Dental franchising is small and comes in two kinds. Practice brands put their name on a dental office: some build a new general or specialty practice, one treats residents of senior living communities where they live, and some are networks that independent dentists join for a shared brand, group buying and practice support while keeping their own offices.
The other kind serves dentists rather than patients: coaching for practice owners, a brokerage that helps dentists buy and sell practices, and a school that trains dental assistants. These cost far less to open and suit an owner who is not a dentist.
The dental franchises
Dental practices
| Brand | Cost to open | Locations | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smile SourceA network of independently owned dental practices sharing a brand, buying power and practice support.$61K–$435K | $61K–$435K | 663 | – |
| Clear Lakes DentalA dental office providing general and family dentistry services.$557K–$1.87M | $557K–$1.87M | 7 | – |
| One EndoAn endodontic (root canal) specialty practice.$886K–$1.56M | $886K–$1.56M | 3 | – |
| Senior SmileA dental care business that treats residents of senior living communities and homebound people on site.$125K–$201K | $125K–$201K | 1 | – |
Businesses that serve dental practices
| Brand | Cost to open | Locations | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fortune ManagementA practice management consulting business coaching dental offices in its territory.$33K–$150K | $33K–$150K | 68 | – |
| Dental Assistant UA dental assistant training school.$80K–$219K | $80K–$219K | 10 | – |
| DDSmatchA dental practice brokerage helping dentists buy, sell and value practices.$140K–$323K | $140K–$323K | – | – |
What dental franchises cost to open
The typical brand here costs $125K at the low end of its estimate and $323K at the high end. The lowest starting cost is Fortune Management’s, from $33K. Use each brand’s full range for budgeting: the low end is a small site in a cheaper market.
| Kind | Brands | Typical cost to open |
|---|---|---|
| Dental practices | 4 | $341K–$997K |
| Businesses that serve dental practices | 3 | $80K–$219K |
For a new practice, the build-out of treatment rooms, plumbing and suction, chairs, X-ray and sterilization equipment take most of the money. A network that a dentist joins with an existing office costs mainly its fee. The support businesses are offices or home-based territories, so their franchise fee is a large share of the total.
Fees and royalties
The typical franchise fee is $60K and the typical royalty 7% of sales. Of these brands, 2 charge a flat, tiered or other royalty instead of one percentage. Royalties come off sales before rent, wages or loan payments. The fees and royalties guide compares industries.
What locations sell
One brand here publishes a comparable yearly sales figure per location. Sales are before costs, so they say nothing on their own about profit.
| Brand | Yearly sales | Sales ÷ cost |
|---|---|---|
| Dental Assistant U2024, 5 locations | $133K | 0.9× |
Before you buy
For a practice brand, ask first how its owners are set up in your state, who employs the dentists, and who carries the malpractice risk. Ask what the brand supplies for patient booking, billing and insurance claims, since those decide how quickly a new office fills its chairs.
Ask each franchisor how many offices opened and closed in recent years, how long a new practice takes to reach its own patient base, and what it pays its dentists. For a support business, ask how many dental practices are in your territory and how many clients a typical owner keeps from year to year.
Questions
Do you have to be a dentist to own a dental franchise?
For a practice brand, often yes, or the business is split so a licensed dentist owns the clinical practice and the franchisee owns the company that runs everything else. The rules are set by each state. The support businesses here, such as practice coaching, practice sales and dental assistant training, don't treat patients and don't need a dental license.
What does a dental network charge a dentist who already has a practice?
Instead of building a new office, the dentist pays a fee to join and a monthly or yearly fee or royalty for the brand, group buying, marketing and coaching. The appeal is lower supply and lab costs and a larger brand without selling the practice to a corporate group. Ask the network what members save in a typical year against what they pay.