How Dentists Can Earn $1M Take-Home Without Burnout

Dentists often assume that taking home $1 million a year requires owning a large practice, performing high-end full arch procedures, or working in an elite fee-for-service environment. In this in-depth webinar, Dr. Scott Leune dismantles those assumptions and lays out three practical, achievable models to grow take-home pay to $1 million—without burnout, chaos, or unnecessary complexity.

The session is built around a single, critical idea: great dental practice management—not luck or geography—is the key to dentist take-home pay, dental office profitability, and long-term career freedom.

About the Webinar
This training offers a deep dive into the specific mechanics, math, and strategy behind earning $1 million annually in personal income from a dental practice. It’s not theory—it’s based on real practices, run by real dentists, in diverse markets across the country.

Explore all of Scott Leune’s webinars

Dr. Leune outlines:

• How much you actually need to produce and collect;
• How many operatories and staff you really need;
• What overhead percentage to target;
• How to expand services strategically;
• When and how to step back from the chair;
• Why many dentists fail to scale profitably;

Attendees leave with a blueprint for increasing dental practice revenue while maintaining balance and reducing overhead.

About the Host – Dr. Scott Leune
Dr. Scott Leune is one of the most respected voices in dental business training. With years of experience launching and scaling practices, he coaches dentists on how to make strategic, sustainable decisions that directly increase dentist take-home pay and create operational freedom. His systems focus on simplicity, high-yield case types, efficient teams, and consistent scheduling—all grounded in metrics that matter.

Key Highlights

The $1M Take-Home Target Is Realistic

Dr. Leune believes too many dentists limit themselves because they lack clarity. A $1 million take-home is not just possible—it’s increasingly common. With a 50% overhead model, you only need $2 million in collections to get there. That breaks down to $5,500 in daily doctor production and $2,800 in hygiene production—fully attainable numbers with the right systems in place.

Build a Million-Dollar Practice in 5 Ops or Less

You don’t need 10 operatories or a team of 20. The ideal setup:

• 5 operatories;
• 2 hygienists working out of 3 columns;
• 2 doctor chairs;
• 2 front office team members;
• 3 assistants;
• 1 virtual team member (handling confirmations, verifications, and missed calls);

This model supports low overhead, high output, and simplified management—all while allowing modest case sizes to add up consistently.

Increase Dental Practice Revenue with Strategic Scheduling

Leune stresses the importance of daily scheduling discipline. If a dentist fails to hit the $5,500 production target for the day, the team must be trained to react—focusing immediately on unscheduled treatment, same-day conversions, and calling patients to fill gaps. High take-home pay is about consistent, daily execution, not occasional big cases.

Add Bigger Case Types to Shorten the Path to Profitability

Scott Leune thinks learning high-value procedures like implants, clear aligners, and sleep apnea treatment is essential. These allow for fewer patient visits, less physical wear on the dentist, and faster production per hour. Over time, they help transform your schedule and profitability—without increasing stress.

The Virtual Specialty Model: The Best Part-Time Path

For dentists who want to scale back to 1–2 clinical days per week, Leune outlines a high-leverage setup:

• Associates handle general dentistry, covering costs and generating profit;
• The owner only performs high-dollar procedures like implants or ortho;
• No added ops, staff, or rent—just existing chair time;
• Profit margin from this virtual model can exceed 90%;
• Producing $800K = $700K+ in take-home from part-time work;

This model provides control, flexibility, and scalability—all while keeping patient acquisition costs low and team efficiency high.

For Specialists: Own the Referral Base

Leune applies this concept to periodontists and oral surgeons, recommending they build or buy general practices to refer cases internally. Instead of relying on unpredictable external referrals, they can perform specialty procedures within a network they own. That reduces overhead and increases margins substantially, even if working only part-time.

The Full DSO Model: No Clinical Time, $1M EBITDA

Dentists who want to fully step away from the chair can still earn $1 million in EBITDA by reaching $5.5M in collections with a lean 18% margin. That typically means managing:

• 6 associates;
• 9 hygienists;
• Multiple locations or a high-performing single location;
• Expense audits and strong operational systems;

The key here isn’t production—it’s being a true CEO. Without solid case acceptance systems and tight cost controls, practices with this structure can quickly bleed profit.

Where Most Dentists Fall Short

Dr. Leune emphasizes that lack of case acceptance and weak treatment plan presentation—not patient volume—are what stall growth. National averages show only 34% of diagnosed treatment gets scheduled. That’s a massive gap. Fix that with:

• Proper diagnosis protocols;
• Training on financial presentation;
• Smarter follow-up systems;
• Bonus plans tied to treatment conversion;

Reset Your Business. Stop the Bleed.

If you’re not tracking profitability or you don’t know where your money’s going, Leune recommends a total expense reset. Audit every category. Target 25% for staff, <4% for supplies, <5% for labs, and cut out non-essential spending. Most dentists aren’t underproducing—they’re overspending.

One Rule: Always Make a Million

Leune advises against skipping steps. Don’t try to scale to 3 locations when you haven’t yet hit strong profitability in one. Make a million as a full-time dentist. Then step back to part-time and still make a million. Then fully exit the chair—and still make a million. It’s a progression, not a shortcut.

Explore more insights from Scott—read the latest blog posts now

Conclusion

Whether you’re early in your dental career, stuck in a plateau, or trying to scale smartly, Dr. Scott Leune’s models offer clear, actionable paths to success. You don’t need a giant practice, elite procedures, or burnout-inducing schedules to reach high income. You need systems, consistency, and focus.

Dentist take-home pay can exceed $1 million if you run your practice with intent. Choose the model that fits your stage, commit to operational excellence, and stay relentlessly disciplined in your daily numbers.