These are independent, sourced guides from Alithos Advisory on what dental office projects cost and how to decide: startup costs, how to open, build-out costs, financing, leases, equipment, relocation and ground-up builds. Every guide shows its sources and dates. Where a guide gives a total, it uses the published Alithos planning model, which puts a 5-operatory leased startup at standard finish at $887K-$980K all-in, including working capital.
Which dental office guide should you start with?
Start with the question you have to answer next. Each pillar guide covers one decision end to end and links to shorter posts on the details.
Dental practice startup costs
Every line of an all-in startup budget, from build-out to working capital, with the model's ranges by office size and finish.
How to open a dental practice
The order of decisions, from budget and financing to lease, design, bids and opening day, and what each step costs if you get it wrong.
Dental office build-out cost
Construction cost per square foot for leased and ground-up space, what drives it up, and how to read a contractor's quote.
Dental practice financing
Loan structures, terms, debt-service coverage and what lenders ask to see before they approve a startup or relocation.
Dental office real estate and leases
Lease, buy a condo or build. TI allowances, rent escalations and the clauses that change your budget.
Dental equipment cost
The per-operatory and whole-office equipment budget, imaging choices including CBCT, and how to compare dealer quotes.
Relocating a dental practice
When a move pays for itself, what it costs, and how to time it against your current lease.
Building a dental office
Land, shell and finish-out costs for a ground-up build, the timeline, and the production it has to support.
Who should plan the project, and how should it be delivered?
Who should plan your dental office?
Dealer design, design-build, startup consultant or independent planner: what each one is paid for and what that means for your budget.
Design-build vs. design-bid-build
Speed, price certainty and control under each delivery method, and the questions to ask before you choose one.
Which free tools and data sit behind the guides?
Free calculators
DSCR, loan payment, square footage, TI allowance and Section 179 education. One question each, with the formula shown.
Cost benchmark table
The estimator's output for common office sizes and finish levels, with every assumption listed.
Glossary
Plain definitions of the terms in a lease, loan or construction quote, from CAM charges to DSCR.
What does each guide answer?
| Your question | Read this |
|---|---|
| What will my whole startup cost? | Startup costs |
| What do I do first, second and third? | How to open a dental practice |
| Is this contractor's price per square foot reasonable? | Build-out cost |
| Will a bank lend me enough, at what payment? | Financing |
| Should I lease, buy a condo or build? | Real estate and leases |
| How much equipment and imaging do I need to budget? | Equipment cost |
| Does moving my practice pay off? | Relocating a practice |
| What does a ground-up office cost before land? | Building a dental office |
What related posts sit under each guide?
Each pillar links down to shorter posts and tools. Here is the full map, so you can jump straight to a detail.
Startup costs and opening a practice
- How much does it cost to open a dental practice in 2026?
- The 13-stage dental startup checklist
- 12 hidden costs that ambush dental office projects
- Startup vs. acquisition: which ownership path pencils?
- Do you need a startup consultant, and what should one cost?
Build-out, space and ground-up construction
- Dental office construction costs per square foot
- How many operatories and square feet do you need?
- Operatory and square footage calculator
- The "free" office design isn't free
Financing
- What dental lenders actually approve
- Working capital: the budget line that decides whether you sleep
- DSCR calculator
- Dental loan payment calculator
Real estate, leases and relocation
- Build, lease, or condo: run the numbers first
- Tenant improvement allowances: negotiating the landlord's money
- TI allowance calculator
Equipment and imaging
- CBCT, pano, or both? The imaging decision by the numbers
- Section 179 calculator (educational, confirm with your CPA)
Every post is also listed on the blog.
How do the guides use the Alithos model?
Where a guide shows a total, it comes from the same estimator as the cost estimator on the homepage. The model assumes, for example, 500 sq ft per operatory for 3-5 operatories, construction at $170 per sq ft for standard leased space, equipment at $42,000 per operatory and $85,000 of working capital. Those are planning assumptions, not survey data or a quote. Market figures, like the build-out range in key figure [3], are cited to their publisher so you can check them.
When you want those numbers run on your project instead of a model office, there are three ways to work with me. The Feasibility Check is $2,500 flat and credits toward the Budget Plan. The Budget Plan is $7,500-$10,000, a flat fee with the scope in writing. Project Navigator starts from $20,000, quoted per project, and availability depends on the project's state. I'm an owner-side advisor, not a contractor, architect, broker, lender, attorney or CPA.
How do we research these guides?
Every number on these pages comes from a primary or named reputable source, or from the published Alithos model, and each guide lists its sources with publisher and year. Interest rates and SBA rate caps are re-checked whenever a page that uses them is updated, tax limits are reviewed when the IRS publishes the next year's inflation adjustments, and the update date sits under every title. Read the full editorial policy.
Frequently asked questions about the guides
Are these guides free?
Yes. Every guide, the single-question calculators, the benchmark table and the glossary are free, with no email required. The full cost estimator on the homepage asks for your name, city and state, email and phone to unlock.
Which guide should I read first?
If you are opening a new office, start with startup costs, then how to open a dental practice. If you already own a practice and are moving, start with the relocation guide. If you are thinking about buying land, start with the ground-up building guide.
Are the cost figures in the guides quotes?
No. Figures labeled as the Alithos model are planning assumptions from the estimator, not quotes or survey data. Market figures are cited to their publisher. Your project's real numbers come from your own space, scope and bids.
Do the guides give legal, tax or lending advice?
No. I'm not an attorney, CPA, lender, broker, architect or contractor. Tax content is educational and names the tax year. Confirm tax questions with your CPA and lease questions with your attorney.
Not sure which guide fits your project? Book a free Project Fit Call and bring your timeline.
Sources
- Alithos estimator assumptions and benchmark table (2026). alithos.co/cost-benchmark
- ADA News, M. Jerkins, "Ask the Expert: How to be financially prepared for practice ownership" (2025). adanews.ada.org
- Dental & Medical Counsel, A. Oromchian, "A Dental Lawyer's Guide to Your Dental Office Build-Out" (2026). dmcounsel.com
- ADA News, M. Jerkins, "Ask the Expert: How much debt is too much when buying a dental practice?" (2026). adanews.ada.org
Written by Dan Ellyson. Model figures are planning assumptions from the Alithos estimator, not quotes. Market figures were checked against the sources above on October 31, 2026. How we research and update this page.