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

Practice management

# 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 measures work done, not money received. The ADA's Guidelines for Practice Success lists production among the ten most commonly tracked measures and asks for daily, weekly, monthly and annual figures. The ADA's guide for new associates describes total production as the amount the office bills for a procedure under its established [fee schedule](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/fee-schedule). That figure differs from [net production](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/net-production), which accounts for contract limits set by payers. Production also differs from [collections](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/collections), the money that actually arrives. Because several definitions are in use, owners and associates should ask which production figure a report or a pay formula uses before they compare numbers.

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

## Related terms

-   [Gross production](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/gross-production)
-   [Net production](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/net-production)
-   [Collections](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/collections)
-   [Collection ratio](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/collection-ratio)

## Sources

1.  [ADA, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)](https://www.ada.org/resources/practice/practice-management/measuring-success20160428t155202)
2.  [ADA, Dentist compensation: what every dental associate should know](https://www.ada.org/resources/careers/dentist-compensation)

## Talk with Dr. Copeland

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