dental business plan sample

Dental Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Dental Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your Dental business plan.

We have helped over 10,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their dental businesses.

Below is a template to help you create each section of your Dental practice business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

Bright Family Dental is a startup dental clinic located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that will be owned and operated by Dr. Ingrid Williams. Dr. Williams has worked with a team of dentists at another local family local dentistry for the past 18 years and has become one of the most requested dentists in the area and has now decided to open a dental clinic of her own. Milwaukee is a large metropolitan area where there is a shortage of dental offices that can serve the growing population. Dr. Williams plans on recruiting a team of dental assistants and hygienists from the local college.

Bright Family Dental will provide a comprehensive array of dental services to all individuals that include cleanings, restoration, and cosmetic dental care. The dental clinic will be located in a mid to higher income area in town that is surrounded by other ancillary medical offices as well as retail stores and restaurants.

Product Offering

The following are the services that Bright Family Dental will provide:

• Dental cleanings and examinations
• Dental implants
• Porcelain veneers
• Crowns and bridges
• Dentures and partials
• Tooth extraction
• Teeth whitening
• Emergency dental care

Customer Focus

Bright Family Dental will target all households within a 5-mile radius. This will include families with children, teenagers, and young adults, seniors, and individuals who are insured and uninsured.

Management Team

Bright Family Dental will be owned and operated by Dr. Ingrid Williams. She will recruit a team of highly qualified and trained dental assistants and hygienists. She will also hire a receptionist to answer phone calls and administer scheduling and rescheduling of patients. The clinic will also employ a full-time financial coordinator to handle all billing, insurance processing, and bill payments.

Success Factors

Bright Family Dental will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:

• Clean, modern, and welcoming dental office with the latest dental technology
• Comprehensive menu of services that covers most dental procedures
• Is willing to take uninsured patients and offer flexible payment plans
• Bright Family Dental offers the best dental pricing in the area

Financial Highlights

Bright Family Dental is seeking $150,000 in debt financing to launch its dental business. The funding will be dedicated towards securing the dental clinic, purchasing dental equipment and supplies, and purchasing the office equipment and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated towards three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff, rent, and marketing costs for the opening of the new dental clinic. The breakout of the funding is below:

• Dental office space build-out: $20,000
• Dental equipment and supplies: $50,000
• Office equipment and supplies: $10,000
• Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, rent, utilities): $50,000
• Marketing costs: $10,000
• Working capital: $10,000

The following graph below outlines the pro forma financial projections for Bright Family Dental.

Company Overview

Who is bright family dental.

Bright Family Dental is a startup dental clinic located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  The clinic is founded by Dr. Ingrid Williams, a certified dentist who received her dental certification in 2004. Dr. Williams has worked with a team of dentists at another local family local dentistry for the past 18 years where she served children, teenagers, adults, and seniors to maintain a healthy and beautiful smile.  Dr. Williams has become one of the most requested dentists in the area and has now decided to open a dental clinic of her own. Milwaukee is a large metropolitan area where there is a shortage of dental offices that can serve the growing population. Dr. Williams plans on recruiting a team of dental assistants and hygienists from the local college.

Bright Family Dental will provide a comprehensive array of dental services to all individuals that include cleanings, restoration, and cosmetic dental care. Bright Family Dental will be the dental clinic of choice in Milwaukee as it will implement a clean, friendly space with the latest dental technology. The dental clinic will be located in a mid to higher income area in town that is surrounded by other ancillary medical offices as well as retail stores and restaurants.

Bright Family Dental History

Bright Family Dental is the first startup business for Dr. Ingrid Williams. As an established dentist in the community, Dr. Williams has gained a reputation for providing excellent dental care to her patients of all ages. She realized that a particular segment of Milwaukee was lacking a sufficient comprehensive dental clinic and decided to pursue the opportunity of opening up her own dental practice.

Since incorporation, Bright Family Dental has achieved the following milestones:

• Registered Bright Family Dental, LLC to transact business in the state of Wisconsin.
• Has located an office space that will be ideal for a dental practice and signed a Letter of Intent
• Began the branding process of developing the clinic name, logo, and website
• Began recruiting a staff of dental assistants and hygienists, receptionist, and financial coordinator

Bright Family Dental Services

The following will be the services Bright Family Dental will provide:

Industry Analysis

Over the past five years, the Dental industry experienced largely positive growth, as advances in dental technology and improved access to care for older adults resulted in greater gains. The industry benefited from rising disposable income and a relatively low unemployment rate, resulting in more consumers with healthcare coverage.

The average industry operator is expected to experience relatively high profit. The industry has historically experienced high margins, as a result, the industry is expected to continue expanding over the next five years, with more operators entering the field.

Industry revenue is projected to grow, increasing at an annualized rate of 2.3%. In particular, demand for industry services will come from older adults, who tend to need more serious and more frequent dental care as they age. In addition, the expansion of dental care through Medicaid will enable low-income adults to access the care they need. A relatively low unemployment rate will also support coverage and thus accessibility of industry services.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market.

Bright Family Dental will target all households within the immediate area. This will include families with children, teenagers, and young adults, seniors, and individuals who have insurance. Bright Family Dental will also take uninsured patients and offer payment plans if they need help with out-of-pocket dental expenses.

The precise demographics for Milwaukee, Wisconsin are:

Customer Segmentation

Bright Family Dental  will primarily target the following customer profiles:

• Families with children
• Young adults
• Uninsured adults

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

Bright Family Dental will face competition from other companies with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.

Holmgren Family Dental

Holmgren Family Dental is a local dental practice that operates with the leadership of Dr. Andrew Holmgren. The practice consists of a team of  hygienists and assistants who offer exams and cleanings, fluoride treatments, fillings, crowns, bridges, root canals, implant restorations, mouth guards, dentures, sealants, and dental x-rays. His practice consists mainly of children and teenagers who are in need of braces. Dr. Holmgren provides the initial braces evaluation and exams and then refers his patients to the nearby orthodontist whose practice is next door. In addition, Dr. Holmgren also offers treatments for snore prevention, sinus lift augmentation, and bone grafting. Service costs vary depending on the needs of the patient and treatment plan. The office uses MedPay Credit to offer payment plans for procedures that aren’t covered by insurance.

The Dental Specialists of Milwaukee

The Dental Specialists of Milwaukee provides family dental care with a focus on children’s dentistry. The clinic is committed to reducing the need for future extensive dental work and providing preventative dental care for its patients. Their list of services include general dentistry, children’s dentistry, oral surgery, orthodontics and braces, and aligners. With five locations throughout Milwaukee, the practice has ten dentists and a team of assistants and hygienists who are able to service the large patient base. As the largest dental group in Milwaukee, The Dental Specialists of Milwaukee take patients of all ages and incomes and offer flexible payment plans. They take most insurance as well as Medicaid. The clinic also offers a dental discount payment plan that has low monthly payments, no interest, and no credit check required.

Riley Dental

Riley Dental provides comprehensive oral health care while providing excellent customer service. The head dentist, Dr. Ana Riley, focuses on providing patient-focused comprehensive dentistry. As a general dentist, Dr. Riley has the experience and skill needed to offer the highest quality of care and services for her patients to maintain supreme oral health. Riley Dental offers dental cleanings and exams, crowns and bridges, dental fillings, emergency dentistry, dentures and partials, root canals, and extractions. The office also offers cosmetic treatments like veneers and teeth whitening. Dr. Riley also works extensively with geriatric patients to provide whatever is necessary for their unique needs. Riley Dental has invested in state-of-the-art technology and a digital x-ray machine. The clinic offers flexible payment plans for services that are not covered by insurance.

Competitive Advantage

Bright Family Dental will be able to offer the following advantages over their competition:

• Friendly, knowledgeable, and highly qualified team of dental professionals who also offer excellent patient care
• Comprehensive menu of services that provides excellent dental care for all of its patients
• Will take uninsured payment plans and offer a flexible payment plan for dental services
• Bright Family Dental offers the best pricing in town. Their pricing structure is the most cost effective compared to the competition.

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

Bright Family Dental will offer the unique value proposition to its clientele:

• Clean, modern, and welcoming dental office that has implemented the latest dental technology
• Competitive pricing
• Does not over schedule patients. All patients will be seen at their scheduled time so that the family doesn’t spend hours of their time at the dentist office.

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for Bright Family Dental is as follows:

Bright Family Dental will be located in a highly populated area with heavy traffic flow. The location has prime visibility to new and existing patients.

Word of Mouth/Referrals

Dr. Williams has built up an extensive list of contacts over the years by providing exceptional dental service and expertise to her patients. The majority of her patient base will likely follow her to her new practice.

Print Advertising

Bright Family Dental will invest in professionally designed print ads to display in the local newspapers or flyers and publications.

Website/SEO Marketing

Bright Family Dental will hire an outside advertising firm to develop the company’s website. The website will be well organized, informative, and list all the services that Bright Family Dental is able to provide. The website will also list their contact information and location. The marketing director will also manage the company’s website presence with SEO marketing tactics so that anytime someone types in the Google or Bing search engine “Milwaukee family dentist” or “dentist near me”, Bright Family Dental will be listed at the top of the search results.

The pricing of Bright Family Dental will be moderate and on par with competitors so customers feel they receive value when purchasing their services.

Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan for Bright Family Dental.

Operation Functions:

• Ingrid Williams will be the head Dentist and Operator of the dental clinic. She will employ the following:
• Keith Murray – Dental Hygienist
• Sarah Evans – Dental Assistant
• Brenda Marshall – Financial Coordinator who will process all insurance claims, billing, and accounts payable and receivable
• Rita Johnson – Receptionist who will handle all calls, files, and scheduling of patients

Milestones:

Bright Family Dental will have the following milestones complete in the next six months.

8/1/202X – Finalize contract to lease office space

8/15/202X – Finalize personnel and staff employment contracts for the Bright Family Dental team

9/1/202X – Order office and dental practice equipment and supplies

15/15/202X – Begin marketing efforts

10/22/202X – Begin moving into Bright Family Dental office

11/1/202X – Bright Family Dental opens its office for business

Dr. Ingrid Williams is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Dental School and has been a practicing dentist at a local dental office for 18 years. During her tenure at the clinic, Dr. Williams performed a variety of dental services to patients of all ages.

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

The revenue drivers for Bright Family Dental are the fees for dental services performed at the office.

The cost drivers will be the cost of supplies necessary to maintain the dental services. Other expenses will be the payroll cost, rent, utilities, and marketing materials.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Key assumptions.

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and in order to pay off the startup business loan.

• Number of Patients Per Month: 80
• Average Cost of Services: $2,000
• Office Lease per Year: $100,000

Financial Projections

Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, dental business plan faqs, what is a dental business plan.

A dental business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your dental business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can  easily complete your dental business plan using our Dental Business Plan Template here .

What are the Main Types of Dental Businesses?

There are a number of different kinds of dental businesses, some examples include: General Dentist, Periodontist, Endodontist, and Pedodontist or Pediatric Dentist.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Dental Business Plan?

Dental businesses are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding.

What are the Steps To Start a Dental Business?

Starting a dental business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop A Dental Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed dental business plan that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast.  

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your dental business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your dental business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Dental Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your dental business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws. 

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your dental business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms. 

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations. 

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events. 

7. Acquire Necessary Dental Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your dental business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation. 

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your dental business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising.

• Sample Business Plans
• Medical & Health Care

Dental Business Plan

Dentistry is one of the most rewarding and profitable entrepreneurial ventures for any dental professional.

You can easily start a dental business, but you need a detailed business plan when it comes to staying competitive in the market, raising funding, applying for loans, and scaling it like a pro!

Need help writing a business plan for your dental office? You’re at the right place. Our dental business plan template will help you get started.

Free Business Plan Template

Download our free dental business plan template now and pave the way to success. Let’s turn your vision into an actionable strategy!

• Fill in the blanks – Outline
• Financial Tables

How to Write a Dental Business Plan?

Writing a dental business plan is a crucial step toward the success of your business. Here are the key steps to consider when writing a business plan:

1. Executive Summary

An executive summary is the first section planned to offer an overview of the entire business plan. However, it is written after the entire business plan is ready and summarizes each section of your plan.

Here are a few key components to include in your executive summary:

• Introduce your business: Start your executive summary section by briefly introducing your business to your readers.
• This section may include the name of your dental business, its location, when it was founded, the type of dental business (E.g., general dental practice, orthodontic practice, oral surgery practice.), etc.
• Market opportunity: Summarize your market research, including market size, growth potential, and marketing trends. Highlight the opportunities in the market and how your business will fit in to fill the gap.
• Dental services: Highlight the dental services you offer to your patients. Mention any dental specialties you have. For instance, a geriatric physical therapy specialist specializes in treating elderly patients and helps them to improve their mobility and prevent falls.
• Marketing & sales strategies: Outline your sales and marketing strategies—what marketing platforms you use and how you intend to attract new patients and retain existing ones.
• Financial highlights: Briefly summarize your financial projections for the initial years of business operations. Include any capital or investment requirements, associated startup costs, projected revenues, and profit forecasts.
• Call to action: Summarize your executive summary section with a clear CTA, for example, inviting angel investors to discuss the potential business investment.

Make sure your executive summary is clear, concise, easy to understand, and jargon-free.

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2. Business Overview

The business overview section of your business plan offers detailed information about your company. The details you add will depend on how important they are to your business. Yet, business name, location, business history, and future goals are some of the foundational elements you must consider adding to this section:

• Business description: Describe your business in this section by providing all the basic information:
• Business name and type: Describe what type of dental clinic you run and the name of it. You may specialize in one of the following dental practices:
• Oral surgery practice
• Cosmetic dental practice
• General dental practice
• Mobile dental practice
• Pediatric dental practice
• Company structure: Describe the legal structure of your dental office, whether it is a sole proprietorship, partnership, or others.
• Location: Explain where your business is located and why you selected the place.
• Ownership: List the names of the founders of your clinic. Describe what shares they own and their responsibilities for efficiently managing the business.
• Mission statement: Summarize your business’ objective, core principles, and values in your mission statement. This statement needs to be memorable, clear, and brief.
• Business history: If you’re an established dental business, briefly describe your business history, like—when it was founded, how it evolved over time, etc. Additionally, If you have received any awards or recognition for excellent work, describe them.
• Future goals: It’s crucial to convey your aspirations and vision. Mention your short-term and long-term goals; they can be specific targets for revenue, market share, or about expanding your services.

This section should provide a thorough understanding of your business, its history, and its future plans. Keep this section engaging, precise, and to the point.

3. Market Analysis

The Market analysis section of your business plan should offer a thorough understanding of the dental care industry with the target market, competitors, and growth opportunities. You should include the following components in this section.

• Target market: Start this section by describing your target market. Define your ideal customer and explain what types of services they prefer. Creating a buyer persona will help you easily define your target market to your readers.
• For instance, general dental clinics may target individuals and families seeking routine dental check-ups.
• Market size and growth potential: Describe your market size and growth potential and whether you will target a niche or a much broader market.
• Competitive analysis: Identify and analyze your direct and indirect competitors. Identify their strengths and weaknesses, and describe what differentiates your dentistry services from them. Point out how you have a competitive edge in the market.
• Market trends: Analyze emerging trends in the industry, such as technology disruptions, changes in customer behavior or preferences, etc. Explain how your business will cope with all the trends.
• For instance, there is an increasing demand for cosmetic dental services such as teeth whitening and dental implants; explain how you plan to address the growth opportunity.
• Regulatory environment: List regulations and licensing requirements that may affect your dental business, such as dental license, business insurance, facility requirements(fire safety, infection control standards), HIPPA compliance, etc.

Here are a few tips for writing the market analysis section of your dental clinic business plan:

• Conduct market research, industry reports, and surveys to gather data.
• Provide specific and detailed information whenever possible.
• Illustrate your points with charts and graphs.
• Write your business plan keeping your target audience in mind.

4. Products And Services

The product and services section should describe the specific dentistry services offered to patients. To write this section should include the following:

• Dental treatment & services: Mention the dentistry services your clinic will offer. This list may include services like,
• Teeth whitening
• Tooth extraction
• Cosmetic fillings
• Root canal therapy
• Oral surgery, and more.
• Describe each service: Provide a detailed description of each service you provide, including the process involved, any physical examination needed, the time required, etc.
• For instance, tooth extraction involves dental examination, anesthesia, tooth loosening, tooth removal, socket cleaning, post-extraction treatment, and follow-up appointments.
• Insurance & Payment Options: This section should include details about accepted payment methods and insurance plans. These options may include credit cards, cash, dental health insurance, third-party insurance, etc.
• In addition to these payment options, describe if your dentistry offers regular patients discounts or membership plans.
• Additional service: Mention if your dental office offers any additional services. You may include services like mobile dental services, sedation dentistry, etc.

In short, this section of your dental office business plan must be informative, precise, and client-focused. By providing a clear and compelling description of your offerings, you can help potential investors and readers understand the value of your business.

5. Sales And Marketing Strategies

The sales and marketing strategies section describes how you will attract new patients and retain existing ones. Here are some key elements to include in your sales & marketing plan:

• Unique selling proposition (USP): Define your business’s USPs depending on the market you serve, the equipment you use, and the unique services you provide.
• For example, advanced technology, specialized services, and emergency dental care could be some of the great USPs for a general dental clinic.
• Pricing strategy: Describe your pricing strategy—how you plan to price your dental services and stay competitive in the local market. You can mention any discounts you plan on offering to attract new patients.
• Marketing strategies: Discuss your marketing strategies to market your dentistry services. You may include some of these marketing strategies in your business plan—social media marketing, Google ads, brochures, email marketing, content marketing, and print marketing.
• Sales strategies: Outline the strategies you’ll implement to maximize your sales. Your sales strategies may include partnering with other healthcare service providers(e.g., Orthodontists, oral surgeons.), offering referral programs, etc.
• Patient retention: Describe your patient retention strategies and how you plan to execute them. For instance, introducing patient loyalty programs, offering membership discounts, encouraging routine dental check-ups, etc.

Overall, this section of your dental office business plan should focus on customer acquisition and retention.

Have a specific, realistic, and data-driven approach while planning sales and marketing strategies for your dental business, and be prepared to adapt or make strategic changes in your strategies based on feedback and results.

6. Operations Plan

The operations plan section of your business plan should outline the processes and procedures involved in your business operations, such as staffing requirements and operational processes. Here are a few components to add to your operations plan:

• Staffing & training: Describe your staffing requirements, including the number of dentists, dental assistants, nurses, and any other support staff you will need. Include their qualifications, years of experience, and the duties they will perform.
• Operational process: Outline the processes and procedures you will use to run your dental business. Your operational processes may include managing patient flow, scheduling appointments, patient registration, patient treatment, record-keeping, billing, and after-treatment check-ups.
• Safety & infection control: Describe the safety and infection control practices and protocols you plan to implement, keeping patients, staff, and visitors’ safety in mind.
• These protocols may include waste management, disinfection, sterilization, infection surveillance, etc.
• Equipment & Technologies: Include the list of equipment and technology that will be used in the dental practice, such as digital X-rays, intraoral cameras, laser dentistry, etc.
• In addition, provide details on the sourcing and maintenance of these instruments and equipment. Explain how these technologies benefit your patients and help you stand out as a dental service provider.

Adding these components to your operations plan will help you lay out your business operations, which will eventually help you manage your dentistry effectively.

7. Management Team

The management team section provides an overview of your dental business’s management team. This section should provide a detailed description of each manager’s experience and qualifications, as well as their responsibilities and roles.

• Founders/CEO: Mention the founders and CEO of your dental clinic, and describe their roles and responsibilities in successfully running the business.
• Key managers: Introduce your management and key team members, and explain their roles and responsibilities. Business plans for solo practitioners typically don’t include key managers.
• It should include, Dental director, department/division heads, committees, and other dentists involved in the operations, including their education, specialization, professional background, and years of experience in the dental care industry.
• Organizational structure: Explain the organizational structure of your management team. Include the reporting line and decision-making hierarchy.
• Compensation plan: Describe your compensation plan for the management and staff. Include their salaries, incentives, and other benefits.
• Advisors/consultants: Mentioning advisors or consultants in your business plans adds credibility to your business idea. So, if you have any advisors or consultants, include them with their names and brief information about roles and years of experience.

This section should describe the key personnel for your dental care services, highlighting how you have the perfect team to succeed.

8. Financial Plan

Your financial plan section should provide a summary of your business’s financial projections for the first few years. Here are some key elements to include in your financial plan:

• Profit & loss statement: Describe details such as projected revenue, operational costs, and service costs in your projected profit and loss statement. Make sure to include your business’s expected net profit or loss.
• Cash flow statement: This section should estimate and describe the cash flow for the first few years of your operation. This may include billing invoices, payment receipts, loan payments, and any other cash flow statements.
• Balance sheet: Create a projected balance sheet documenting your dental business’s assets, liabilities, and equity.
• Break-even point: Determine and mention your business’s break-even point—the point at which your business costs and revenue will be equal.
• This exercise will help you understand how much revenue you need to generate to sustain or be profitable.
• Financing needs: Estimate your financing needs and how much capital you need to raise to operate your business. Be specific about your short-term and long-term financing requirements, such as investment capital or loans.

Be realistic with your financial projections, and make sure you offer relevant information and evidence to support your estimates.

9. Appendix

The appendix section of your plan should include any additional information supporting your business plan’s main content, such as market research, legal documentation, financial statements, and other relevant information.

• Add a table of contents for the appendix section to help readers easily find specific information or sections.
• In addition to your financial statements, provide additional financial documents like tax returns, a list of assets within the business, credit history, and more. These statements must be up-to-date and offer financial projections for at least the first three or five years of business operations.
• Provide data derived from market research, including stats about the dental care industry, user demographics, and industry trends.
• Include any legal documents such as permits, licenses, and contracts.
• Include any additional documentation related to your business plan, such as product brochures, marketing materials, operational procedures, etc.

Use clear headings and labels for each section of the appendix so that readers can easily find the necessary information.

Remember, the appendix section of your dental business plan should only include relevant and important information supporting your plan’s main content.

The Quickest Way to turn a Business Idea into a Business Plan

Fill-in-the-blanks and automatic financials make it easy.

This sample dental business plan will provide an idea for writing a successful dental clinic business plan, including all the essential components of your business.

After this, if you still need clarification about writing an investment-ready business plan to impress your audience, download our dental business plan pdf .

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you need a dental business plan.

A business plan is an essential tool for anyone looking to start or run a successful dental business. It helps to get clarity in your business, secures funding, and identifies potential challenges while starting and growing your business.

Overall, a well-written plan can help you make informed decisions, which can contribute to the long-term success of your dental clinic.

How to get funding for your dental business?

There are several ways to get funding for your dental business, but self-funding is one of the most efficient and speedy funding options. Other options for funding are:

Small Business Administration (SBA) loan

Crowdfunding, angel investors.

Apart from all these options, there are small business grants available, check for the same in your location and you can apply for it.

Where to find business plan writers for your dental business?

There are many business plan writers available, but no one knows your business and ideas better than you, so we recommend you write your dental practice business plan and outline your vision as you have in your mind.

What is the easiest way to write your dental business plan?

A lot of research is necessary for writing a business plan, but you can write your plan most efficiently with the help of any dental clinic business plan example and edit it as per your need. You can also quickly finish your plan in just a few hours or less with the help of our business plan software.

About the Author

Vinay Kevadiya

Vinay Kevadiya is the founder and CEO of Upmetrics, the #1 business planning software. His ultimate goal with Upmetrics is to revolutionize how entrepreneurs create, manage, and execute their business plans. He enjoys sharing his insights on business planning and other relevant topics through his articles and blog posts. Read more

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Dental Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 2,000 dentists create business plans to start and grow their dental practices. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a dental business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is a Dental Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your dental business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Dentist Office

If you’re looking to start a dental practice or grow your existing dental business you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your dental business in order to improve your chances of success. Your dental business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Dental Practices

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a dental practice are credit cards, personal savings, bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable. But they will want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business.

Angel investors are wealthy individuals who will write you a check. They will either take equity in return for their funding, or, like a bank, they will give you a loan.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

Your business plan should include 10 sections as follows:

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of dental practice you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a dental practice that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of dental offices.

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the dental industry. Discuss the type of dental business you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of dental business you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types:

• General Dentist : this type of dentist will stick mostly to restorative dentistry and hygiene care in their office. This includes, but is not limited to, initial and emergency exams, including oral cancer screenings, cleanings and periodic hygiene exams, gum treatments for gum disease, white fillings to repair decayed or broken teeth, porcelain crowns, bridges and veneers, implant porcelain crowns and teeth whitening.
• Periodontist : this type of dentist focuses on problems that patients have with their gums, bone and tissues which support the teeth.
• Endodontist : this type of dentist is also known as a root canal specialist.
• Orthodontist : this type of dentist does braces on kids and adults to straighten their teeth, as well as dentofacial orthopedics.
• Pedodontist or Pediatric Dentist : this type of dentist specializes in treating children.

In addition to explaining the type of dental business you operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to question such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include sales goals you’ve reached, new clinic openings, etc.
• Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the dental industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the dental industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating. 

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy particularly if your research identifies market trends. For example, if there was a trend towards cosmetic dentistry, it would be helpful to ensure your plan calls for plenty of cosmetic procedure options.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your dental business plan:

• How big is the dental industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your dental practice. You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your dental business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: adults, children, teens, elderly, etc.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of dental business you operate. Clearly adults would want a different atmosphere and product options, and would respond to different marketing promotions than teens.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve. Because most dental practices primarily serve customers living in their same city or town, such demographic information is easy to find on government websites.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other dental businesses.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t direct competitors. This includes federal agencies who provide direct services to military personnel or disadvantaged populations, and nonprofit dental providers. You need to mention such competition to show you understand that not everyone who seeks dental services will choose a private dental practice.

With regards to direct competition, you want to detail the other dentists with which you compete. Most likely, your direct competitors will be dental practices located very close to your location.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

• What types of patients do they serve?
• What products do they offer?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide superior dental services?
• Will you provide dental services that your competitors don’t offer?
• Will you make it easier or faster for customers to make an appointment?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a dental practice plan, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : in the product section you should reiterate the type of dental practice that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific products you will be offering. For example, in addition to general dentistry, will you offer cosmetic procedures?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the location of your dental practice. Document your location and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, is your practice located in a medical office building, in a commercial area, etc. Discuss how your location might provide a steady stream of customers. 

Promotions : the final part of your dental business marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertising in local papers and magazines
• Reaching out to local bloggers and websites 
• Social media advertising
• Local radio advertising
• Banner ads at local venues

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your dental business such as serving patients, procuring supplies, keeping the office clean, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to serve your 1,000th patient, or when you hope to reach $X in sales. It could also be when you expect to hire your Xth employee or launch a new location.

Management Team

To demonstrate your dental practice’s ability to succeed as a business, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company. 

Ideally you and/or your team members have direct experience in the dental business. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in dental practices and/or successfully running small businesses.

Financial Plan

Income Statement : an income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenues and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you serve 20 patients per day or 50? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Example 5 Year Annual Income Statement

Balance Sheets : While balance sheets include much information, to simplify them to the key items you need to know about, balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. For instance, if you spend $100,000 on building out your dental office, that will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $100.000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Example 5 Year Annual Balance Sheet

Cash Flow Statement : Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt. 

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a dental business:

• Location build-out including design fees, construction, etc.
• Cost of equipment like radiographs, dental chairs, dental instruments, computers, software, etc.
• Cost of maintaining an adequate amount of supplies
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Taxes and permits
• Legal expenses

Example 5 Year Annual Cash Flow Statement

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your office design blueprint or location lease.

Dental Business Plan Summary

Putting together a business plan for your dental practice is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will really understand the dental business, your competition and your customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful dental practice.

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