Behind every smooth-running dental practice is an office manager who knows exactly what’s happening in the numbers. Whether you’re a new practice and manager, or a seasoned pro, tracking the right metrics helps you identify trends early and prepare for long-term success.

Here’s what (and why) key performance metrics should be essentials in every dental offices weekly or monthly reporting.

Production vs. Collections: Production shows what a practice is earning on paper, collections show what’s actually brought in. Monitoring both can help identify

• Gaps caused by coding, claim errors or write-offs. 
• Opportunities for improved verification and documentation.

Most practices aim for a collection percentage of 96-99% of adjusted production. One way to help increase case acceptance and lessen the impact of larger financial burdens all at once on patients is to offer third-party financing options.

Overhead: Understanding what it costs to operate is an especially important key performance indicators (KPI) for small and local businesses. Not only does every office need to know what to collect to cover overhead costs AND become profitable, but also understand how it fluctuates with supply costs, staffing, lab fees and insurance adjustments.

Patient count: New patients are important and exciting, but keeping existing patients active is where consistent revenue comes from and is often an overlooked piece of data. A good rule of thumb for monitoring patient numbers in general includes tracking new patients, active patients and number of unscheduled active patients (patients who have completed a visit in the last 18 months but have no future appointment scheduled). Most high-performing practices target a reappointment rate of 85-95%.

Cancellation rate: Last-minute cancellations and no-shows directly impact productivity and revenue. Typically, cancellations on a hygienists schedule should be under 10%. Tracking both helps anticipate scheduling gaps and implement strategies such as confirmation systems, waitlists or improved reminders. 

The bottom line: When you track the right numbers and understand how clear metrics can guide your decisions, running a dental practice becomes less guesswork and more focus on a thriving practice.