Want to take your dental practice to the next level? These five tips will help you attract more patients, increase revenue, and grow your business.

Growing a dental practice isn’t just about being a great dentist. You need to think like a business owner and an entrepreneur.

Whether you’re running your first practice or looking to expand, the dental experts at RA Accountants have pulled together the following tips to help you grow your dental practice.

1.Create a Solid Business Plan

Businesses with a proper business plan grow 30% faster than those without one. Your business plan doesn’t need to be complicated, but it should be clear about where you’re going.

A business plan will help you grow, by giving your actions focus to make the most of your limited time.

The key is treating your plan as a living document. Update it as you learn what works and what doesn’t.

If you’re managing mixed NHS and private income, you’ll need to plan how to apportion costs accurately. This affects both your tax reporting and day-to-day financial management. Getting this right from the start saves headaches later.

What to include in your business plan:

• Business Goals: Clearly defined objectives for your practice
• Target Market Analysis: Research on your potential patients, including demographics and their dental needs
• Market Strategy: How your practice will meet the needs of your target market
• Competitor Analysis: A thorough examination of competing dental practices in your area
• Sales and Marketing Tactics: Strategies for attracting and retaining patients
• Financial Projections: A detailed breakdown of your current financial situation and future projections

2. Increase Patient Value

Your practice has a limit on how many patients you can see. Once you hit capacity, the only way to grow is by increasing what each patient brings in.

This doesn’t mean overcharging. It means offering more valuable services.

Increasing patient value is therefore a two-way street – you are delivering greater value for your patients, while at the same time increasing the value per patient to your practice.

High-value services to consider:

• Cosmetic dentistry (teeth whitening, veneers, smile makeovers)
• Preventive care packages
• Specialist treatments like periodontal care
• Orthodontic services

The trick is making sure these services genuinely help your patients. When you solve more problems for people, they’re happy to pay for the value you provide.

Take cosmetic dentistry. These treatments often have higher profit margins and strong demand. Plus, happy patients with new smiles become your best advertisers.

Remember though – if you’re adding aesthetic services like Botox, these are subject to VAT. Understanding your VAT obligations early helps you avoid compliance issues.

If you are adding to aesthetic services to your dental practice and would like to discuss the tax implications – then please get in touch with one of dental accountant experts.

3. Put in Place a Comprehensive Set of Business KPIs

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. This means having a robust set of key performance indicators (KPIs) are essential to any business looking to grow.

As you are looking to grow your business, we recommend at a minimum you track the key metrics below monthly:

• New patient numbers
• Patient retention rates
• Average treatment value
• Revenue per patient
• Appointment gaps and cancellations

Use this data to spot trends early. Are fewer new patients booking? Maybe your marketing needs attention. Are existing patients not returning? Look at your patient experience.

As you find your rhythm and look at the data regularly you’ll start to be able to spot any potential issues or opportunities earlier.

Another way to keep tabs on your financial metrics is to use cloud accounting software like Xero. It gives you real-time access to your financial data, so you always know where you stand.

Government legislation is increasingly making accounting software mandatory for all businesses. However, there is often a difference between using the bare minimum features and having the platform set-up by experts to help it supercharge your business. As Xero Platinum Partners, we can help you get the most from the platform.

4. Build a Strong Marketing Strategy

Your clinical skills keep patients happy, but marketing is what brings them through the door in the first place. Without a steady flow of new patients discovering your practice, even the most talented dentist will struggle to grow their business.

Effective marketing channels that work well in the dental sector include:

• Digital marketing – Local SEO and Google Ads
• Word-of-mouth referrals – Your most powerful tool
• Professional referrals – From GPs and specialists
• Patient testimonials – Social proof that works
• Local community involvement – Events and partnerships

Word-of-mouth remains the strongest marketing for dental practices. Happy patients are your best advocates.

Create a formal referral programme. Offer incentives like discounts on future treatments or free services for both the referrer and new patient. Make it easy with referral cards and simple contact sharing.

Don’t forget professional referrals either. Build relationships with local doctors, orthodontists, and other specialists. Regular communication and excellent care for their referrals strengthens these valuable partnerships.

Train your team to spot satisfied patients who might refer others. A simple conversation about their positive experience often leads to new patients.

5. Consider Opening a Second Location

Once you’ve maximised your current practice, a new location might be your logical next step.

You’ve already learned how to run a successful practice. Now you can apply that experience to a second site.

When setting up a second location you have two options. You can set up a completely new practice or you can buy an existing practice

Each has pros and cons. A new practice lets you design everything from scratch – just the way you like it. An existing practice gives you patients and cash flow from day one.

If you’re buying an existing practice, proper due diligence is essential. You need to assess the financial health, patient base, and any hidden costs or risks.

Key considerations you should make when choosing a new location include:

• Location demographics and competition
• Financing options and deposit requirements
• Staff retention and training needs
• How you’ll manage multiple sites

When picking locations, use Office for National Statistics data to research demographics. Tools like DataAdaptive can help you understand population density and income levels in potential areas.

Think about proximity too. Managing multiple practices is easier when they’re reasonably close together.

For detailed guidance on opening a new practice, check out our complete guide to opening a dental practice, which includes practical tips on using data to evaluate locations.

Ready to Grow Your Practice?

Growing a dental practice takes time and the right strategy. Focus on delivering excellent patient care whilst building smart business systems.

Remember – you don’t have to figure this out alone. At RA Accountants, we specialise in helping dental professionals at every stage. From your first practice to multiple sites, we can help you make the right business decisions.

Want to discuss your growth plans? We offer a complimentary initial consultation to chat through your circumstances and see how we can help.

Get in touch to book your appointment today.

These articles are for guidance only and professional advice should be obtained before acting on any information contained in them. No responsibility can be accepted for loss occasioned howsoever to any person as a result of action taken or refrained from as a result of reading.