Ladd Dental Group

 Across the dental profession, practice owners and clinicians are feeling it: doing more dentistry , seeing more patients, and yet margins continue to tighten. While there are several contributing factors, one stands above the rest as the single biggest driver of margin compression in dentistry today. Labor. Labor Costs Are Rising Faster Than Revenue Staff wages, benefits, and recruitment costs have increased dramatically over the past several years. Hygienists, assistants, and front-office team members are in high demand, and the supply has not kept pace. Many practices have experienced: 20–40% increases in hygiene wages Higher overtime costs due to staffing shortages Signing bonuses, temp staffing, and recruiting fees Increased benefit costs to remain competitive At the same time, reimbursement rates—especially from PPOs—have remained largely flat. When your largest expense grows rapidly but your revenue per procedure doesn’t, margins get squeezed. Hygiene E...