Lodgehollow Funding Group arranges funding requests for dental practices in New Bern, NC and Craven County. Dental practices can finance chairs, imaging and build-outs, buy another practice and manage insurance timing. This page covers equipment financing, dental practice purchase loans, office loans and working capital, with County Business Patterns 2023 figures for local dental offices.
| Dentists with employees, Craven County, NC | 38 employers (CBP 2023) |
|---|---|
| Employees at those offices | 322 (CBP 2023) |
| Under five employees | 11, or 28.9% |
| Listed in ZIP 28560 | 6 (ZBP 2023) |
| No-payroll dental offices | 15 (NES 2024) |
A Dental Office Is Equipment-Heavy
Each operatory needs a chair, delivery unit, light, cabinetry and plumbing, and the practice needs imaging, sterilization, compressors, suction and software. Equipment is a major cost for a dental practice and is replaced or upgraded over time. Revenue comes from patients, insurers and payment plans, with insurers paying after claims are processed.
Dentist business loans therefore fall into three groups: equipment, practice purchases and build-outs, and working capital for the gaps.
Financing Chairs, Imaging and Sterilization
Dental equipment is financed through equipment loans or leases, some with partners who specialize in health care equipment. Cone-beam imaging, intraoral scanners and milling units can be leased where the technology changes quickly. Chairs and cabinetry are typically bought.
Illustrative example only: a practice adding a fully equipped operatory at $95,000 finances the equipment and treats the plumbing and cabinetry separately. If the new chair adds a certain number of patient visits a week, the payment can be set against that production before deciding.
Dental Practice Purchase Loans
A dentist can own a practice by buying an existing one. A dental practice purchase loan is a term loan based on the practice's history: collections, patient counts, payer mix and the condition of its equipment. Partners review the seller's tax returns and financial statements, the purchase agreement and the buyer's own record. The price itself comes from the agreement and any valuation the parties commission.
Dental Office Loans for Build-Outs
Opening a new office, relocating or adding operatories to leased space requires plumbing, electrical and cabinetry work that is not equipment in the usual sense. Dental office loans for build-outs are usually term loans reviewed against the practice's cash flow, with the contractor's bid and the lease. Check the space's zoning and permit path first; the New Bern zoning and permits guide lists the questions.
Working Capital for Dentists
Working capital for dentists covers insurance timing, a new associate's salary before their schedule fills, or payroll during an office move. A short working capital loan repaid from collections handles a one-time gap; a line of credit suits a repeating one.
Associates, Transitions and Second Offices
Bringing in an associate before buying them into the practice is one path. The associate's salary starts before their schedule is full, which is a working capital question. When the buy-in or the full sale follows, it becomes a term-loan question. Owners planning a gradual transition to an associate can map both steps on the first call so the financing for each fits the timeline.
A second office multiplies everything: build-out, equipment for each operatory, and staffing before patients arrive. Partners will want to see the first office's production carrying the new location until it stands on its own.
Craven County, NC Dental Practices in the Census Count
County Business Patterns counted 38 dental office employer establishments in Craven County in 2023, with 322 employees and $19.7 million in annual payroll. Only 11, or 28.9%, had fewer than five employees, a lower small-office share than the county's physician offices (36.4%) or its other health practitioners (50.0%). Six dental employers had a ZIP 28560 address (ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023).
Nonemployer Statistics counted 15 no-payroll dental offices in the county in 2024, a separate program and year. The New Bern, NC data page shows how health care fits the county's economy.
What Partners Review for Dental Practices
- Monthly production and collections reports
- Bank statements and payroll
- Vendor quotes listing model numbers and options
- For a purchase: the agreement, seller's tax returns and patient counts
- Leases and loans already running on practice equipment
Related Pages
Physician offices are covered on the medical practice page, and chiropractors, therapists and optometrists on the therapy and optometry page.
By Lodgehollow Funding Group · Updated