More practices reported a higher number of new patients and improved treatment acceptance rates, leading to increased levels of busyness and production in 2014. Despite greater managed care penetration, practice collections still managed to rise. However, most segments of dentistry reported higher overhead rates leading to lower profit margins, as discussed in the practice survey results below.

Survey Results

We received 264 responses to our Annual Practice Profitability and Economic Survey for 2014. Of these, 104 were from general dental practices, 88 were from orthodontic practices, 28 from pediatric dental practices, 15 from oral surgery practices, 15 from periodontal practices, 13 from endodontic practices, and 1 from a prosthodontic practice.

The surveys revealed the dramatic transition of doctors from...