DentsmartFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Dentsmart franchise requires a total initial investment of $79K – $111K, including a $25K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $79K – $111K
- 9th pct Automotive
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 24th pct Automotive
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- 25th pct Automotive
- Units
- 17
- 11th pct Automotive
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Automotive · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Automotive avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- Total investment $79K – $111K including a $25K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 55/100.
- No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Dentsmart LLC
- Predecessor
- Dentsmart
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- IL
- HQ
- 1333 El Camino Drive, Pekin, IL 61554
- Auditor
- Rice Sullivan, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $8.7M
- vs $4.6M prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Overview
About
Dentsmart franchisees operate dental practices delivering patient care services (PDR—preventive/diagnostic/restorative dentistry) and non-PDR ancillary revenue streams (products, cosmetic services, etc.). Day-to-day operations include clinical patient treatment, practice management, staff supervision, compliance with branded protocols, and royalty reporting on revenue split between PDR and Non-PDR categories.
- CEO
- Jeff Williams
- Headquarters
- IL
- Founded
- 2001
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 16
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 12 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $25K | $25K | |
| Training Expenses | $3K | $3K | |
| Security and utility deposits and other costs associated with establishing your office | $0 | $5K | |
| Office equipment, fixtures, leasehold improvements, whether purchased or leased | $1K | $1K | |
| Tools | $10K | $10K | |
| Business licenses and other licenses | $2K | $3K | |
| Software and Hardware | $2K | $3K | |
| Insurance | $3K | $3K | |
| Grand opening advertising and marketing | $2K | $2K | |
| Other Professional Fees | $4K | $6K | |
| Technician Training | $9K | $9K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months | $20K | $40K | |
| Total initial investment | $79K | $109K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $79K – $111K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $40K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- Net PDR Sales and Gross Non-PDR Revenue · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 8.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $550 |
| Transfer fee | $2K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Automotive averages
How Dentsmart Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 17
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 77%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 8 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Dentsmart presents CAUTION-level risk due to regulatory history, missing financial transparency, minimal unit growth over 13+ years, and dual royalty structure, requiring intensive franchisee validation before investment.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $2,500
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Rice Sullivan, LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 55 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo Item 19 financial performance disclosure (average revenue/net income unknown) prevents ROI validation
- 02MINORRegulatory violation in 2011 with consent order indicates compliance/disclosure issues by predecessor entity
- 03MINOROnly 17 units with unknown growth trajectory suggests stagnant or declining system despite franchise model since 2011
- 04MINORHigh combined royalty burden (8% PDR + 8% Non-PDR) reduces franchisee profitability margins
- 05HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE—ambiguous whether this means no going concern issue or concerns exist
- 06MINOR5-year term is shorter than industry standard (typically 10 years), creating renewal uncertainty risk
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | County and State boundaries |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Illinois |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 80 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 100 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and at franchisor location
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Vehicle Hub
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Vehicle Hub
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
12 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Dentsmart · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Dentsmart franchise?
The total investment to open a Dentsmart franchise ranges from $79K – $111K, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Dentsmart franchise owners earn?
Dentsmart does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Dentsmart's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Dentsmart (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Dentsmart franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Dentsmart has 17 total units in the United States, including 13 franchised units and 4 company-owned units.
Is Dentsmart a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Dentsmart as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 55 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.