What is the right diagnostic fee range for a dental Complete Dental Physical, and why does either extreme cause problems?
Between $350 and $750 USD, or equivalent in other currencies. Below that range, the fee fails as a qualifier and the practice attracts unqualified patients who pay the small fee, consume hours of treatment-planning time, and then decline the recommended work. Above the range, the fee starts driving away genuinely qualified, committed patients who interpret the price as either greedy or signaling that the practice will be unreasonable on later fees too. The sweet spot is wide enough that practices can calibrate to their market and operational cost. A fee of $679 reflected one practice’s true operational cost for a real hour of doctor and team time. The exact number matters less than the range. The fee should feel significant enough to communicate professional value and serious enough to filter out window-shoppers, while staying within reach of qualified patients ready to commit. Practices that price below the floor or above the ceiling produce predictable patient-mix problems they could have avoided.
If the answers you are finding here resonate with you, my team and I work with a small group of clients each year. The next step is a complimentary Discovery Consultation and Practice Review with Dr. McAnally.