Dentsmart franchise
2025 filing · July 10, 2025
Dentsmart at a glance
A paintless dent repair business working through body shops and insurance contacts. At the end of 2024 there were 17 Dentsmart locations in the US, 13 franchised and 4 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Dentsmart LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2010
- 15 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Pekin, Illinois
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $79K–$111K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $25,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 8%
- 8% of net paintless dent repair sales and 8% of other gross revenue, paid monthly
- Agreement length
- 5 years
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 17
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 13
- Company-owned
- 4
Support and records
From Dentsmart LLC’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Dentsmart among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Dentsmart | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $94,800 | Costs less than 89% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $25,000 | Lower than 82% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 8% | Higher than 85% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 17 | Fewer than 53% of franchises |
How much a Dentsmart franchise costs
Opening one Dentsmart costs an estimated $79,100 to $110,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital. It is one of the low-cost franchises.
The biggest costs are additional funds(10) – 3 months ($20,000 to $40,000) and initial franchise fee ($25,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $25,000 | ||
| Training Expenses | $2,500 | $3,000 | |
| Security and utility deposits and other costs associated with establishing your office | $0 | $4,500 | |
| Office equipment, fixtures, leasehold improvements, whether purchased or leased | $1,000 | ||
| Tools | $10,000 | ||
| Business licenses and other licenses | $1,500 | $2,500 | |
| Software and Hardware | $2,000 | $3,000 | |
| Insurance | $2,500 | $3,000 | |
| Grand opening advertising and marketing | $2,000 | ||
| Other Professional Fees | $3,500 | $5,500 | |
| Technician Training | $9,000 | ||
| Additional Funds(10) – 3 months | $20,000 | $40,000 | |
| Total | $79,100 | $110,500 | |
Source: Dentsmart LLC, 2025 filing, page 21
Dentsmart franchise fee
The franchise fee is $25,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Dentsmart LLC, 2025 filing, page 12
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 8% of net paintless dent repair sales and 8% of other gross revenue, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Transfers | Currently $2,000 |
| New Manager Training | $3,000 per person |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Dentsmart LLC, 2025 filing, page 13
Other fees as filed, from pages 15–17. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Dentsmart does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: Dentsmart LLC, 2025 filing, page 50
How Dentsmart compares
Of the 53 auto repair franchises on this site, Dentsmart is the 8th cheapest to open and the 39th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Dentsmart | Typical auto repair brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $79K | $224K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $111K | $534K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $25K | $40K | $40K |
| Royalty | 8% | 6% | 6% |
| US locations | 17 | 92 | 21 |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | −13.3% | 0% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 33 of 53 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 53 brands in auto repair franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 13 (−2) | 4 |
| 2023 | 13 (0) | 4 |
| 2024 | 13 (0) | 4 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. The current franchisor bought the system on the last day of 2022: four franchised businesses owned by its owners became affiliate-owned and two owned by the seller's owner became franchised.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: auto repair franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Dentsmart LLC, 2025 filing, page 51
Who owns Dentsmart?
Dentsmart franchises are sold by Dentsmart LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From Dentsmart LLC’s 2025 filing, page 9.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on page 12. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Dentsmart LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on page 12, bankruptcy on page 12
Dentsmart filings
The figures on this page come from Dentsmart LLC’s 2025 filing, issued July 10, 2025, on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | July 10, 2025 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other auto repair franchises
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Dentsmart is also on these lists: mobile franchises.