Inside the normal range
79 sales a month to break even
That's $41,080 a month, or $492,960 a year, before you make a penny.
The math
- $520 per sale − 16% variable cost = $437 contribution
- $34,213 fixed costs ÷ $437 = 79 sales
Every sale past 79 adds $437 straight to the bottom line. That is why filling quiet hours is worth more than it looks — the fixed costs are already paid.
Benchmarks are our reviewed figures for dental practices, anchored on the 2022 US Economic Census. See the full dental practice breakdown →
Other calculators for dental practices
- Dental practice profit margin calculatorWhat profit margin should my dental practice be making?
- Dental practice owner salary calculatorHow much should a dental practice owner pay themselves?
- Revenue per team member calculator for a dental practiceHow much revenue should each team member bring in?
- Dental practice labor cost calculatorWhat percentage of revenue should labor be for a dental practice?
Common questions
- How much does my dental practice need to make to break even?
- Divide your fixed monthly costs by the profit left on an average sale. For dental practices the average sale is around $520, so a business with $10,000 of fixed costs and 15% variable costs needs about 23 sales a month.
- Where do these benchmark figures come from?
- Revenue, headcount and revenue per person are measured by the US Census Bureau for this trade's NAICS code. The cost structure comes from our reviewed profile for dental practices. Every figure on this page shows the arithmetic behind it, so you can check it against what you know.
- Do I have to sign up to use this?
- No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser and nothing you type is sent anywhere. The free 90-second audit at the bottom of the page does the same comparison against your live website and local market, and that one is also free with no account.