Clear Lakes Dental (CLD) makes low-risk dental ownership accessible. Our proven dentist ownership system provides operational support, business guidance, and clinical autonomy, enabling dentists to own a dental practice with support, build equity, increase income, and achieve long-term success.

Many dentists ask questions like:

• How much does it cost to buy a dental practice?

• How do I start a dental office the right way?

• What can I earn as a dental practice owner?

• What’s the pathway from associate to owner dentist?

These are valid concerns. Owning a dental practice can feel overwhelming without the right guidance. High startup costs, lack of business knowledge, and fear of failure stop many dentists from taking the leap.

1. High Startup Costs – Starting from scratch can cost $500K–$1M+ for construction, equipment, staffing, and overhead.

2. Business Knowledge Gaps – Dental school prepares you for clinical care, not payroll, HR, marketing, or compliance.

3. Fear of Failure – Many dentists worry about attracting enough patients to sustain a new practice.

4. Limited Autonomy as an Associate – Income is capped, and major decisions are out of your control, building someone else’s equity, not your own.

These roadblocks explain why many dentists hesitate, but they don’t have to stop you. CLD offers a structured dental practice ownership pathway, removing these barriers while giving you full autonomy to run your practice your way.

CLD provides a guided ownership pathway. Instead of navigating everything alone, you follow a proven model designed to minimize risk while building equity and practice growth.

• Enter a practice with systems in place – Scheduling, billing, HR, and compliance handled from day one.

• Step into a proven operational framework – Focus on dentistry, not infrastructure.

• Ease into ownership – Grow from associate to owner with mentorship and guidance.

This approach answers the question: “How do I own a dental practice the smarter way?”

• With CLD, you gain:

  • Control over clinical and leadership decisions

  • Ability to set treatment plans, office culture, and patient care direction

  • Keep more of what you earn while leading your practice on your terms

  You achieve the independence and income growth dentists want, without the stress of starting from scratch.

Our associate & dentist ownership system ensures you have help in the areas that usually overwhelm new owners:

• Ongoing training and mentorship

• HR, recruiting, staffing, and compliance support

• Billing, collections, and marketing systems

• Advanced technology for scheduling and efficiency

• A community of owners to collaborate and share insights

This is the low-risk, guided pathway dentists need to confidently take ownership.

By following CLD’s smart ownership model, dentists gain:

• Immediate equity and ownership opportunities

• Predictable income growth and financial stability

• Reduced risk compared to starting from scratch

• A clear path to dental practice growth and long-term success

CLD turns dental practice ownership into a structured, achievable reality.

Since 2017, CLD has expanded to 8 Minnesota locations, with nationwide growth planned in 2025.

Guided by our values of Teamwork, Positivity, and Communication, we support dentists every step of the way as they move from associate dentist ownership to full practice ownership.

Explore dental practice ownership opportunities with mentorship, operational guidance, and a proven model. Discover the smarter way to own your dental practice.