Fee Review

The problem

Most dental practices have at least one treatment they are delivering at a loss

Pricing decisions in dental practices are almost always made by looking at what local competitors charge. The problem is that your competitors may also be pricing incorrectly. And a treatment that looks profitable on paper – because the fee is higher than the lab cost – can still be loss-making once you account for the actual time it takes and what that time costs your surgery per hour.

Fee reviews are typically run as part of a wider dental accountancy service engagement – turning pricing into a profitability lever.

We regularly find practices where specific treatments are being delivered at margins that do not cover overheads, or where a modest fee increase of £10-£20 per appointment would generate significant additional annual revenue without any risk of losing patients.

• £6,000 – Additional annual revenue from a £10 increase on a treatment delivered 600 times per year
• £6,000 – Annual profit reduction from a single treatment that does not break even per surgery hour

Part of Samera Growth Advisory

Fee Review is one of the specialist services that sit inside Samera Growth Advisory. At Tier 1 (the £500 Growth Strategy Session plus on-demand specialist work) it’s the most common standalone engagement. At Tier 2 and above it’s pulled in as part of the monthly retainer when the numbers point at pricing as the highest-yield piece of work.

Our process

Why do so many dental practices underprice their treatments?

Our fee review is built on your actual financial data, not assumptions or industry averages. The process typically takes four to six weeks from the point we have the information we need.

• Treatment list and volumes – We start by obtaining a full list of all the treatments your practice provides, the volume of each treatment delivered over the last 12 months, and the approximate time each treatment takes to complete. This is the foundation of everything that follows.
• Break-even cost per surgery hour – Using your accounting records we calculate the total cost of running your surgery per hour – overheads, staff costs, lab fees, consumables, and all other operating costs. This gives us the break-even point that every treatment must exceed to contribute positively to the practice.
• Treatment-by-treatment margin analysis – We apply the cost-per-hour figure to each treatment based on its duration, then compare this against the current fee. This identifies which treatments are profitable, which are marginal, and which are being delivered at a loss – and by how much.
• Competitor analysis – For each treatment where a fee increase is indicated, we check competitor pricing to establish where the increase remains competitive in your local market. The goal is never to be the most expensive – it is to be profitable while remaining good value.
• Revenue impact modelling – We calculate the projected revenue impact of each recommended change based on your actual treatment volumes. You see exactly what each adjustment is worth annually before you make any decision.

Example output

A practice delivers composite bonding 400 times per year at £180 per case. The treatment takes 75 minutes. The surgery costs £140 per hour to run. At 75 minutes the break-even is £175 – the current fee covers overheads by just £5 per case, leaving no margin for lab materials, dentist time or profit. A £40 increase to £220 would generate an additional £16,000 per year while remaining below the local competitor average of £240.

What you receive

A clear report you can act on

Treatment profitability breakdown

Every treatment ranked by margin contribution per hour, showing clearly which are profitable, marginal and loss-making.

Recommended fee adjustments

Specific fee recommendations for each treatment that needs a change, with the competitor context that supports each recommendation.

Revenue impact projection

The projected annual revenue gain from implementing the recommended changes, modelled on your actual treatment volumes.

Review meeting

A meeting to walk through the findings, answer questions and discuss implementation – including how to communicate price changes to patients.

Who you’ll work with

Speak to the fee review team

Book a free, no-obligation call directly with the team member whose work matches what you need.

Or send us a message

If you’d prefer to send us your details rather than book a call, fill in the form below and our team will be in touch as soon as possible.

• Phone: (+44) 20 7100 8788
• WhatsApp: Message us on WhatsApp