The best dental billing companies for a growing practice do four things well: they onboard new providers and locations fast, they keep claims clean as volume rises, they follow up on every unpaid insurance balance, and they report in numbers you can check. A billing partner that was fine for one dentist often breaks when you add an associate, a second office or a new payer. That is why dental billing companies should be judged on how they handle growth, not only on today’s claims.
- Practices adding associates or a second location usually do best with a dental-focused partner that scales without long setup, such as The Medicators.
- Large DSOs often need enterprise-level reporting and standardized workflows across many offices. Dental billing for DSOs is a different job from billing for a single office.
- Practices that only want software may start with a practice management platform and add a billing team later.
Before you compare dental billing companies, see where your own revenue is slipping. The Medicators offers a free practice analysis that reviews your A/R, denials, payer activity and workflow.
Disclosure: The Medicators publishes this article and appears in it, so our own approach gets more detail. Other companies get short, fair descriptions. Verify every vendor yourself.
Quick Comparison: Dental Billing Companies by Practice Stage
| Your stage | What matters most | Best-fit type |
| Solo dentist adding a first associate | Fast credentialing, clean claims for a second provider | Dental-focused outsourced partner |
| Two to five offices | Consistent workflow and one report across locations | A dental billing company for multi-location practices |
| Large DSO | Standardized processes, enterprise reporting | Enterprise RCM or a large dental specialist |
| Practice buying other practices | Fast absorption of new payer contracts and old A/R | Partner with backlog cleanup and enrollment support |
| Software-first buyer | One system for scheduling and claims | Practice management platform with billing support |
Why Growth Breaks Dental Billing
Most dental billing companies are built around steady volume, so the weak points show up when your practice changes shape.
Growth adds claims faster than it adds billing staff. These are the points where revenue usually leaks.
| Growth event | What goes wrong | What a good partner does |
| New associate starts | Dental billing for new associates stalls because enrollment is not finished | Starts payer enrollment before the first patient |
| New location opens | Wrong tax ID or billing address on claims | Sets up each location’s details and checks them |
| New payer added | Fee schedules and rules not loaded | Loads schedules and tracks payer rules |
| More patients | Eligibility checks skipped | Verifies coverage before the visit |
| Higher claim volume | Unpaid claims age unnoticed | Works claims on a schedule |
| Acquired practice | Old A/R left untouched | Reviews and ranks the backlog |
What Dental Billing Involves That Medical Billing Does Not
A dental billing company needs dental knowledge, not just general claims skill. Ask whether the team handles:
- CDT codes from the American Dental Association, not CPT, for most procedures
- Attachments such as x-rays, periodontal charting and narratives that payers require
- Predeterminations for larger treatment plans
- Frequency limits and waiting periods that cause denials for work done too soon
- Downgrades when a plan pays for a cheaper alternative and the patient owes the difference
- Medical cross-billing for procedures that some medical plans may cover
- Patient balances, because a large share of dental revenue is collected from patients
Anyone who treats dental claims like medical claims will miss money, which is why dental-specific dental billing companies tend to outperform general ones for dentistry.
Why Growing Practices Choose The Medicators
The Medicators is a US medical billing and revenue cycle company that, by its own account, has supported healthcare practices for more than 20 years. It offers a dedicated dental billing and coding service and works across 30+ specialties. See the full specialties list.
How we support dental practice expansion billing
- Free practice analysis first. We review your A/R, denials, payer activity and workflow so the plan starts from your data. Request it here.
- Enrollment for new dentists. Dental insurance credentialing for new dentists often decides when a new associate can bill. Our credentialing services help keep provider participation and billing details accurate.
- Coverage checks before visits. Our eligibility verification services confirm coverage before treatment, which reduces rejected claims.
- Claims prepared for each location. Billing is set up for every office and provider, with coding support matched to your workflow.
- Follow-up on every unpaid claim. Aging insurance balances get consistent contact through our A/R management services.
- Cleanup for acquired or inherited A/R. If you bought or merged a practice, we review the oldest balances and rank them by recoverability. For a wider look at aged balances, see our guide to medical billing companies for high A/R.
- One accountable partner across the cycle. Our RCM services connect eligibility, billing and collections.
How this helps recover lost revenue
Growth hides leaks. A new associate bills under the wrong enrollment status, a second office uses an outdated fee schedule, a frequency denial goes unappealed. For growing practices, dental billing companies earn their fee by giving each of those problems an owner and a schedule. We also share reports so you can see where money is stuck.
What you can expect
- Dental-focused handling: coding, attachments, predeterminations and payer rules adapted to your practice.
- System compatibility: the company works with a range of practice management and EHR platforms, and reviews yours before onboarding. See the EHR page.
- Compliance focus: the company states its workflows are HIPAA-compliant.
- Support: the company states it offers round-the-clock billing support and a 99% client retention rate. Ask for references.
[Insert verified dental case study before publishing: practice size, locations, A/R over 90 days at the start and after 90 and 180 days, dollars collected, and written permission to publish.]
We do not promise a fixed collection increase. Results depend on your payer mix, claim volume and starting condition.
Other Dental Billing Companies and Options
Short descriptions of these dental billing companies come from public information only. We have not measured anyone’s results.
| Company | About | Typically suits |
| eAssist Dental Solutions | Dental-focused outsourced billing and support company | Practices wanting a dental specialist |
| Dental Claim Support | Dental-focused billing and claims company | Practices wanting claims follow-up help |
| Dentrix (Henry Schein One) | Widely used dental practice management software | Practices wanting software first |
| Open Dental | Dental practice management software | Practices wanting flexible software |
| Enterprise RCM firms | Large revenue cycle companies | Large DSOs and health systems |
Many dental billing companies also overlap with general RCM firms. Not sure how broad your partner should be? Read medical billing company vs RCM company.
Dental Billing Company Pricing: What to Expect
Dental billing company pricing usually falls into four models:
- Percentage of collections dental billing: a share of what is collected.
- Flat monthly fee: predictable, but not tied to results.
- Per-claim fee: may suit lower volumes.
- Hybrid: a base fee plus a performance portion.
Ask these questions about any quote:
- Are new providers and locations charged extra?
- Are enrollment, appeals and patient statements included?
- Are there setup or minimum fees?
- What happens to fees if a payer takes money back?
If you are on a tight budget, see our guide on dental billing firms for under $1,000 per month. For a quote built on your own numbers, start with the free practice analysis.
How to Hire a Dental Billing Company for a Growing Practice
If you plan to outsource dental billing for a growing practice, the choice is easier when you compare the same facts across vendors.
To hire a dental billing company with less risk, use this order:
- Pull a baseline: A/R over 90 days, denial rate, collection ratio and days to payment.
- List every provider, location and payer you will need covered in the next 12 months.
- Ask for a written scope, including who handles enrollment and eligibility.
- Request a sample report and references from practices of your size.
- Review a short pilot or sample of your claims before a long contract.
Weighing an in-house hire instead? Compare the numbers in outsourced medical billing vs in-house billing.
Dental Billing Onboarding: What a Smooth Start Looks Like
Good dental billing onboarding follows a plan you can read:
| Step | What happens |
| Review | Your systems, payers, providers and open A/R are reviewed |
| Setup | Locations, tax IDs, fee schedules and payer details are loaded |
| Enrollment check | New and existing providers are verified with each payer |
| Parallel run | Old and new processes overlap briefly |
| First report | Results are compared with your baseline |
Ask for the plan in writing with dates.
Metrics to Track
Commonly cited targets vary by practice, so set your own baseline first.
| Metric | What it shows | Common target |
| Collection ratio | Collected vs collectible production | Often cited at 98% or higher |
| Insurance A/R over 90 days | Money at risk | Lower and falling each month |
| Clean claim rate | Quality at submission | Around 95% or higher |
| First-pass denial rate | Front-end health | Around 5% or lower |
| Days to payment | Speed of cash | Falling month over month |
When to Switch Dental Billing Companies
Consider a change if you see:
- New providers waiting weeks to bill
- Each location reported separately with no combined view
- Denials returning for the same reasons
- Old claims written off with no explanation
If this sounds familiar, you may want to switch dental billing companies before growth makes it worse. For better claim handling after the switch, see dental billing partners for auditing and reducing denial rates and our guide to dental claim denial appeals.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign
Use these with every one of the dental billing companies on your shortlist.
- Who works my account, and what dental experience do they have?
- How do you handle enrollment for new providers?
- Can you report by location and by provider?
- How do you handle attachments and predeterminations?
- How do you work unpaid claims and denials?
- Which practice management systems do you work with?
- How do you protect patient data and meet HIPAA requirements?
- Who owns my data if I leave, and how do I exit?
Red Flags
When you shortlist dental billing companies, watch for these:
- A guaranteed collection increase before seeing your data
- No dental-specific experience
- No named contact
- Charges that jump with every new provider or location, a common problem when you grow
- Long contracts with heavy exit fees
Frequently Asked Questions
Which dental billing companies are best for growing practices?
Look for fast provider enrollment, location-level reporting, dental coding knowledge and steady claim follow-up. Practices wanting hands-on support often choose a dental-focused partner, while large DSOs may prefer enterprise firms. Compare at least three dental billing companies on the same checklist.
How much do dental billing companies charge?
Many dental billing companies charge a percentage of collections, while others use flat, per-claim or hybrid fees. Compare what each quote includes, especially for new providers.
Can dental billing companies handle multiple locations?
Many dental billing companies can, but ask how each location’s tax ID, fee schedule and payers are set up and reported.
Do dental billing companies help new associates start billing?
Some do, through enrollment support. Confirm who starts payer enrollment and how early.
Is outsourcing better than hiring a biller as I grow?
It depends on your numbers. Our comparison shows how to test it by net revenue after fees.
How long does onboarding take?
Typically several weeks, depending on systems, payers and open claims.
Can a billing company recover old dental claims?
Often, if the claims are still within payer filing and appeal windows. Ask for a review of the oldest balances first.
What should I send to start?
A recent A/R report, a few months of remittances, your provider and location list and your payer mix. The free practice analysis will tell you what is needed.
Your Next Step: Free Practice Analysis
If your practice is growing, the fastest way to compare dental billing companies is to see your own numbers first. The Medicators will review your A/R, denials, payer activity and workflow, then tell you honestly where revenue is stuck and what it would take to fix it.
- Request your free practice analysis
- Or call +1 (888) 277-1460
