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Build a Dental Office

What are the steps to open a dental practice from scratch?

By Dimitri LopezLast updated 6 min read

On this page
  1. Key facts
  2. The 12 phases at a glance
  3. Phase 1: What should I decide before anything else?
  4. Phase 2: Which entity and advisors do I need?
  5. Phase 3: When do I get financing?
  6. Phase 4: How do I pick the market and site?
  7. Phase 5: What matters in the lease?
  8. Phase 6: How is the space designed?
  9. Phase 7: When do permits start?
  10. Phase 8: How do I hire the contractor?
  11. Phase 9: When do I order equipment and technology?
  12. Phase 10: What happens during construction?
  13. Phase 11: When do credentialing, hiring and marketing start?
  14. Phase 12: What has to happen in the last month?
  15. How FloorStack helps
  16. Free tools for this step
  17. Frequently asked questions
  18. Sources

Opening a scratch dental practice in 2026 takes about 12 phases over 9 to 12 months: Henry Schein's startup timeline begins 9–12 months before opening (Henry Schein Dental). The order matters. Entity, financing and lease decisions come first because, as Curve Dental puts it, "they unlock everything downstream" (Curve Dental).

Key facts

MilestoneTypical timingSource
Start planning9–12 months before openingHenry Schein
Leasehold build-out, planning to opening6–9 monthsDental & Medical Counsel
Equipment lead time14–24 weeks from order to installationCurve Dental
Insurance credentialing90–180 days after submissionCurve Dental
Contractor bidsIssue RFPs about 5 months out; sign about 4 months outHenry Schein
Equipment installationAbout 1 month before openingDental & Medical Counsel

The 12 phases at a glance

#PhaseWhen (months before opening)
1Define your practice and ten-year plan12
2Form the entity and hire advisors11–12
3Line up financing10–11
4Choose the market and site9–10
5Negotiate and sign the lease8
6Design the space and equipment layout6–8
7Submit for permits5–6
8Bid and hire the contractor4–5
9Order equipment and technology4–6
10Build and pass inspections1–4
11Credential, hire and market1–6
12Install, test, punch list, open0–1

Timing is our synthesis of the Henry Schein checklist and Curve's sequence; phases overlap. See the build-out timeline for construction durations.

Phase 1: What should I decide before anything else?

Your practice model. The ADA suggests basing your space on a ten-year plan: how many dentists and hygienists you'll have at full production (American Dental Association). Dental & Medical Counsel adds the questions to settle before you hire an architect: how many operatories at opening and later, and what dentistry you'll do (Dental & Medical Counsel).

Phase 2: Which entity and advisors do I need?

Choose the entity before you sign a lease, loan or vendor agreement. Some states require dental practices to be owned through a PC or PLLC, so get a CPA and healthcare attorney involved before filing (Curve Dental). Henry Schein's checklist has you select an attorney and CPA about eight months out (Henry Schein).

Phase 3: When do I get financing?

Before you fall in love with a space. Curve advises getting a financing commitment letter before negotiating a lease in earnest (Curve Dental). Lenders want a business plan with monthly projections and a contingency (Panacea Financial). See what dental lenders want in a build-out budget.

To turn these ranges into a number for your own project, the free build-out cost & timeline calculator (coming soon) is planned to combine square footage, operatory count and region into a budget and schedule.

Phase 4: How do I pick the market and site?

Start with demographics. Panacea suggests targeting 2,500+ residents per general dentist (Panacea Financial). Henry Schein's checklist includes confirming the location meets all zoning requirements (Henry Schein). Check plumbing access too: dental utilities run under the floor, so slab buildings may need trenching (Safety Net Dental Clinic Manual).

Phase 5: What matters in the lease?

The TI allowance, rent abatement during build-out, co-tenancy, permitted dental use and signage (Curve Dental). Dental leases usually run ten years with renewal options. See how much TI allowance to ask for.

Phase 6: How is the space designed?

Use a dental-specific architect and coordinate with your equipment specialist early, "so your infrastructure is planned around your specific equipment" (Dental & Medical Counsel). The Safety Net Dental Clinic Manual recommends having the operatory layout done by the equipment supplier and followed "to the inch" during construction (Safety Net Dental Clinic Manual).

To see this on your own floor plan, FloorStack Studio (live, free plan) builds a 3D IT plan of your office with every device placed.

To test this on your own suite before paying for drawings, the free dream-practice builder (coming soon) is planned for sketching rooms, operatory counts and layouts.

Phase 7: When do permits start?

As soon as plans are final. Dental & Medical Counsel calls late permitting "the single most common cause of timeline overruns" (Dental & Medical Counsel).

To keep every permit, inspection and sign-off in one list with owners and dates, the free permit & inspection tracker (coming soon) is planned for this step.

To turn this into a drawing your low-voltage contractor can bid, the free network & IT plan generator (coming soon) is planned to produce drops, rack, Wi-Fi and VLAN plans from your floor plan.

Phase 8: How do I hire the contractor?

Get early pricing from one to three contractors about seven months out, issue RFPs with completion dates about five months out, and sign about four months out, contingent on financing (Henry Schein). See how to choose a dental office contractor.

Phase 9: When do I order equipment and technology?

Early. Chairs, delivery units, cabinetry and imaging can take 14–24 weeks, and plumbing, electrical and vacuum locations depend on knowing the equipment before walls close (Curve Dental). Bring IT in during design too; see when to involve IT in a build-out.

Phase 10: What happens during construction?

Rough-in, inspections, finishes. One contractor-software guide calls dental projects "inspection-heavy": plumbing, electrical and low-voltage rough, shielding where applicable, health department where required, and the fire marshal final (BuildCrux). See the dental office inspection checklist.

Phase 11: When do credentialing, hiring and marketing start?

Credentialing with major carriers can take 90–180 days, so start once your NPI, address and entity are final. Hire the front-desk coordinator six to eight weeks before opening and assistants four to six weeks out, and have a website live at least eight weeks before opening (Curve Dental).

Phase 12: What has to happen in the last month?

Equipment installation typically begins about one month before opening (Dental & Medical Counsel). Henry Schein's final-month list includes completing installation, inspecting all contractor work and testing all equipment and systems (Henry Schein). Walk a written punch list and get every item fixed before releasing final payment (Dental & Medical Counsel). You can't open until final inspections pass and the certificate of occupancy is issued (Anne Arundel County).

How FloorStack helps

FloorStack is a dental build-out platform designed to run these 12 phases in one place. The planned shared project room is intended to give your architect, contractor, equipment dealer, IT provider and lender one schedule and one document set. The Build-Out Cost Calculator (coming soon at /tools/build-out-cost-calculator) is planned to price phases 6–10. Start at the Build a Dental Office hub and see what a dental build-out costs.

For phase-level detail, use the dental office equipment list and the dental office IT setup checklist.

Free tools on the FloorStack dental build-out platform for this step: FloorStack Studio (live, free plan), Dream-practice builder (free tool, coming soon), Permit & inspection tracker (free tool, coming soon) and Network & IT plan generator (free tool, coming soon).

Free tools for this step

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to open a dental practice from scratch?

Plan on about 9 to 12 months from first planning to opening, with the leasehold build-out itself taking roughly 6 to 9 months.

What is the first step to opening a dental practice?

Define your practice model and ten-year plan, then form your entity with a CPA and attorney before signing a lease or loan.

Should I sign a lease before getting financing?

No. Get a financing commitment letter first so the space matches what you can borrow.

When should I order dental equipment?

Early in design. Lead times can run 14–24 weeks, and plumbing and electrical locations depend on the equipment.

When should I start insurance credentialing?

As soon as your NPI, address and entity are final. Applications can take 90 to 180 days.

Can I open before the certificate of occupancy?

No. Final inspections must pass and the certificate of occupancy must be issued before patients are seen.

Sources

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