---
title: "What Is Associate dentist? Dental Practice Glossary"
description: "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..."
url: https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/associate-dentist
publisher: Copeland Consulting Services
email: drcopeland@joncopelanddds.com
contact: https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact
---

Ownership and transitions

# 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.

The ADA says entering as an associate with an existing practice offers many benefits to the younger dentist, including regular employment and opportunities to learn and grow professionally. Associates do not carry the full business risk of an owner, but their pay and duties depend on a written agreement. The ADA also covers topics such as restrictive covenants and associate buy-ins. Whether a dentist is an employee or an independent contractor affects taxes and benefits, so legal and tax advice is wise. See [associate compensation](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/associate-compensation) for pay models and [associateship](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/associateship) for the arrangement as a whole.

[Next stepPractice consulting with Dr. Copeland](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact?topic=consulting)

## Related terms

-   [Associateship](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/associateship)
-   [Associate compensation](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/associate-compensation)
-   [Practice ownership](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/practice-ownership)
-   [Group practice](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/group-practice)

## Sources

1.  [ADA, Joining and Leaving the Dental Practice](https://www.ada.org/resources/careers/joining-and-leaving-the-dental-practice)

## Talk with Dr. Copeland

[Contact Dr. Copeland](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact)[Email](mailto:drcopeland@joncopelanddds.com)