What Is a Dental CFO?
A Dental CFO (Chief Financial Officer) is a strategic financial advisor who helps dental practice owners make high-level business decisions — not just based on tax and compliance, but on profitability, cash flow, forecasting, and growth planning.
Unlike bookkeepers and accountants, a Dental CFO isn’t focused on just what happened.
They’re focused on what’s next — and how to optimise for it.
Why a Dental CFO Matters for Practice Owners
You can’t grow your practice on tax returns alone.
A Dental CFO helps you:
- Set revenue targets based on your personal income goals
- Track chair, associate, and treatment profitability
- Plan hiring, equipment, or expansion decisions with cash logic
- Build buffers, tax reserves, and profit-driven budgets
- Understand how to move from £600K to £1.2M to £2M+ sustainably
Example:
Your accountant shows a £178K profit.
Your Dental CFO shows that after adjusting for future tax, buffer needs, plan timing, and overpaid associate splits…
You can only draw £78K this year.
That’s clarity that changes behaviour.
What Does a Dental CFO Typically Do?
| Function | Description |
| Profit Planning | Aligns business model with personal income and tax goals |
| Cash Flow Forecasting | Builds 13-week or 12-month plans based on timing logic |
| Scenario Analysis | Tests impact of changes: new staff, marketing, fee adjustments |
| KPI Tracking | Monitors chair hours, associate efficiency, treatment margin |
| Board-Level Strategy | For multi-site or growing groups: expansion, M&A, valuation |
In DentPulse, this thinking is built into every module — available without needing to hire a full-time CFO.
How DentPulse Brings Dental CFO Thinking to Every Practice
| Feature | Function |
| Profit-to-Pocket™ Model | Links business profit to personal income with full tax exposure tracking |
| CFFP™ Engine | Projects cash timing — before making key decisions |
| MAP Method™ | A structured system: Manage, Analyse, Project |
| Apex™, PCPT™, TreatmentIQ | Breaks down production and margin by associate, chair, and treatment |
| PPP Dashboard | Visualises your safe drawing limit, tax set-aside, and reinvestment runway |
DentPulse is your virtual Dental CFO — always on, always current, always aligned to your goals.
DentPulse Tip™
A Dental CFO doesn’t just explain your numbers.
They help you design your future.DentPulse gives you the frameworks, forecasts, and clarity — so every financial decision becomes a strategic move.
Related Glossary Terms
- PPP – Profit-to-Pocket™ – The model every Dental CFO builds from
- MAP Method™ – A systemised framework for daily financial control
- Scenario Planning – Core to Dental CFO-level decision making
- Associate Pay Benchmark – Used to guide fair and profitable contracts
- Chair Utilisation – A critical lever for maximising margin and scaling sustainably
Glossary Summary Table
| Term | Meaning |
| Dental CFO | A strategic advisor who helps dental owners make high-level financial decisions beyond compliance |
| Core Role | Profit planning, forecasting, decision testing, financial clarity |
| Difference vs. Accountant | Future-focused, strategy-driven, operational insight |
| DentPulse Advantage | Delivers Dental CFO-level insight daily — without the cost of hiring one |
