Dental practice
Where are you in your dental journey?
Pre-launch and operating owners need different things. Pick the track that matches you. You can switch any time.
I want to start a dental practice
Costs, licensing, the entity, the gear, the order to do it in. Honest guides for the part you have to do yourself. The one thing we'll do for you on day one is your website.
- What it really costs
- License, registration, and insurance
- Gear, branding, and the basics
- A starter website that books calls
I want to grow my dental practice
More clients, better pricing, your first hire, Google and Facebook ads, and the systems that take you from solo to a real team.
- Local SEO and Google Business Profile
- Google Ads, Facebook, retargeting
- Pricing that protects margin
- Hiring, training, and scaling teams
What we do for owners, either track
Start here
The guides to read first: what it costs, what it pays and how to get going.
- Startup cost How much do you need to start a dental practice
- Profit How much profit can a dental practice make
- How to start How to start a dental practice: step by step
- Get customers How to get clients and customers for a dental practice
- Google Ads How to run Google Ads for dental practice
- Website How to make a website for dental practice
Is a dental practice right for you?
A dental practice is one of the most stable healthcare businesses you can own. Demand is steady and largely recession-resilient, recurring through cleanings and checkups, and topped up by higher-margin restorative and cosmetic work. Patients come back every six months, which makes revenue predictable once the chairs are full.
It suits a licensed dentist who wants to trade an associate's salary for equity in a practice that can add chairs, hygienists, and associates. The hard part is rarely the dentistry. It's the buildout cost, getting found by local patients, and insurance billing. The start-here guides cover each step.
- Startup cost $350k–$550k Buildout, chairs, imaging, license, working capital
- Earning potential $150k–$300k Owner profit of a solo general practice, 20%–40% of collections
- Licensing Required State dental license, DEA, malpractice insurance
- Demand Recurring Six-month recall keeps revenue predictable
The money figures come from our startup cost guide and profit guide, where each range is broken down line by line.
Dental practice: common questions
What owners ask before they commit.
How much does it cost to open a dental practice?
A new practice typically runs $350k–$550k once you account for the buildout, dental chairs, imaging, sterilization, your license, and working capital. Buying an existing practice can change the math considerably.
Read the full guide →How much can a dental practice make?
A solo general practice collects about $700k–$1.1M a year and nets 20%–40%, so most owner-dentists keep around $150k–$300k. Chair utilization, case mix, and overhead decide where you land, and crowns, implants, aligners, and cosmetic work carry the margin.
Read the full guide →Do I need a license to open a dental practice?
Yes. You need an active state dental license, a DEA registration, malpractice coverage, and a registered business entity. The setup guide walks through registration and compliance step by step.
Read the full guide →How do I get my first dental patients?
Local visibility wins: a Google Business Profile, patient reviews, in-network insurance listings, and a site that ranks for "dentist + your city" beat broad advertising for most new practices.
Read the full guide →How should I handle pricing and insurance billing?
Most practices balance in-network insurance volume with fee-for-service and membership plans. Local promotion and clear fee menus protect your margin on elective work.
Read the full guide →How do I grow a dental practice beyond myself?
Growth comes from adding chairs, hiring hygienists and associates, and building a referral-driven brand patients recommend. The growth guide breaks down the sequence.
Read the full guide →