Do you know how many days your office was open last year? Most dentists don’t. According to the American Dental Association, dentists now work an average of 220 days per year, up from 209 in the previous study. Many don’t realize how much they’re working because they don’t track their office days.
This simple metric is more important than it seems. Every financial plan starts with knowing how many days your top producer is in the office. Tracking office days reveals three key insights:
- Work-life balance: If you’re working 220 days a year, burnout is inevitable. This affects both your personal life and the quality time with family and friends.
- Production efficiency: Two practices producing $1.5 million look very different if one operates 180 days and the other 230. Fewer days with the same production means greater efficiency.
- Financial success: If you know your daily production, multiplying it by your workdays gives a clear picture of your annual gross production.
If you don’t like the numbers, adjust them. Great practice owners identify problems, set goals, and make incremental progress. If 220 days is too much, aim for 210, then 200, then 190. You’ll improve both personal happiness and practice profitability.
Control your practice—don’t let it control you. Review last year’s open days, set a goal for this year, and adjust accordingly. Time is finite. Take charge and start enjoying both your practice and your life.
