Blue Sage meet those needs?
What I was looking for changed significantly as my dental school education—and later, my residency—progressed. I thought I was going back home to practice with my cousin and eventually hoped to take over her solo practice one day.
Toward the end of dental school—honestly, when I started looking into residency programs—I realized that I wasn’t interested in solo practice. I wanted to be part of a group practice. I didn’t even fully understand the potential for a locally owned, doctor-owned group practice to blossom into what we are now. I’ve been on quite a fun and enlightening journey with Blue Sage.
- Ownership isn’t always something new practitioners think is attainable early in their career. What made you believe it was possible within Blue Sage?
Our organization has such a well-thought-out and clearly laid-out path to ownership. In my initial meeting with Dr. Corey, he explained what my opportunity to buy in would look like and provided a well-organized timeline to meet with me quarterly during my first two years here to discuss the ownership plan and keep me moving forward. This has not been the experience of any of my colleagues or friends that I’ve spoken to—Blue Sage is truly special in its pathway to ownership.
When it came time to pull the trigger, I was invited to join the executive team for a meeting to give me a feel for the kinds of decisions made behind the scenes and what the cadence of those meetings would be. This organization has a level of transparency unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
- How has being part of Blue Sage helped you balance your clinical responsibilities with leadership and business growth?
A big part of Blue Sage’s business model includes mentoring and educating its associates and new owners on how to run a successful business in pediatric dentistry. Speaking for myself, none of this came easily to me. I took an intro to business class and a business ethics class in college—and that was it. I knew nothing about how to run a practice. Not only that, I had no managerial experience. I had worked in dental offices before, but I was not a clinical lead or a business manager; I was a part-time dental assistant. So I needed a lot of coaching on how to be a good leader, and I’m still working on that every day. Blue Sage has provided me with mentorship from our executive team, our Director of Operations, and organized opportunities to pursue practice leadership training.
- What are some of the unique advantages you’ve experienced as a doctor within a multi-location, doctor-led organization like Blue Sage?
SUPPORT! And I cannot emphasize this enough. It has been remarkable—the amount of support I have received from team members and our executive team at Blue Sage. Our Director of Operations, Michelle Brumfield, has taught me so much: how to run a practice, how to make adjustments based on successes and failures, how to motivate and truly engage a team around KPIs—even how to translate data to real life. Support is our biggest strength!
- As someone who has chosen both St. Louis and Blue Sage as your professional home, what makes this the ideal place to build a long-term career in pediatric dentistry?
Saint Louis has a vibrant history, beautiful architecture, neighborhoods with ample personality, an extremely underrated food scene, and countless family-friendly activities ranging from the zoo to museums to festivals. Not to mention, being so centrally located geographically, you’re never more than a few hours’ flight from anywhere in the country! We have a very strong pediatric study club, a strong dental society, and incredible interprofessional relationships.
- What would you say to a young dentist or recent grad who’s hesitant about joining a group practice—or doesn’t think ownership is realistic?
I would say, I get it! We graduate with obscene amounts of debt, homes are more expensive than ever, and the cost of living in general has skyrocketed. But with Blue Sage, ownership is a lot more realistic than you’d think. We offer multiple pathways to ownership and are flexible in our opportunities to accommodate this ever-changing market.
- Looking ahead, how do you hope to mentor or support the next generation of pediatric dentists within the Blue Sage family?
I hope to continue to learn from my mentors and keep an open mind to the ingenuity of our organization as well as our executive team so that we can keep carving a path for those who come after us. There is so much to learn after we graduate from residency and start practicing. I hope I can help other young pediatric dentists find comfort in forging their own paths and making the best choices for them!
