Dental practice glossary

A

Academy of General Dentistry: The Academy of General Dentistry is a professional association for general dentists that supports continuing education and recognizes members through its Fellowship, Mastership and other awards.
Accountability: Taking responsibility for agreed actions and results, accepting that decisions will be reviewed and that consequences may follow from that review, as defined in research on the idea.
Accounts receivable: Accounts receivable is money owed to a practice for services already provided, from patients who have not yet paid and from insurers that have not yet paid claims.
Active listening: A communication skill in which the listener gives full attention to the speaker, notes the content, intent and feeling of what is said, and confirms what was heard.
ADA: The short form of American Dental Association, the national professional association of U.S. dentists, not to be confused with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
ADA 10 Under 10 Award: An ADA award that recognizes ten dentists who graduated less than ten years ago and show excellence and inspire others.
Adjusted EBITDA: Adjusted EBITDA is EBITDA after one-time, unusual or owner-specific items are added back or removed, to show the earning power a buyer could expect from the practice.
AGD: AGD is the short form of Academy of General Dentistry, the association for general dentists that runs the PACE program and the Fellowship and Mastership awards.
AI dental scribe: An AI dental scribe is software that listens to a visit, with consent, and drafts clinical notes for the dentist to review and approve.
American College of Dentists: The American College of Dentists is an honor society for dentists, with fellowship by invitation only, that focuses on leadership and ethics in dentistry.
American Dental Association: The national professional association of dentists in the United States, with a stated mission to help dentists succeed and support the advancement of the health of the public.
Americans with Disabilities Act: The Americans with Disabilities Act is a federal civil rights law that bars discrimination based on disability in jobs, public places, services and communication.
Artificial intelligence in dentistry: Artificial intelligence in dentistry is software that studies images or records to help with diagnosis, and that can also support office tasks such as notes.
Asset sale: An asset sale is a sale in which the buyer purchases specific assets of the practice, such as equipment, records and goodwill, rather than the owner's company itself.
Associate compensation: Associate compensation is how an associate dentist is paid, such as a salary, a share of production or collections, a daily rate or a combination.
Associate dentist: An associate dentist is a dentist who works in a practice owned by someone else, usually as an employee or contractor, and is paid by salary, production or collections.
Associateship: An associateship is the working arrangement in which a dentist joins a practice owned by another dentist, sometimes with a plan to buy in or buy the practice later.

B

Balance sheet: A balance sheet is a report of what a practice owns, what it owes and what is left for the owners on a single date.
Benchmark: A benchmark is a reference figure, often drawn from similar practices or organizations, that an owner uses to judge whether the practice's own results are high, low or typical.
Block schedule: A block schedule reserves set blocks of time in the day for certain procedures, patient types or providers, so the right kind of appointment fits the right time.
Bloodborne pathogens standard: The bloodborne pathogens standard is the OSHA rule that protects workers from exposure to blood and other body fluids that can carry disease.
Bonus program: A plan that pays staff an extra amount in addition to base pay for set results, such as production, collections or quality, and that falls under wage and tax rules.
Brand ambassador: A brand ambassador is a person who represents a company's products in public, often in exchange for pay, free products or other benefits.
Business associate agreement: A business associate agreement is a written contract with a vendor that handles patient health information for the practice, setting rules for how the vendor protects it.
Business continuity plan: A business continuity plan is a written plan for keeping a practice running, or restarting it quickly, after a disaster, outage or other major disruption.
Business plan: A business plan is a written document that describes how a practice will operate and make money, used for planning and to show lenders or investors.
Buy-in: The purchase of an ownership share in an existing practice, often by a dentist already working there as an associate.
Buy-sell agreement: A contract that sets the terms for an owner's exit and requires that owner's share to be sold to the business or the remaining owners.

C

CAD/CAM: CAD/CAM stands for computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing, the technology used to design a restoration on screen and then mill or print it.
Cancellation policy: A cancellation policy is the written rule that tells patients how much notice to give before changing an appointment and what happens if they do not.
Case acceptance: Case acceptance is the share of recommended dental treatment that patients agree to schedule or pay for, often measured as a percentage of treatment presented.
Case presentation: A case presentation is the conversation in which the dentist or team explains diagnosis, a recommended treatment plan, options and costs, and the patient decides how to proceed.
Cash flow: Cash flow is the movement of money into and out of a practice over time, showing whether cash received covers the bills coming due.
CBCT: CBCT stands for cone beam computed tomography, a dental x-ray method that rotates around the patient and builds a three-dimensional image of the teeth and jaws.
CDT code: A CDT code is a code in the Current Dental Terminology set that names a specific dental procedure so it can be recorded and billed.
CE Broker: CE Broker is the online continuing education tracking system that the Missouri Dental Board uses so that licensees can report and review their continuing education hours.
CE credit: A CE credit is a unit of continuing education, usually one hour of approved learning, that a dentist counts toward license renewal or toward an award such as an AGD Fellowship.
Change management: A structured way to plan and introduce a change, such as new software or a new policy, so that the team understands it, adopts it and can see its results.
Chief dental officer: A senior dentist who sets clinical standards and oversees clinical operations at a dental group or support organization, with duties that vary from one employer to the next.
Clinical autonomy: A dentist's freedom to make treatment decisions for patients without undue pressure from third parties, including business or insurance interests.
Clinical leadership: The work of guiding clinical quality, training and standards for a dental team or across a group of practices, so that patient care stays consistent and sound.
Cloud-based dental software: Cloud-based dental software is practice software that runs over the internet on a vendor's servers, so the office does not host it on its own server.
Coaching: A process in which a coach guides a person toward better performance, using questions, rapport and agreed actions, as defined in research on coaching in medical education.
Code of ethics: The Code of ethics is the American Dental Association's written set of principles and rules of conduct for dentists, covering patient care, honesty and professional behavior.
Collection ratio: The collection ratio, or collection rate, compares money collected with adjusted production, expressed as a percentage, to show how much of the collectible fees a practice actually receives.
Collections: Collections are the money a practice actually receives from patients and insurers in a period, as opposed to the fees it billed or the value of the work it produced.
Collections-based pay: A pay method that sets an associate dentist's earnings as a share of the money the practice actually collects from that dentist's patients, not of the fees billed.
Compliance checklist: A compliance checklist is a written list that a practice uses to confirm it meets required safety, privacy and other rules, and to track what is done.
Component dental society: A local dental society, such as a city or county society, that belongs to a state dental association and gives members a local level of organized dentistry.
Constituent society: A state-level dental society that belongs to the ADA, sits between local component societies and the national body, and sends delegates to the ADA House of Delegates.
Continuing education: Continuing education is the coursework dentists complete after licensure to keep their knowledge and skills current and to meet license renewal rules set by their state.
Cost approach: The cost approach is a valuation method that adds up the value of a practice's assets, often by what it would cost to replace them.
Credentialing: Credentialing is the process in which a plan or facility checks a dentist's license, training and history before the dentist joins its network.
Current Dental Terminology: Current Dental Terminology is the American Dental Association's standard code set for naming and reporting dental procedures on records and insurance claims.
Cybersecurity: Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting computers, networks, software and stored data from attack, theft and damage, including patient records kept in a dental office.

D

Daily huddle: A daily huddle is a brief team meeting held each day to share information, review the schedule and flag concerns before or during the workday.
Data breach: A data breach is an event in which private information is seen, used or taken by someone who has no permission to have it.
Days sales outstanding: Days sales outstanding is the average number of days it takes to collect payment after services are billed, found by dividing receivables by sales and multiplying by days.
De novo practice: A new practice built from the ground up rather than bought, so it starts with no existing patients, staff or records.
Delegation: Assigning tasks to team members who are trained and legally allowed to do them, with the dentist remaining responsible for the care.
Dental advisory board: A dental advisory board is a group of dentists that a company or organization asks for input on its products, plans or clinical needs.
Dental advocacy: Work to influence laws, rules and public programs that affect dentists and patients, carried out through testimony, public comment, member action and meetings with officials.
Dental assistant: A team member who helps the dentist during treatment, prepares the treatment room and handles patient care and record tasks.
Dental benefits: Dental benefits are the coverage a plan provides for dental services, including what it pays, what the patient pays and what is limited or excluded.
Dental billing: Dental billing is preparing and sending claims to insurers and statements to patients for services provided, then posting payments and following up on unpaid balances.
Dental burnout: Long-term exhaustion and detachment from work that affects dentists and dental teams, described by the World Health Organization as a result of chronic workplace stress that is not well managed.
Dental claim: A dental claim is a request sent to a dental benefit plan for payment, listing the services performed, the dates of service and an itemized cost for each.
Dental conference: A dental conference is a multi-day meeting where dental professionals attend education sessions, hear speakers and earn continuing education credit.
Dental hygiene supervision: The level of dentist oversight a state requires for hygienists, which can range from direct supervision to general supervision or none.
Dental hygienist: A licensed oral health professional who provides preventive care, such as cleanings, and examines patients for signs of oral disease, working under the supervision rules of the state.
Dental implant: A dental implant is a medical device placed in the jaw to take the place of a tooth root and to support a crown, bridge or denture.
Dental laser: A dental laser is a device that uses a focused beam of light to treat soft tissue and, with some types, hard tissue.
Dental leadership: Guiding a dental team or a dental organization, in a single practice, a group or a professional body, by influencing people and setting direction toward shared goals.
Dental Lifeline Network: Dental Lifeline Network is a national nonprofit that arranges comprehensive dental care for adults who cannot afford it, using a network of volunteer dentists and dental laboratories.
Dental lobbying: Direct contact with lawmakers and officials to influence dental policy, a narrower activity than advocacy that is subject to registration and disclosure laws in many places.
Dental malpractice insurance: Dental malpractice insurance is professional liability insurance that helps pay for claims that a dentist's care was negligent, including legal defense costs.
Dental mission trip: A dental mission trip is a short volunteer trip, often abroad, in which dental professionals provide care in a place with limited access to dentists.
Dental partnership organization: A group model in which affiliated dentists keep an ownership stake and share in decisions while using the group's business support services.
Dental PPO: A dental PPO is a preferred provider organization plan with a network of dentists who agree to accept set fees for covered services.
Dental practice consultant: A dental practice consultant is an outside advisor who reviews how a practice runs, such as its marketing, systems or finances, and gives the owner findings to act on.
Dental practice KPIs: Dental practice KPIs are the specific numbers a dental owner tracks, such as production, collections, new patients, accounts receivable and insurance claim aging.
Dental practice management: Dental practice management is the business side of running a dental office: directing the team, handling money, building the schedule, running systems and caring for patients so clinical work can happen.
Dental practice optimization: Dental practice optimization means changing the schedule, systems, staffing or costs of a practice so it runs more smoothly, usually after measuring where the current setup falls short.
Dental recruiting: The process of searching for and hiring dentists and team members, from writing job posts and holding interviews to making offers and starting the new person's first weeks.
Dental school debt: Dental school debt is the student loan balance a dentist carries after graduating, and it can shape decisions about work, location and buying a practice.
Dental SEO: Dental SEO is search engine optimization for a dental website: making pages easy for search engines to understand so local patients searching for care can find the practice.
Dental service organization: A company that gives business support to dental practices, such as billing, human resources, marketing and purchasing, under a contract.
Dental society membership: Belonging to a dental association at the local, state and national levels, which in the ADA's tripartite model usually means joining all three together.
Dental speaker: A dental speaker is a dentist or other professional who gives lectures or workshops on clinical, practice or team topics at meetings, study clubs and conferences.
Dental staffing: The work of finding and placing temporary or permanent team members for dental offices, including planning for coverage when a hygienist or assistant position is open.
Dental support organization: Another name for a DSO, used by the ADA, for a company that supports the business side of dental practices.
Dental team: The people who work together in a dental practice to care for patients and run the office, including dentists, hygienists, assistants, front office staff and managers.
Dental temp: A temporary hygienist, assistant or other team member who works for a short time to cover a gap caused by leave, illness, a vacancy or a busy period.
Dental therapist: A mid-level oral health provider, licensed in some states, who performs defined procedures under a dentist's general supervision and a written collaborative agreement.
Digital dentistry: Digital dentistry is dental care that uses digital tools, such as scanners, digital x-rays and computer design, in place of some manual steps.
Digital impression: A digital impression is a three-dimensional scan of the teeth and soft tissue, taken with an intraoral scanner, that is used in place of a physical putty impression.
Digital radiography: Digital radiography is x-ray imaging that captures the image on an electronic sensor instead of film and shows it on a computer screen.
Digital workflow: A digital workflow is a treatment process that stays digital from the first scan through design to the finished restoration, with little manual work in between.
Donated Dental Services: Donated Dental Services is a Dental Lifeline Network program that matches eligible patients, who cannot afford care, with volunteer dentists who treat them in their own offices.
DPO: Dental partnership organization, a name some groups use for a DSO-style model in which affiliated dentists keep a meaningful ownership stake.
DSO: The short form of dental service organization, a business that provides non-clinical support such as billing, marketing and human resources to dental practices under contract.
Due diligence: The buyer's review of a practice's records, contracts and finances before closing a purchase, to confirm what is being bought.

E

EBITDA: EBITDA stands for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. It is a measure of operating profit, before those costs, that buyers often use to compare businesses.
EFDA: The short form of expanded function dental assistant, a dental assistant who may perform added clinical tasks under state rules.
Electronic health record: An electronic health record is a digital version of a patient's chart that keeps health information in one place and shares it with authorized users.
Emotional intelligence: The ability to notice, understand and manage your own feelings and the feelings of others, a concept from psychology that researchers define and measure in several ways.
Employee handbook: A written guide to a practice's policies and expectations for staff, covering topics such as hours, conduct, safety and benefits, so that every team member knows the rules.
Employee retention: The effort to keep good team members in their jobs over time, supported by factors such as workplace culture, work-life balance, fair pay and chances to grow.
Employment agreement: The written contract between a practice and an employee dentist that sets pay, duties, term, termination rights and limits on later competition or patient contact.
Esthetic zone: The esthetic zone is the area of front teeth and gums seen when a person smiles, where appearance carries the most weight in treatment planning.
Exit strategy: The owner's plan for how and when to leave the practice and what to do with its value, such as a sale, a phased hand-off or a close.
Expanded function dental assistant: A dental assistant who has extra training and may perform additional clinical tasks that state rules allow, under a dentist's supervision.
Explanation of benefits: An explanation of benefits, or EOB, is a written statement from a payer, sent after it processes a claim, that shows the charges covered or not covered and what the patient may owe.

F

FAGD: FAGD stands for Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry, the letters used by a dentist who has earned the AGD Fellowship award.
Fee schedule: A fee schedule is the list of fees a practice charges for each procedure, or the list of amounts a payer will allow for each procedure under a contract.
Feedback: Specific information about performance, compared with a standard and given to the person with the aim of helping them improve, as defined in health professions education.
Fellowship (AGD): Fellowship (AGD) is an Academy of General Dentistry award earned by completing 500 approved continuing education hours, passing the Fellowship Exam and meeting membership rules.
Flapless implant surgery: Flapless implant surgery is the placement of a dental implant through a small opening in the gum, without lifting a full flap of gum tissue.

G

General practice residency: A general practice residency is a postdoctoral training program for dentists that prepares them to give comprehensive oral health care, including to patients with complex medical needs.
General supervision: A level of supervision in which the dentist authorizes the work in advance but does not need to be present while it happens.
Goodwill: Goodwill is the part of a practice's value that comes from its patients, reputation and location rather than from its equipment, supplies or other physical assets.
Gross production: Gross production is the total amount an office bills for treatment performed under its own fee schedule, before any adjustment for insurance contracts, discounts or write-offs.
Group practice: A group practice is a dental practice owned and run by more than one dentist, or by an organization, with shared systems, staff and often shared ownership.
Guided implant surgery: Guided implant surgery uses a digital treatment plan and a custom surgical guide to place dental implants in the positions that were planned before surgery.

H

HIPAA: HIPAA is the federal law that protects the privacy and security of patient health information held by health plans and by providers who bill electronically.
HIPAA Security Rule: The HIPAA Security Rule sets national standards for protecting patient health information that is stored or sent in electronic form.
House of Delegates: The ADA's main policy-making body, made up of delegates chosen by state societies, federal dental services and the student association, which meets once a year.
Hygiene recall: Hygiene recall is the recall system for preventive visits with the hygienist, such as cleanings and periodic exams, including reminders and rebooking of overdue patients.

I

Immediate implant placement: Immediate implant placement means placing a dental implant on the same day a tooth is removed, into the fresh extraction socket.
Immediate provisionalization: Immediate provisionalization is the placement of a temporary crown or tooth on an implant on the same day the implant is placed.
Implant crown: An implant crown is a tooth-shaped cap that is attached to a dental implant, usually through an abutment, to replace the visible part of a tooth.
Implant system: An implant system is a manufacturer's set of implant bodies, abutments, screws and tools that are designed to work together.
Implant temporization: Implant temporization is the use of a temporary restoration on or over an implant while the implant heals and the final crown is made.
Implant-restoring dentist: An implant-restoring dentist is a dentist who builds and attaches the crown, bridge or denture on an implant, and may or may not place the implant.
In-house membership plan: An in-house membership plan is a practice's own plan for patients without insurance, who pay a monthly or yearly fee in return for set services or discounts.
In-network: In-network describes a dentist who has a contract with a plan and agrees to the plan's fees for covered services.
Income approach: The income approach is a valuation method based on the earnings or cash flow a practice is expected to produce in the future, adjusted for risk.
Independent contractor: A worker who provides services to a business without being its employee, a status that depends on the real facts of the relationship, not on what the contract calls it.
Infection control: Infection control is the set of practices that stop disease from spreading among patients and staff in the dental office.
Informed consent: Informed consent is a patient's agreement to treatment after the dentist has explained the risks, benefits and alternatives and the patient has the capacity to decide.
Insurance verification: Insurance verification is the step of checking a patient's coverage and benefits before treatment, so the office can estimate what the plan and the patient will pay.
International College of Dentists: The International College of Dentists is a global honor society for dentists, with Fellows in more than 140 countries chosen for professional achievement and service.
Intraoral scanner: An intraoral scanner is a handheld device that captures a three-dimensional digital record of the teeth and soft tissue inside the mouth.

J

Job description: A written statement of a role's main duties, responsibilities and reporting line, used for hiring, onboarding and reviewing the work of the person who holds the job.

K

Key opinion leader: A key opinion leader is a clinician whose views on products or methods are valued by peers, and whom companies may ask to speak, teach or give advice.
Key performance indicator: A key performance indicator, or KPI, is a measurable number an owner tracks over time to judge how part of the business, such as growth or profitability, is performing.
Keynote: A keynote is the main address at a conference or meeting, meant to set the theme and the issues of main interest for the audience.
KOL: KOL is the short form of key opinion leader, a term used by companies and meeting organizers for clinicians whose views carry weight with peers.

L

Lab fees: Lab fees are what a practice pays dental laboratories for crowns, dentures and other lab-made work, and they are counted as a direct expense of treatment.
Leadership: Guiding a group toward shared goals by setting direction, influencing others and earning trust, a topic that research describes in several different styles.
Letter of intent: A document that outlines the main terms of a proposed practice sale before the final contracts, with some parts binding and some not, depending on its wording.

M

MAGD: MAGD stands for Master of the Academy of General Dentistry, the letters used by a dentist who has earned the AGD Mastership award.
Management services agreement: The contract between a practice and a management company that lists the business services provided, the fees and the length of the relationship.
Management services organization: A company that handles business functions for a practice under contract, such as billing, HR, marketing and purchasing, while clinical care stays with licensed dentists.
Market approach: The market approach is a valuation method that compares a practice with similar practices that have sold, using what buyers paid as a guide to value.
Mastership (AGD): Mastership (AGD) is a higher Academy of General Dentistry award that requires at least 1,100 hours of approved continuing education, including at least 400 hands-on participation hours.
MDA: The short form of Missouri Dental Association, the state dental association for Missouri dentists and the state component of the ADA's tripartite structure of organized dentistry.
Mentorship: A longer relationship in which a more experienced person gives voluntary guidance to a less experienced one to support career choices and professional growth over time.
Mid-level dental provider: A provider category between hygienist and dentist, such as a dental therapist, created in some places to widen access to care.
Missouri Dental Association: The state dental association for Missouri dentists, a non-profit professional organization founded in 1865 that is the state level of the ADA's three-tier structure.
Missouri Dental Board: The Missouri Dental Board is the state board that licenses and regulates dentists and dental hygienists, and that writes rules for dental assistants.
Morning huddle: A morning huddle is a short team meeting held before the first patient arrives to review the day's schedule, patient needs and any gaps or concerns.

N

Net production: Net production, also called adjusted or billable production, is the amount a practice is allowed to collect after payer contracts, discounts and adjustments reduce its gross billed fees.
New dentist committee: An ADA committee, with 17 members from the ADA districts, that serves new dentists and dental students and that developed the ADA 10 Under 10 Award.
New patient flow: New patient flow is the number of new patients who join a practice in a period, usually counted each month and each year and often tracked by referral source.
No-show: A no-show is a patient who misses a scheduled appointment without giving notice, leaving the time unused and often the provider and team unable to fill it.
No-show rate: The no-show rate is the share of booked appointments that patients miss without notice, usually shown as a percentage of appointments scheduled over a period.
Non-compete clause: A contract term that limits where, or for how long, a person may work in the same field after leaving a job, often tied to a distance or time period.
Non-solicitation clause: A contract term that bars a departing person from drawing away the former employer's patients or staff for a set period after the job ends.

O

Office manager: The team member who runs the daily administrative work of a practice, such as scheduling, billing support and front office tasks.
Onboarding: The process of welcoming and training a new team member, from paperwork and introductions to systems and first goals, so the person can work well in the practice.
Oral preventive assistant: A Missouri pilot-program role, a type of expanded function dental assistant who provides added preventive services to children, healthy adults and patients with gingivitis.
Organized dentistry: The network of professional dental associations, built on a tripartite structure of the national ADA, state dental associations and local component societies that work together.
OSHA: OSHA is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the U.S. agency that sets and enforces workplace safety rules, including rules for dental offices.
Osseointegration: Osseointegration is the direct contact between living bone and the surface of a dental implant, which holds the implant firmly in the jaw.
Out-of-network: Out-of-network describes a dentist who has no contract with a plan, so the plan's fee agreements do not apply to that dentist.
Overhead: Overhead is the cost of running a dental practice, such as team payroll, supplies, lab fees, rent and equipment, usually discussed as a share of collections.
Overhead percentage: The overhead percentage is total practice expenses divided by collections, shown as a percentage, and it tells an owner how much of each collected dollar goes to costs.
Owner compensation: Owner compensation is what the owner dentist takes out of the practice for clinical work and for running the business, which may include salary, distributions and benefits.

P

PACE: PACE is the Academy of General Dentistry's Program Approval for Continuing Education, which reviews and approves organizations that provide dental continuing education.
Partial exit: A sale in which the owner sells part of the practice but keeps a stake or stays on to practice, often in phases.
Partnership agreement: A contract among co-owners that sets how they share profit, make decisions, add or remove partners, and handle an owner's exit.
Patient communication: Patient communication is how a practice explains diagnoses, options, fees and next steps to patients, in person, by phone, in writing and online.
Patient dismissal: Patient dismissal is the formal, documented end of the dentist-patient relationship by the practice, done in a way that does not abandon a patient who needs care.
Patient experience: Patient experience is how patients rate every contact with a practice, from the first call and the wait to communication, treatment and follow-up.
Patient financing: Patient financing is a loan, credit card or payment plan, offered by the practice or a third party, that lets a patient pay for treatment over time.
Patient referral: A patient referral happens when an existing patient, friend or colleague recommends a practice and a new patient makes a first appointment because of it.
Patient retention: Patient retention is the share of patients who keep returning to the same practice over time, often measured by active patients or those who rebook preventive visits.
Payroll percentage: Payroll percentage is team payroll divided by collections, shown as a percentage, and it shows how much of each collected dollar goes to pay the team.
Performance review: A scheduled conversation that evaluates an employee's work against set expectations and agrees on goals for the next period, usually as part of a wider performance cycle.
Pierre Fauchard Academy: The Pierre Fauchard Academy is an international honor organization for dentists, where fellowship is by nomination and recognizes past accomplishment in dentistry.
PPO participation: PPO participation is the decision whether a practice joins an insurance plan's network and accepts its fee schedule, or stays outside it.
Practice acquisition: The purchase of an existing dental practice, including its patients, staff, equipment and systems, by a dentist or a group.
Practice administrator: A senior business role that leads the non-clinical operations of a practice or group, such as finance, HR and facilities.
Practice analytics: Practice analytics are the reports and software tools that turn practice data into trends, such as production by provider or new patients by referral source, that an owner can review.
Practice appraisal: A practice appraisal is a formal written valuation of a practice by a qualified appraiser who documents the data, the methods and the reasoning behind the value.
Practice assessment: A practice assessment is a structured review of a practice's operations, finances, schedule and team, used to find what works, what does not and what to measure next.
Practice broker: An intermediary who lists a practice for sale, markets it to buyers and helps manage the steps of a sale for a commission.
Practice budget: A practice budget is a plan for expected income and expenses over a period, such as a month or a year, that the owner compares with actual results.
Practice culture: Practice culture is the shared values, habits and expectations that shape how a dental team works together and treats patients, whether or not they are written down.
Practice financial statements: Practice financial statements are the main reports on a practice's money: the profit and loss statement, the balance sheet and the cash flow report.
Practice loan: A practice loan is a business loan used to buy, start or expand a dental practice, repaid from practice earnings and often secured by assets.
Practice management software: Practice management software is the main office program that handles scheduling, billing, charting, claims and reports for a dental practice.
Practice manager: A manager who oversees the operations, people and finances of a practice, often with wider duties than an office manager.
Practice marketing: Practice marketing is the set of activities a dental practice uses to reach and keep patients, such as a website, community involvement, search visibility and patient relationships.
Practice owner: The person or entity that holds legal control of a dental practice and carries its financial risk, including decisions on staffing, spending and the direction of the business.
Practice ownership: Practice ownership means holding the legal and financial control of a dental practice, including its profits, debts, decisions and responsibility for the team and patients.
Practice profitability: Practice profitability is how much money remains for the owner and the business after all costs are paid, shown by the income statement as profit or loss for a period.
Practice start-up: The effort to open a new dental practice from nothing, which includes choosing a location, arranging financing and equipment, hiring staff and building a base of patients.
Practice systems: Practice systems are repeatable processes that run parts of the business, such as scheduling, new patient intake, recall, billing and collections, so results do not depend on one person.
Practice transition: A change of ownership of a practice, such as a sale, a merger or a hand-off to an associate, often planned over months or years.
Practice valuation: Practice valuation is an estimate of what a dental practice is worth, prepared for a sale, purchase, buy-in, financing or other purpose using accepted valuation methods.
Primary implant stability: Primary implant stability is how firmly an implant sits in the bone at the moment it is placed, before the bone heals around it.
Private equity in dentistry: Investment firms that buy ownership stakes in dental groups or support organizations, aiming to grow the business and later sell it, a trend the ADA tracks in its research.
Production: Production is the dollar value of dental services a provider or practice performs in a period, measured at the office fee schedule before insurance write-offs, discounts or uncollected balances are taken out.
Production-based pay: Production-based pay is compensation calculated as a percentage of the production an associate generates, often with deductions such as lab fees taken out first.
Profit and loss statement: A profit and loss statement, also called an income statement, reports a practice's revenue, expenses and resulting profit or loss for a set period, such as a month or year.
Profit margin: Profit margin is the share of revenue left after all expenses, found by dividing profit by revenue and shown as a percentage.

R

Ransomware: Ransomware is malicious software that locks or encrypts a practice's files, and then demands payment from the owner before the files are released again.
Recall: Recall is the system a practice uses to bring patients back at set times for exams, cleanings and other follow-up care, sometimes called recare.
Reimbursement rate: A reimbursement rate is the amount an insurer agrees to pay for a procedure, which may differ from the fee the practice normally charges.
Restrictive covenant: A contract promise that limits future competition, solicitation or hiring, and usually covers a stated time and area after a relationship ends.
Revenue cycle: The revenue cycle is every step from scheduling a visit through treatment, coding, billing and final payment, including follow-up on unpaid claims and patient balances.
Risk management: Risk management is the work of finding, ranking and reducing the chance of legal, safety, financial or data harm to a practice.

S

Same-day crown: A same-day crown is a crown that is designed and milled in the dental office so the patient can receive it in a single visit.
Schedule template: A schedule template is the standard layout of appointment times, providers, rooms and block types for each day, set in the software and used as the base for booking.
Scope of practice: The set of tasks a licensed or certified professional may legally perform in a state, defined by state law and board rules and often different for each dental role.
Servant leadership: A leadership style in which the leader focuses on serving the needs of the team so that team members can do good work and grow in their roles.
Soft skills: Interpersonal and thinking skills, such as listening, empathy, teamwork and clear speech, that help people work well with others and perform effectively in the workplace.
Solo practice: A solo practice is a dental practice with one owner dentist and no partners, though it may employ associate dentists, hygienists and other team members.
Speakers bureau: A speakers bureau is an agency or directory that connects event organizers with speakers, often listing topics, biographies and videos to help planners choose.
Spear Study Club: A Spear Study Club is a local group of dental professionals that meets regularly to review cases using a curriculum designed by Spear Education faculty.
Staff turnover: The rate at which team members leave a workplace and must be replaced, often measured as the number of separations in a period as a percent of employment.
Standard operating procedure: A standard operating procedure, or SOP, is a written, step-by-step description of how a routine task is done so that different people carry it out the same way.
Standard precautions: Standard precautions are the basic infection control steps that dental staff use with every patient, whether or not the patient seems ill.
Student loan refinancing: Student loan refinancing means replacing existing student loans with a new private loan, usually to change the interest rate or term, and it can end federal loan protections.
Study club: A study club is a group of dental professionals who meet regularly to learn together, review cases, and share what they know with each other.
Succession planning: Planning who will take over a practice, and how, before the owner steps away, whether by sale, hand-off to an associate or another route.
Supply costs: Supply costs are what a practice spends on clinical and office supplies, tracked each month and often compared with collections to see whether spending is steady.

T

Team communication: The way team members share information, hand off work and raise problems, from daily huddles and chart notes to open talk about concerns inside the practice.
Team compensation: The full pay package a practice gives its team, including wages, bonuses and benefits such as paid leave, insurance and retirement contributions, plus the cost to the employer.
Team meeting: A team meeting is a regularly scheduled session where the whole practice team reviews results, solves problems, trains and plans, usually longer and less frequent than a daily huddle.
Team training: Planned learning for the team on clinical, administrative, safety or communication skills, including some training that the law requires employers to provide to staff.
Technology return on investment: Technology return on investment compares what a dental technology costs, including training and upkeep, with the financial value it brings back to the practice.
Teledentistry: Teledentistry is the use of technology to give dental consultation, screening or follow-up at a distance, such as by video or by sharing images.
Treatment coordinator: A treatment coordinator is a team member who helps patients understand treatment plans, fees and financing options and helps them schedule the care the dentist recommended.
Treatment plan: A treatment plan is the ordered guide to a patient's care, set by the dentist's diagnosis, listing the treatment recommended to restore or maintain oral health.

U

Usual and customary fee: A usual and customary fee is the amount a dentist normally charges for a service, used by some dental plans as a reference when deciding how much they will pay.

V

Valuation multiple: A valuation multiple is a number applied to earnings or another base to estimate what a business is worth; for example, a multiple of EBITDA.

W

Web accessibility: Web accessibility means designing and building websites, tools and pages so that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate and use them.
Workflow: A workflow is the order of tasks and hand-offs that move a job from start to finish, including who does each step and what information passes between people.
Workforce shortage: A lack of enough qualified hygienists, assistants or dentists to fill open jobs, which can reduce the number of patients a practice is able to see.
Working capital: Working capital is the cash and near-cash a practice has available to pay its short-term bills, found by subtracting current liabilities from current assets.
Write-off: A write-off is the part of a fee that a practice does not collect, usually because of a network contract, a discount or an uncollectible balance.

#

3D printing in dentistry: 3D printing in dentistry means building models, surgical guides, appliances and some restorations layer by layer from a digital file.

Talk with Dr. Copeland

Contact Dr. Copeland Email