Dental practice growth calculator
Project revenue over five years at a chosen growth rate.
Practice growth projects your revenue over five years at a chosen annual growth rate and shows the extra profit that growth produces. Each year's revenue is the current figure multiplied by one plus the growth rate, compounded, and the cumulative extra profit is the total above today's revenue multiplied by margin. In most markets mature practices grow 3–6% a year, roughly in line with fee increases, while practices adding chairs, hygiene capacity or marketing can sustain 10–15% for a few years. Use the calculator to test whether a planned investment produces enough extra profit to justify it.
How this is calculated
- Year n revenue = current × (1 + growth)^n.
- Extra profit = (sum of projected years − 5 × current) × margin.
Frequently asked questions
What growth rate is realistic for a dental practice?
Mature practices in most markets grow 3–6% a year, which is largely fee increases plus a little patient growth. Practices adding capacity, hygiene or marketing can sustain 10–15% for a few years, after which growth settles unless capacity is added again.
Should I use my overall margin or the margin on extra revenue?
If growth comes from filling existing chairs, use a higher margin, since the fixed costs are already covered. If growth requires a new chair, a new hire or bigger premises, use your overall margin or lower, because the fixed costs step up with it.
What usually limits growth?
Capacity. Once chair utilisation passes 85%, growth needs more hours, more chairs or more clinicians, each of which raises fixed costs before revenue arrives. Check the Chair Utilisation Calculator before assuming a growth rate you cannot physically deliver.
How should I set a growth target?
Work backwards from what the practice can produce: available chair hours, achievable utilisation and revenue per chair hour give a revenue ceiling. Compare that with the projection and the gap tells you whether the target is a scheduling question or a capital question.
How often should I revisit the projection?
Annually, with actual revenue replacing the projected figure for the year just finished. If actual growth is consistently below projection, the cause is usually a capacity or acceptance issue that the other calculators on this site will help locate.
Related calculators
All dentist calculatorsBenchmarks are indicative for general practice in most markets. Last updated 18 Sept 2026. See our methodology.