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After looking at the challenges facing dentistry, declining income, rising costs, and stagnant revenue, it’s easy to feel discouraged. But here’s the reality: Many dentists are still growing, increasing profits, and building significant wealth.
So what are they doing differently? The answer lies in how they approach their practice—not just as clinicians, but as business owners. While the industry has changed, the opportunity hasn’t disappeared. It simply requires a smarter strategy. Let’s break down what successful dentists are doing right in 2025.
One of the biggest mindset shifts among high-performing dentists is understanding this:
You can’t save your way to significant profit; you have to grow your revenue.
Most dental practices have high fixed costs. That means once those costs are covered, additional revenue has a powerful impact on profit.
If your practice grows from $1M to $1.15M:
This is called financial leverage, and it’s one of the most important concepts in building wealth through a dental practice.
Successful dentists don’t rely only on their own time and effort. Instead, they build systems that allow the practice to grow beyond what they can do individually.
This approach is often referred to as “platforming” the practice. It means creating a business that runs efficiently with strong systems, people, and processes in place.
The goal is simple:
High-performing practices consistently focus on three key areas:
Everything starts with patients.
Without a steady flow of new patients, revenue cannot grow.
Successful dentists:
They also understand that relying only on PPOs can limit profitability. While PPOs can bring patients in, they often come at a high cost to margins.
Getting patients in the door is only the first step. What happens inside the practice determines profitability.
Top-performing practices focus on:
Many successful dentists invest in practice management consultants or structured systems to improve operations.
A well-run practice can significantly increase revenue without increasing working hours.
Strong financial management is what turns revenue into real profit.
Successful dentists:
They don’t just rely on basic accounting; they build systems that help them understand where their money is going and how to improve it.
Many high-performing practices adopt structured management systems to stay organized and focused.
One example is the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), which helps businesses:
With regular meetings, defined roles, and measurable targets, these systems help practices improve consistently over time.
One of the biggest differences between struggling and thriving dentists is mindset.
Successful dentists:
They understand that clinical skill alone is not enough in today’s environment.
Wealth-building doesn’t stop at the practice level.
Successful dentists also:
For example, money invested back into the practice (marketing, systems, consulting) is often tax-deductible and can generate higher returns than personal spending.
Building a highly profitable practice doesn’t happen overnight.
The most successful dentists:
Over time, these incremental gains compound into significant financial success.
Dentistry in 2025 is not easier, but it is still full of opportunity.
The difference between struggling and thriving practices comes down to this: How the practice is managed.
Dentists who:
They are still achieving exceptional results.
Yes, the industry is facing challenges. But those challenges are also creating a gap between dentists who adapt and those who don’t.
If you’re willing to approach your practice as a business, invest in the right systems, and stay consistent, there is still a clear path to growth, profitability, and long-term wealth.Ready to take control of your dental practice and build real financial growth? Visit PracticeCFO today to get expert guidance on your numbers, improve profitability, and start building long-term wealth with confidence. Listen to Episode 145 of The Dental Boardroom Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/145-is-dentistry-struggling/id1518344747?i=1000756215563
Wes knows what's best for dental practices. He's been doing this for a long time and he sees lots of practices. He can tell me how our practice is doing, and what we can do to increase our productivity. With past CPA's, there were no ideas. It was all coming from me, saying "I think I can do better, but I don't know how." I come in to meet with Wes and he says "You CAN do better, and I know how."
PracticeCFO is in hundreds of dental offices around the country. They know what numbers should look like. They know what percentages of payroll, rent and supplies should be, and they will hold you accountable to those numbers, which will really help you stick to your plan and your path of growth and savings. That is invaluable
Whenever something comes up, whether it's building or practice related and we weren't sure where the numbers would go, PracticeCFO has been instrumental in helping us figure that out. I can't say enough of how important that is - that it goes beyond that initial partnership. They make sure this business marriage works.
When I go home from work, I don't spend a whole lot of time stressing about what my books look like, or how much I owe in taxes. By using PracticeCFO, the burden of keeping track of a lot of the big financial numbers and metrics are taken off my plate.
PracticeCFO helped me develop a plan for the future. I have colleagues that work with other accountants that don't have a plan - they just look at the numbers of the practice and that's it. There's no plan for 10, 20 years from now. But with PracticeCFO, you get that. PracticeCFO makes you feel like you're they're only client.
(In reference to his practice sale) What could've been super stressful, wasn't! When picking John and Wes, it was from word of mouth recommendations and other people's experiences from the past that really did it for me. And it turns out that those recommendations were right on the line.
Wes knows the business side of dentistry. His comprehensive plan will organize your personal and professional finances so you can focus on taking care of patients. Massive ROI.
I can’t say enough good things about everyone at PracticeCFO. Everyone on the team is professional, organized, knowledgeable, helpful and kind. They also respond to emails and phone calls immediately and are always happy to help. They have helped me navigate year-to-year as a business owner. PracticeCFO gives me peace of mind that my business is in good hands.
I love Practice CFO! They have helped me obtain a practice and maintain a practice. They are incredible people who are on top of everything and make owning and running the business portion of a practice easy. They couldn’t be better for my business and my sanity. They have every detail of the business and taxes taken care of where all I have to do is show up and follow their easy steps to success!
Practice CFO has the best tools I’ve seen for personal tax and financial planning in addition to top-tier corporate tax and accounting services. I have been very pleased with the level of quality service. They manage my monthly bookkeeping and accounts payable. It is a great system and saves me a ton of time, and it allows us to have monthly financial statements within a week of month end.
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