The 2025 Mid-Year Dental Growth Report for Practices: Wins, Worries, and What’s Next
Picture this: It is a Monday morning in a busy dental office somewhere in Ohio. The phone is buzzing nonstop, the waiting room is packed, and the practice owner is sipping coffee while scanning the monthly marketing report. The numbers look… fine. Not terrible, not amazing. But one question lingers:
“Are we actually on track to hit our new patient goals this year?”
Turns out, that question is not unique. When we surveyed 38 dental practices across the country, from general practitioners to oral surgeons, most admitted they are asking the same thing.
Who We Heard From: Dental Practices Across the U.S.
Our 2025 Mid-Year Growth Survey captured insights from 38 dental practices across the U.S. These are not just stats on a page but real stories from dental practice owners balancing patient care with business growth. Here is how the mix breaks down:
- General Practitioners (58%): The backbone of dentistry, setting the pace for growth across the industry.
- Multi-Specialty Groups (18%): The “one-stop shops” juggling multiple services and marketing them all at once.
- Pediatric Dentists (13%): Masters of trust and long-term loyalty, starting with a child’s first visit.
- Oral Surgeons (8%): Specialists relying on referrals and reputation for high-stakes cases.
- Endodontists (3%): The root canal experts, thriving on strong referral ties.
On average, these practices run about 1.8 locations each.
Are Dental Practices on Track With Patient Growth in 2025?
Here is some good news: 79 percent of dental practices began 2025 with clear new patient growth targets. That shows that the “let’s just see what happens” approach is being ditched by modern dental practices. Dentistry is starting to act more like a business with defined goals and accountability.
The twist? Only 40 percent of dental practices have passed the halfway point toward those targets.
When asked how confident they feel about finishing the year strong:
- 26% said they are confident and on track.
- 61% are cautiously optimistic, waiting to see how the second half plays out.
- 13% are worried their current strategies just will not cut it.
The takeaway: having a target already sets you apart. Growth does not happen by accident, and a roadmap beats wandering any day.
Dental Marketing Budgets: Where Practices Are Spending
Ninety percent of dental practices invest real dollars into marketing, with most spending between $25,000 and $50,000 per location. On paper, that looks solid.
But here is the catch. Fifty-eight percent say they are not happy with the return. That is the equivalent of buying a fancy fishing rod, casting every day, and still coming home without dinner. The effort is there, but the strategy is off.
Many practices are casting wide nets for visibility instead of tracking what actually hooks patients. Without sharper targeting and smarter tracking, marketing dollars slip away fast.
Social Media for Dentists
Every dental practice surveyed has some sort of social media presence. But only 29 percent post two to three times a week, which is just enough to stay relevant. The rest? A couple of posts a month. That is like entering a marathon in flip-flops. You are technically in the race, but you are not really running.
Seventy-six percent are on Google Business Profile, Facebook, and Instagram, which are now the bare minimum. But too many practices treat their pages like digital waiting rooms. Quiet. Predictable. Forgettable.
Social media should not be wallpaper. It should grab attention, show personality, and make patients feel like they know you before they ever book. Otherwise, it is like renting a billboard and leaving it blank.
Dental Marketing Agencies: Partner or Passenger?
Fifty-five percent of dental practices hire a marketing agency, expecting a pit crew to tune up their growth engine. But nearly 20 percent say they have no idea what their agency is actually doing.
It is like paying a personal trainer who claps while you lift invisible weights. You are sweating, but are you getting results?
Too many agencies churn out content without driving growth. Only 52 percent of dental practices post weekly on social media, even with agencies on board. That is not enough.
Consistency wins trust. Patients may not book today, but if they see you show up regularly with value and warmth, you will be the one they remember when it matters.
Paid Ads for Dentists: Precision Over Budget
Two-thirds of practices are putting their ad dollars into Google Ads, with Meta trailing far behind at 8 percent. Direct mail still makes an appearance, surprisingly holding the same slice as Meta.
The real eye-opener? Eighteen percent admit they do not know which channel requires more of their budget. That is like playing poker without looking at your cards.
The top performers are not spending more; they are spending smarter. They run intent-driven campaigns, track every click to booked appointments, and fine-tune strategies weekly. As Kyle Kazak, Co-founder of Deploy, LLC, puts it: ”Success with dental paid ads isn’t about bigger budgets, it’s about smarter strategy. The best results come from aligning campaigns with patient intent, tracking clicks to booked appointments, and refining weekly. Google and Meta drive growth when treated as performance tools, not just visibility platforms.”Translation: clicks are nice, but booked patients are better.
Top Dental Practice Growth Challenges in 2025
Every dental practice dreams of growth, but here are the biggest hurdles:
- Local Competition (32%): With a dentist on every corner, visibility alone is not enough. Differentiation is the name of the game.
- Weak Marketing Partners (18%): Agencies that deliver vague reports instead of real results are a major frustration.
- Insufficient Budgets (8%): Some dental practices expect champagne results on a soda budget.
- Demographic Shifts (8%): Changing communities are reshaping patient needs, from senior care to pediatric growth.
The message is clear. Winning practices move quickly, adapt to shifts, and make sure every dollar works harder.
What High-Performing Dental Practices Do Differently
The standouts in our survey are not spending recklessly. About 60 percent of confident dental practices invest $25,000 to $50,000 per location, but with sharp precision. They know which KPIs matter, track them in real time, and adjust strategies quickly. Marketing is treated as a growth engine, not just an expense.
Agencies play a big role, but not always a positive one. Nineteen percent of practices working with an agency or consultant report dissatisfaction. Why? Because hiring an agency is not a growth strategy on its own. The high performers treat agencies as partners, setting clear KPIs, reviewing results, and aligning every dollar with business goals.
Here is the twist: 29 percent of dental practices without an agency have already hit more than half of their new patient growth targets. By owning their marketing, testing campaigns, and staying close to the data, they are often moving faster than peers who rely too heavily on outside help.
General practitioners are setting the pace, with 45 percent already past half their goals thanks to hands-on marketing. Specialists also show strong momentum, with 42 percent halfway there by staying focused on their niche.
The contrast is clear: Generalists often go solo, Specialists lean on agencies, but the winners in both groups stay intentional and disciplined.
Generalists vs. Specialists: Same Struggles, Different Path
For General Practitioners, the story is a little lopsided. About 55 percent aren’t happy with the return on their digital marketing spend, which is kind of like paying for a premium gym but never seeing the abs. To make matters trickier, 23 percent admit they don’t even know which channel eats up the most budget. And here’s the kicker: over half of GPs don’t work with an agency or consultant at all. That means they’re juggling fillings, follow-ups, and Facebook ads solo, which rarely leads to gold-standard results.
Specialty practices, meanwhile, play in a different lane. You’d think their niche services would give them an edge, but 63 percent are just as frustrated with their ROI. The twist is that nearly 70 percent of specialists partner with agencies or consultants. The problem? Many of those partnerships fall flat, weighed down by fuzzy strategy, poor alignment, or campaigns that simply fizzle. Add in the fact that half of specialty practices post less than once a week on social media, and it’s no wonder they struggle to stay visible in a world where attention spans refresh faster than TikTok feeds.
The contrast is clear: GPs tend to go solo and wrestle with focus, while specialists lean on agencies but stumble on consistency. Different playbooks, same headaches. The real takeaway? Whether you’re a GP or a specialist, it is not about how much you spend; it is about being intentional, consistent, and actually making your strategy work as hard as you do
How Dental Practices Can Finish 2025 Stronger
Our survey makes one thing clear: dentists are ambitious, but execution is where growth slips. Budgets are flowing, intent is high, but strategies are not sharp enough, and tracking is not tight enough.
The good news? Turning the year around does not require a complete overhaul. It just takes tightening a few bolts:
- Sharpen your digital game: Target smarter, optimize weekly, and make agencies prove their value.
- Turn up your social presence: Post with consistency and personality, not just placeholders.
- Differentiate: In crowded markets, being memorable matters more than just being visible.
The second half of 2025 is a chance to flip the script. Practices that move with clarity, consistency, and creativity will not only finish strong but roll into 2026 with serious momentum. Want the full breakdown of wins, worries, and what’s next for dental growth this year? [Read the complete 2025 Mid-Year Dental Growth Survey Report