Financial Planning for Dental Practice Owners

Between leading a team, caring for patients, and running a business, financial planning often gets pushed aside. We help dental practice owners and dental specialists coordinate the financial decisions behind the practice they’re building and the life they want it to support.

Your Practice Creates Wealth. A Plan Makes It Personal.

As your dental practice grows, so does the complexity of your financial life. Hiring associates, investing in the business, managing taxes and cash flow, saving for retirement, building wealth outside the practice, and preparing for an eventual transition can all compete for the same dollars and attention.

Between patients, employees, and the day-to-day demands of ownership, major financial decisions can get handled piecemeal without one strategy connecting your business and personal goals.

We help dental practice owners and dental specialists gain organization, clarity, and coordination in their financial lives through long-term planning aligned with both personal and business goals.

Who We Serve Best

Owners of established and growing dental and dental specialty practices
Adding, or already managing, associates
Balancing practice growth with personal financial goals
Generating significant income that calls for tax-aware planning
Too busy to coordinate financial decisions on their own
Looking for a central point of advice across their CPA, attorney, and other professionals
Interested in long-term planning rather than transactional recommendations
Preparing for an eventual transition, succession, or retirement

Spaugh Dameron Tenny works with dental practice owners in general dentistry and dental specialists, including orthodontists, endodontists, periodontists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, prosthodontists, pediatric dentists, and others.

Common Financial Concerns for Dental and Dental Specialty Practice Owners

Practice Growth & Financial Complexity

Deciding whether adding an associate fits your goals
Balancing reinvestment in the practice against building outside wealth
Choosing the right retirement plan for you and the practice

Tax Planning & Cash Flow Coordination

Structuring income tax-efficiently as earnings rise (S-corp decisions)
Using Section 179 and retirement contributions to reduce tax drag

Practice Transition & Succession

Assessing how much of your retirement depends on the practice
Evaluating a doctor-to-doctor sale, associate buy-in, or DSO/PE offer

Personal Wealth & Long-Term Planning

Building wealth outside the practice
Managing investments through market volatility

Coordination Fatigue

Managing advice from multiple professionals without one strategy
Delegating financial coordination to a trusted partner

How We Help Dental and Dental Specialty Practice Owners

We bring coordination, clarity, and long-term alignment to the decisions that shape both your practice and your personal finances.

Coordinated Financial Planning - Align decisions across your CPA, attorney, consultants, and other professionals so your financial life works as one plan.

Tax-Aware Planning Strategies - Evaluate strategies to improve long-term tax efficiency across personal and business finances as income and complexity grow.

Practice Owner Planning - Treat the practice as what it usually is: your largest asset and a primary driver of decisions, and weigh competing priorities: reinvestment, personal investing, retirement, liquidity, and long-term goals.

Retirement & Long-Term Planning - Build strategies that support life beyond the practice while balancing current lifestyle, family, and business responsibilities.

Practice Transition Planning - Plan early for more flexibility later, working alongside practice brokers and other professionals across associate buy-ins, local group sales, and DSO/private equity transactions.

Explore All Financial Solutions

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What You Can Expect Working With Us

We empower you → You will feel in control of your money, instead of your money controlling you.

We give you Guilt-Free Spending™ → You will be able to spend money knowing you have a realistic plan in place for your long-range goals.

We want you to feel like our only client → You will never be put on hold or speak with someone who doesn't know your name.

We educate with plain language → You will understand your financial plan, including the strategy and why it makes sense just for you.

We are accessible → You will be able to reach us every time. Your team is available and ready whenever you need us.

At Spaugh Dameron Tenny, our goal is to make your financial planning journey rewarding, enjoyable, and fully transparent. While we can’t predict every curve in the road, our entire team is dedicated to guiding you through every step with confidence.

Watch the SDT Team’s Pledge

Our Process

We make this simple and convenient, no matter your financial goals or where you live. Meetings can be held over Zoom, in person, by phone, or a combination of all. You’re only a few weeks away from a fully customized, comprehensive financial plan.

Fit & Fact-Finding

We answer your questions, learn about your goals and background, and mutually decide if we can help.

Deep Dive

We review and analyze key financial information.

Education & Strategy

We present our findings and educate you on concepts and strategies that can help.

Execution

We coordinate with your CPA, attorney, and bankers as we implement every step.

Ongoing Planning & Adaptation

At least annually, and more often when life calls for it, with an annual plan refresh and event-driven adjustments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a financial advisor who understands dental practice owners?

It helps. Owning a dental practice creates financial decisions that go beyond personal investing, including business cash flow, taxes, associates, retirement plans, practice value, and an eventual transition. An advisor who understands those dynamics can evaluate them as part of one broader financial plan.

Do you work with orthodontists and other dental specialists?

Yes. We work with general dentists and owners across dental specialties, including orthodontists, endodontists, periodontists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, prosthodontists, pediatric dentists, and other specialists. Each practice is different, but many owners face similar decisions around growth, cash flow, taxes, retirement, personal wealth, and an eventual transition.

When does financial planning become more important for dental and dental specialty practice owners?

Usually, as the practice grows, when you add associates, income rises, or a transition decision comes into view.

How do I balance investing in my dental practice with personal investing?

It’s one of the most important decisions owners face. The right mix depends on practice profitability, your goals, taxes, liquidity needs, retirement readiness, and transition plans, so we weigh them together rather than in isolation.

How much of my retirement plan should depend on selling my practice?

Less than most owners assume. Building wealth outside the practice creates flexibility and takes pressure off the timing and price of a future sale.

Can you work with my CPA, attorney, or practice consultant?

Yes. Coordination is central to how we plan. We regularly collaborate with CPAs, attorneys, consultants, and practice brokers to align decisions and reduce fragmentation.

What should I consider before selling my dental practice?

Practice value matters, but it is only one part of the decision. Tax impact, retirement readiness, cash flow needs, timing, deal structure, earn-outs, family goals, and what your financial life looks like after the sale can all affect which option makes sense.

How do I know whether I’m making the right financial decisions for the long term?

A coordinated planning process gives you a way to test it. By mapping your priorities, modeling trade-offs, and revisiting the plan as things change, you can see whether today’s decisions still point toward your long-term goals.

Explore Relevant Articles from Our Team

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Physician Focused, Dentist Focused, Practice Transitions, Practice Services

6 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Practice Broker

Should You Hire Your Child in Your Dental Practice?

Selling Your Dental Practice? Here's How to Financially Prepare

Let’s Talk

A successful dental and specialty dental practice creates more financial opportunity, but it also adds complexity. As your practice grows, taxes, cash flow, retirement, investments, and an eventual transition all compete for your attention.

A coordinated financial plan helps dentists and dental specialists alike understand what belongs in the business, what belongs in your personal plan, and how today’s decisions support the future you’re building. Schedule a complimentary 15-minute introductory call to discuss your goals. Complete the form, and a member of our advisory team will reach out shortly.