As many as you can, or as many as you can keep?
The number of new patients your dental practice should attract each month depends on a few key factors: your goals, capacity, and local competition. Some established general practices thrive with 20–30 new patients monthly, while newer or growth-focused offices may aim for 40 or more. But it’s not just about numbers. Patient retention, case acceptance, and visit frequency often matter more than volume.
Attracting more patients won’t help if they don’t stay, follow through with care, or fit your practice’s offerings. The goal is sustainable growth: drawing in the right number of patients while delivering excellent experiences that lead to long-term relationships.
Before setting a new patient goal, think about your current capacity. Do you have available chairs, flexible schedules, and a team ready to handle more traffic? If your front desk is already overwhelmed, adding more new patients could cause delays, stress, and missed opportunities.
Review how many providers you have, how many appointments you can realistically offer per day, and how efficiently your systems work. Also, consider your marketing effectiveness. What’s your budget, how well are your campaigns converting, and are you reaching your target audience?
Every practice has a ceiling. The goal is to grow within your limits without compromising patient care or team satisfaction.
A good goal comes from looking at your data, not a guess or a copy of what another practice is doing. Your location, specialty, and team make your needs unique.
Start by looking at how many new patients you’ve averaged over the past 6–12 months. Then review how many stayed for a second visit, accepted treatment, or joined your recall system. This shows not just volume, but retention and revenue potential.
Next, check the demographics in your area. How large is the population? What’s the income level and dental insurance coverage? Are there underserved areas or high demand for your specialty? This gives you a sense of your practice’s growth potential.
What are other nearby practices doing? Are they well-established, or is there room for a new player? Do they have strong online visibility? Look at reviews, websites, and local rankings. This helps set expectations and reveals gaps you can fill.
Your goal should match your budget. If your typical cost to acquire a new patient is $100, and your goal is 30 new patients a month, you’ll need $3,000/month in marketing spend. Make sure your plan is financially sustainable.
The best approach is a mix of strategies that reinforce each other. Relying on just one source, like word of mouth or ads, can limit growth. Here are proven ways to attract new patients consistently:
Encourage your current patients to refer others by offering a thank-you incentive, such as a small credit or a gift card. Referrals often bring in the most loyal and easy-to-please patients.
Use platforms like Instagram and Facebook to share before-and-after photos (with permission), introduce your team, and post helpful dental tips. Engaging content builds familiarity and trust with potential patients.
Make sure your practice appears when people search "dentist near me." Update your Google Business Profile, include local keywords on your site, and ensure your NAP (name, address, phone) is consistent across the web.
Attend local fairs, partner with schools, or offer free dental days. These activities create goodwill and give people a reason to remember your name when they need a dentist.
Discounted cleanings or exams can lower the barrier to entry. These visits give patients a chance to see your quality of care, which increases the chances they’ll stay.
People talk. If you make patients feel welcome, respected, and cared for, they’re more likely to refer others and leave positive reviews. This kind of organic growth is powerful and free.
Tracking your patient growth gives you a clearer picture of what’s working. Don’t rely on memory; use your practice management software and marketing tools to gather data.
Log every new patient, where they came from, and what services they received. This will show your monthly growth rate and help identify seasonality trends.
Track how many people contact your office after seeing an ad, email, or post. Tools like call tracking and web analytics help you see which efforts deliver the best return.
Ask every new patient how they found you and keep a tally. Whether it was a friend, an online search, or a postcard, this insight helps you focus on the best channels.
Don’t just measure first visits. Track how many patients return for hygiene appointments or follow-up care. This tells you if new patients are sticking around.
If you’re gaining 30 new patients a month but losing 25, you’re not really growing. Monitor both sides to understand your net growth rate.
Different marketing channels reach different audiences, so the most effective strategy often combines several. Your website and Google listings are your digital front door; most new patients will check those first. Make sure your site is fast, mobile-friendly, and has up-to-date contact information.
Search engine optimization (SEO) helps people find you when they search for services in your area. Google Ads can quickly place your practice at the top of search results, especially for high-intent keywords like “emergency dentist near me.”
Social media helps humanize your practice. Posting team updates, fun office moments, or educational content keeps you visible and builds trust. At the same time, don’t underestimate traditional approaches. Referral programs, postcards, and community involvement still bring in patients, especially in smaller towns or older demographics.
Tracking which channels lead to actual appointments will help you refine your mix over time. A well-balanced strategy spreads risk, reaches more people, and gives you the best chance of steady patient flow.
Bringing in new patients is exciting, but keeping them is what makes a practice profitable. Research shows that increasing patient retention by even 5% can raise profitability significantly, thanks to lower marketing costs and more consistent revenue from repeat visits.
Retention is driven by experience. Patients return when they feel respected, understood, and cared for. Good communication, helpful staff, clear billing, and consistent follow-up all contribute. Your recall system is just as important as your ads.
That doesn’t mean you should stop focusing on new patient acquisition. Growth requires both—bringing in new faces and keeping them coming back. The most successful practices focus on delivering great care from day one, so each new patient has a reason to stay.
Knowing how much value a single patient brings to your practice over time helps you make smarter marketing decisions. To figure this out, consider how often the average patient visits per year, what services they usually receive, and how long they tend to stay with your practice.
You’ll also want to factor in how many people they refer. A happy patient might bring in a spouse, a child, or a coworker, making their value much higher than that of a single set of procedures.
Even conservative estimates can be revealing. If the average patient spends $600 per year and stays for five years, their lifetime value is $3,000. Knowing this makes it easier to decide how much you're willing to invest in marketing or retention efforts.
There’s no magic number that works for every dental office. What matters is finding a pace of growth that fits your team, your space, and your goals. For some practices, 15 new patients a month is perfect. For others, 40 may be the sweet spot.
Start by understanding your current capacity and adjusting your goals to avoid burnout or long wait times. Then work on building a mix of marketing strategies that bring in a steady stream of the right kinds of patients: those who stay, follow through with care, and contribute to a healthy, thriving practice.
Growth is easier to manage when you measure what matters, focus on experience, and stay consistent. New patients are important, but it’s how you care for them that shapes your long-term success.