By: Dawn Patrick, Business Strategy Coach + COO, IgniteDDS
Stop feeling busy but falling short on production.
Download the high-production dental schedule template now!
Many dentists try to fix their schedule before they understand their numbers. The result? A full schedule that still doesn’t produce enough revenue.
If you want a schedule that actually supports the life you want outside the practice, you must start by reverse-engineering your financial goals.
Your schedule should not determine your income. Your income goals should determine your schedule.
Step 1: Determine Your Monthly Break-Even Number
Your break-even number is the amount your practice must produce each month to cover all expenses before profit.
Some of those Include:
- Payroll
- Rent or mortgage
- Supplies and lab costs
- Equipment and software
- Insurance
- Marketing
- Loan payments
- Taxes
- Owner compensation
Example: Monthly expenses: $120,000. This means the practice must collect at least $120,000 per month just to survive. But survival is not the goal.
Step 2: Add the Profit You Want
Most healthy practices aim for 20–30% profit after adjustments!
Example:
- Monthly expenses: $120,000
- The monthly average for adjustment write-offs 20%
- Desired profit, $30,000
- Total monthly production goal: $174,000
Now you have a target.
Step 3: Convert Monthly Goals Into Daily Goals
Next, determine how many days you will work for the year. Yes – forecasting the year is important!
Example:
- 192 days for the year
- $2,088,000 ÷ 192 days = $10,875 per day
- Now you have a daily production goal that your schedule must support
Step 4: Divide Production Between Doctor and Hygiene
Most successful practices follow this structure:
- Hygiene: 20 – 25% of total production
- Doctor: 75–80% of total production
‼️ Note: Hygiene production goals at a minimum should cover their hourly rate x 3
Example:
- Practice Daily goal: $10,875
- Hygienist(s) production total for the day (.25): $2,719
- Doctor(s) production total goal for the day (.75): $8,156
Your schedule now has clear targets for both departments.
Step 5: Determine Hourly Production
If your clinical day is 8 hours:
- Doctor’s goal: $8,156 ÷ 8 = $1019.50 per hour for one doctor or $509.75 per hour for 2 doctors.
- Hygienist’s goal: $2,719 ÷ 8 = $340 per hour for one hygienist or $170 per hour for 2 hygienists.
Now the schedule must consistently support this daily goal.
This step changes everything. Instead of hoping the schedule works, you now design a schedule that mathematically produces your goal.
The Big Mistake Dentists Make
Most practices schedule reactively:
- First available appointment
- Fill holes randomly
- No production targets per hour
The result is a chaotic schedule that exhausts the team and still misses financial goals.
Coming Next in the Series
In the next blog, we’ll walk through how to build a daily schedule that actually produces your goal without burning out your team.
We’ll cover:
- Block scheduling
- Scheduling for production vs. procedures
- How to prevent schedule chaos
- How to make your day flow smoothly
Don’t wait: If you are struggling with implementing strong systems to reduce chaos and create profitability, feel free to schedule a complimentary call with IgniteDDS Coaching today – Link Here
