Understanding and optimizing production will remain one of the most important drivers of dental practice success in 2026. Production affects everything from managing rising overhead to maintaining healthy margins and delivering great patient care. Whether you are a solo dentist or leading a multi-doctor practice, knowing how your production compares to industry benchmarks and identifying opportunities to improve can lead to stronger, more sustainable performance.
What Is Dental Office Production?
Dental office production reflects the total value of services provided before collections and adjustments. It’s the clearest indicator of your practice’s clinical activity and revenue potential. Because it includes both doctor and hygiene procedures, production serves as the foundation for nearly every decision in practice management.
2026 Dental Production Benchmarks: Where Does Your Practice Stand?
Dental office production varies widely based on practice size, provider mix, and services offered. The benchmarks below reflect industry research and performance trends observed through 2025 and used to inform 2026 planning.
How much does a solo general dental practice produce per month?
Most solo general dental practices produce between $65,000 and $90,000 per month. Practices that consistently fall below $65,000 monthly may experience challenges related to scheduling efficiency, case acceptance, or capacity utilization.
How much do multi-doctor dental practices produce per month?
Multi-doctor general practices typically produce $150,000 to $300,000 per month. Higher production is driven by multiple providers, expanded clinical hours, and broader procedure mix.
What is considered high production for a dental practice?
High-performing practices often exceed standard benchmarks by offering specialized services such as implants, orthodontics, or cosmetic dentistry. Even solo practices with these services frequently produce more than $120,000 per month.
What is the average monthly production for a U.S. dental practice?
Across the U.S., the average general dental practice produces approximately $65,000 to $120,000 per month. This range continues to evolve based on patient demand, fee schedules, and operational efficiency.
What is a good daily production goal per dentist?
Daily production targets typically range from $3,500 to $5,000 per dentist, depending on the practice model, procedure mix, and appointment complexity.
Tracking daily production helps practices:
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Identify scheduling gaps and inefficiencies
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Evaluate chair utilization
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Make real-time adjustments to maximize revenue potential
The Production Overhead Relationship and Why It Matters in 2026
Dental practice overhead remains one of the most critical financial challenges heading into 2026. Overhead includes everything that keeps the office running before dentist compensation, from staffing and supplies to rent and technology. National benchmarking shows that the average dental practice overhead typically ranges from about 60% to 65% of production, meaning 60-65 cents of every dollar collected goes to running the business. Practices with overhead above 70% are at greater risk of financial strain.
Rising Overhead: The 2026 Reality
Overhead in dental practices has been climbing year over year, largely due to labor costs and operational expenses. Surveys indicate that many practices are experiencing ongoing increases in staffing and administrative costs, and overhead continues to rise rather than retracting. Trends observed through 2025 suggest this increase may become part of the long-term normal rather than a temporary spike.
Staff salaries and benefits are consistently the largest portion of overhead, often 25% to 30% of total production. Additional costs such as supplies, lab fees, rent, and technology further contribute to overall overhead percentages.
The Production Solution for 2026
While overhead can only be reduced so much through efficiency improvements and cost control, production is the lever practices can most dramatically influence. Increasing production without proportionally increasing overhead is the key to improving profit margins.
When production grows faster than overhead, net profitability improves even in the face of rising costs. This is why many practices focus on enhancing case acceptance, optimizing schedules, expanding high-value services, and improving hygiene productivity.
Industry research from 2024-2025 found that a majority of practices were able to grow their production year over year despite economic pressures, showing that strategic management and operational focus can overcome cost trends.
Practices entering 2026 with systems that support strong production performance, such as efficient workflows, clear fee schedules, and proactive patient engagement, are positioned to outperform peer benchmarks and strengthen financial health.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Production
Tracking the right KPIs helps dental practices monitor financial health, operational efficiency, and growth potential. Below are essential production-related KPIs based on industry data and widely accepted benchmarks.
1. Overhead Percentage
Definition: Overhead percentage measures how much of your revenue goes toward running the practice before doctor compensation.
Why it matters: Healthy overhead gives you more flexibility for staffing, technology, and reinvestment without eroding profit.
Benchmark: Most dental practices aim to keep total overhead below 60%–65% of collections. Overhead consistently above 70% can strain profitability.
Breakdown of major cost categories (typical ranges seen across practices):
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Staff costs: ~25%-30% of collections (largest expense category)
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Supplies and lab fees: ~6%-8%
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Rent/facilities: ~4%-7%
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Marketing, technology, and other operating expenses: Remaining percentage
Monitoring these categories monthly helps identify opportunities to streamline and improve profitability.
2. Collection Percentage
Definition: Collection percentage measures how much of your production is actually collected as revenue.
Why it matters: A high collection rate ensures that production converts into cash flow, not just billed services.
Benchmark: Practices that collect 95% or more of production are generally considered strong. Significantly lower rates may indicate issues with billing, insurance follow-up, or patient payment processes.
Good accounts receivable management (including aging analysis) supports a healthy collection ratio and reduces cash flow lag.
3. Revenue per Patient
Definition: Revenue per patient measures the average income generated from each patient over a given period.
Why it matters: This KPI reflects both treatment value and patient engagement.
Benchmarks: Industry averages vary, but many practices target $600-$800 per active patient annually, with higher averages seen in practices offering comprehensive or specialty services.
Tracking revenue per patient helps identify opportunities to enhance case acceptance, expand service offerings, or refine recall and preventive care strategies.
4. Production per New Patient
Definition: Production per new patient measures the total production generated by new patients in their first 12 months.
Why it matters: New patients typically generate greater production value than returning patients and are critical to growth.
Insight: New patients often contribute a disproportionate share of production. Practices with strong acquisition and onboarding systems can see a significant increase in overall production and patient lifetime value.
5. Case Acceptance Rate
Definition: Case acceptance rate is the percentage of recommended treatment plans that patients accept and move forward with.
Why it matters: Higher case acceptance signals effective communication, trust, and patient education.
Benchmarks: Case acceptance can vary widely, but many practices aim for 70% or higher. National averages often fall between 40% and 60%, highlighting opportunity for improvement through presentation skills and financing options.
Improving this KPI can dramatically increase production without adding appointments or providers.
Tracking these key production KPIs gives you a clear view of your practice’s financial and operational health. When overhead is controlled, collections are strong, and patients are accepting recommended care, production grows and drives profitability. Combining regular KPI reviews with targeted improvement plans positions your practice for sustainable performance in 2026 and beyond.
Dental office production is the clearest indicator of practice health and growth potential. With overhead costs continuing to rise by roughly 5 percent annually, effective production management is essential for maintaining profitability in 2026.
While benchmarks provide useful targets, high-performing practices consistently exceed them through strong operations, efficient scheduling, and engaged teams. The gap between average and top-performing practices continues to widen as those who optimize production capture more patient demand.
Because overhead can only be reduced incrementally, production growth remains the primary lever for improving profit. Practices that maximize hygiene productivity, streamline schedules, use automation thoughtfully, and address staffing strategically are best positioned to succeed.
By tracking performance against benchmarks and applying proven production strategies, practices can achieve sustainable growth and stronger profitability in 2026 and beyond.
