Orthodontic Practice Benchmarks

Essential ortho KPIs: Annual case starts (287 average per doctor), Exam-to-start conversion (65-75% target), Average case fee ($6,121 braces, $6,373 aligners), Overhead percentage (50-57% target), Contracts receivable (40-50% of collections), and staff per doctor ratio (6.2 average). Track monthly for trend analysis.

Target 65-75% exam-to-start conversion. Industry average is 64-68%. Top practices achieve 80%+. Track observation patients separately—about 20% of exams go to observation, with 20-25% of those converting to starts monthly. Use treatment coordinators to improve conversion.

Average is 287 case starts per orthodontist annually (AAO Survey 2024). High-performing practices achieve 336+ starts. At an average case fee of $6,200, 287 starts equals approximately $1.78M in production. Focus on conversion rate improvements to increase starts without additional marketing spend.

Target 50-57% overhead for orthodontic practices, significantly lower than the 59-62% for general dentistry. AAO benchmark is 54%. Lower overhead is achievable due to fewer consumables and more predictable treatment plans. Profit margins (EBITDA) should approach 50% for well-run practices.