What a dental practice costs to set up
Dental is the most equipment-dense practice fitout in health care: the chair packages alone cost more than most small business fitouts. Here are the current Australian numbers, chair by machine.
The equipment, priced
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Premium chair package (A-dec class, chair + delivery) | $44,000 to $78,000 inc GST at dealer pricing |
| Refurbished premium chair packages | $16,000 to $24,000 |
| Mid-range chairs | $5,000 to $15,000 chair-only |
| 2D panoramic OPG | $30,000 to $50,000 |
| OPG/ceph mid-range | $50,000 to $75,000 |
| CBCT / hybrid imaging | $75,000 to $150,000 |
| Class B autoclave | $5,100 to $16,000 |
The steri room as a whole, autoclave, washer, benching and tracking, deserves a $20,000 to $40,000 allowance. The used and refurbished market is genuine in dental: refurbished premium chair packages at a third of new is how many squat practices open their second and third surgeries.
The fitout and the all-in number
Dental construction runs $2,000 to $4,000 per square metre before equipment, and the space benchmarks are tight: a two-chair practice with an OPG room fits in about 75 square metres, three chairs in 95. Published all-in figures for a new two-to-three chair squat practice spread widely, but the sensible anchor is $250,000 to $600,000 complete, with equipment taking $100,000 to $300,000 of it. Financed over seven years, a $400,000 practice build runs about $1,540 a week, a few patients a day.
Financing a practice
Dentists sit with pharmacists among the most bankable borrowers in the country: equipment writes on chattel mortgage, fitout wraps into the facility, and imaging is commonly financed as its own asset. Property-backed borrowers generally price around 6% to 9% p.a. and non-property-backed deals around 9% to 13%, with approvals commonly back in 24 to 48 hours. Start at dental finance, or run the equipment list through the repayment calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental chair cost in Australia?
Premium chair packages with delivery systems run $44,000 to $78,000 at current dealer pricing, mid-range chairs $5,000 to $15,000, and refurbished premium packages $16,000 to $24,000.
How much is an OPG or CBCT machine?
2D panoramic OPGs run $30,000 to $50,000, mid-range OPG/ceph units $50,000 to $75,000, and CBCT or hybrid systems $75,000 to $150,000.
What does it cost to open a dental practice?
Published figures for a new two-to-three chair squat practice anchor around $250,000 to $600,000 all-in, with construction at $2,000 to $4,000 per square metre and equipment $100,000 to $300,000.
Can dental equipment be financed?
Yes, and dentists are treated as premium borrowers: chairs and imaging on chattel mortgage, fitout wrapped into the facility, refurbished equipment fundable too.
Surgery by surgery, one facility
Tell us the chair count and equipment list and we will come back with the structure, usually within a day.
This article is general information only and not financial, credit, or tax advice. Ventas Asset Lending is a finance broker, not a lender. Approvals are subject to lender assessment. Consider your own circumstances and speak to a qualified professional, including your accountant for any tax questions.