Over the past few years, more dental schools have opened while many existing programs have expanded. As a result, the number of new doctors graduating from dental school has grown from around 4,400 in 2002 to 5,811 in 2015, a 32% increase.

Many of these new graduates are heavily burdened by student loan debt, impacting their career choices. Few are interested in starting their own practice, or even buying one. Rather, the vast majority are seeking non-ownership associate positions.

With more doctors chasing the available positions, this has exerted downward pressure on associates’ compensation. While many associates were compensated at a rate of 35-40% of collections in the early 2000s, most new positions are now paying only...