What is the dental startup consultant checklist?

Key facts

How should a consultant use this checklist?

As gates, not a to-do list. Curve Dental puts it well: starting a practice "is not a checklist — it's a sequence," and decisions in month one shape what's possible in month twelve (Curve Dental). Each phase below has an owner and an exit condition. Don't move the doctor to the next phase until the current one closes. For the doctor-facing roadmap, see how to build a dental office. For what consultants do and charge, see dental startup consultants.

Phase 1: Foundation

• Entity structure chosen with a CPA and attorney. Curve notes that switching entity type later can mean reapplying for licenses and bank accounts (Curve Dental).
• Practice name final before board registration and credentialing (Curve Dental).
• Business plan and pro forma the lender will accept (what dental lenders want).
• Startup budget including working capital (startup cost).
• Exit: entity formed, budget agreed, lender pre-approval.

Phase 2: Financing and site

• Financing terms compared, including SBA options; the 7(a) maximum is $5 million (SBA).
• Demographics and site shortlist.
• Space test-fit before LOI: does the operatory count fit? (square footage; how many operatories).
• Lease and work letter negotiated by a dental-experienced attorney (lease negotiation checklist; TI allowance).
• Exit: lease signed with TI, exclusives, assignment and delivery terms the doctor understands.

Phase 3: Design and construction

• Architect and GC selected (contractor scorecard).
• Construction contract reviewed for change orders, milestones, lien waivers, warranty and dispute terms (Dental & Medical Counsel; contract clauses).
• Permits filed (permits) and inspections scheduled (inspection checklist).
• IT brought in at drawings for drops, rack and conduit (when to involve IT).
• One shared source of truth for drawings, RFIs and changes (single source of truth).
• Exit: permit issued, schedule baselined, delay remedies documented (delay liability).

Phase 4: Equipment, IT and compliance

• Equipment list and utility specs issued to the GC (equipment list).
• X-ray registration per state rules; in California, within 30 days of acquisition (17 CCR 30110).
• Amalgam separator installed and the One-Time Compliance Report filed within 90 days of first discharge for new sources (40 CFR 441.50).
• DEA registration for this location, since each principal place of practice needs its own (21 CFR 1301.12).
• IT and HIPAA baseline: BAAs, risk analysis, owner-held accounts (HIPAA IT checklist; who owns the passwords).
• Exit: equipment installed and tested, IT go-live tests passed.

Phase 5: Credentialing, hiring and opening

• Credentialing submitted as soon as NPI, address and entity are final; carriers can take 90 to 180 days (Curve Dental).
• Front desk lead hired at least six to eight weeks before opening (Curve Dental).
• Website and scheduling live well before opening.
• Certificate of occupancy and final inspections closed.
• Punch list completed before final payment (Dental & Medical Counsel).
• Exit: CO issued, first patients scheduled, credentials and documentation handed to the doctor.

Who owns each phase?

Write an owner next to every line, in the doctor's language. Ownership gaps, not hard tasks, are what stall a startup.

The consultant rarely does the work in the middle column. The value is in making sure each lead has what they need from the others on time, and that the doctor understands what they're signing.

Where do startups usually slip?

In my experience the slips cluster where two parties hand off: lease to design, design to permit, construction to equipment, equipment to IT. The general timeline view is in how long a build-out takes and the causes in build-out delays.

Which free tools help with this?

The build-out cost & timeline calculator (free tool, coming soon) is planned to estimate build-out cost and timeline from square footage and operatory count. The dream-practice builder (free tool, coming soon) is planned to let you lay out rooms and operatories before anything is drawn. The permit & inspection tracker (free tool, coming soon) is planned to track permits, inspections and the certificate of occupancy in one place. The credential ownership checklist (free tool, coming soon) is planned to list every login, license and account the practice should own, with a "password hostage" letter template. FloorStack Studio (live, free plan) places every device on your floor plan and gives you a device schedule with rooms, ports and cable lengths (FloorStack FAQ).

How FloorStack helps

FloorStack is a dental build-out platform built for the consultant who has to keep a doctor, landlord, architect, GC, dealer and IT company on one plan. Studio (live, free to start) puts the office's technology on the real floor plan so every party prices the same thing (FloorStack). The free Build-out cost & timeline calculator (coming soon) covers Phases 1 and 2, the free Dream-practice builder (coming soon) handles test-fits, the free Permit & inspection tracker (coming soon) follows Phase 3, and the free Credential ownership checklist (coming soon) makes sure the doctor owns every account at handover. Visit the Build a Dental Office hub.

Free tools for this step

• Build-out cost & timeline calculator: budget and schedule (free tool, coming soon).
• Dream-practice builder: site test-fits (free tool, coming soon).
• Permit & inspection tracker: permits, inspections, CO (free tool, coming soon).
• Credential ownership checklist: account handover (free tool, coming soon).
• Studio: technology plan on the floor plan (live).