As we approach 2026, there’s never been a more important time to take stock of your dental practice and map out a clear growth strategy. The practices that thrive aren’t the ones that simply react to whatever comes through the door, they’re the ones with a solid plan, clear goals, and robust systems in place.

If you’ve been feeling like you’re working harder but not seeing the results you want, or if you know deep down that your practice has untapped potential, then this is your moment. Let’s break down exactly how to create a growth plan that will transform your practice in 2026.

Step one: check in where you’re at

You can’t plan a journey without knowing your starting point. Before you set any goals for 2026, you need a brutally honest assessment of where your practice stands right now. This isn’t about judgment—it’s about clarity.

How many new patients are you attracting?

Start by pulling your new patient numbers for 2025. How many new patients did you see each month? What was your average for the year? More importantly, what’s the trend? Are your numbers growing, plateauing, or declining?

Don’t just look at the total figure. Break it down by source. How many came from Google searches? How many from referrals? Social media? Walk-ins? Understanding where your new patients come from tells you what’s working and where you might need to invest more effort.
Also consider the quality of these new patients. Are they accepting treatment plans? Are they becoming regular patients, or do you see them once and never again? A practice that attracts 50 high-value patients who accept comprehensive treatment is in a far better position than one seeing 100 patients who only want the bare minimum.

What’s your Average Daily Yield (ADY)?

Here’s where many practice owners have a blind spot. Your Average Daily Yield is one of the most revealing metrics in your entire practice. It tells you how productively you’re using your most valuable asset: your team.

At Hive, we calculate this by looking at the total income generated in any one month and dividing it by the days actually worked by that person within the month. We talk about this in more detail in other blog posts, because we think it’s so important to understand properly.

Let’s say person A generates £200,000 a year and worked 200 days. That’s an ADY of £1,000. Person B might generate £280,000 over the same number of days, giving you an ADY of £1,400. Immediately, you can see that person Two is performing significantly better.

Now ask yourself why. Is it the clinician? The types of treatments being performed? Diary management? The patient mix? This metric helps you identify your strongest performers and your areas for improvement.

A low ADY might indicate that you’re doing too many low-value treatments, that diaries have too many gaps, or that your fee structure needs reviewing. A high ADY suggests you’ve got efficient systems, good case acceptance, and effective diary management.

Once you know your current ADY for each person, you’ve got a baseline to work from. Even a modest improvement in ADY can translate to tens of thousands of pounds in additional annual revenue—without seeing a single extra patient.

Step two: set clear goals for 2026

Now that you know where you stand, it’s time to decide where you want to go. Vague aspirations like “grow the practice” or “be more profitable” won’t cut it. You need specific, measurable goals that you can track and work toward.

What do you want to focus on?

Think about what matters most to your practice right now. Different practices need different priorities. Here are some areas you might consider:

• Patient volume goals – do you want to increase new patient numbers? If so, by how much? Be specific. “We will attract 30 new patients per month by Q2” is a goal you can measure and work toward.
• Treatment mix – you might want to shift your practice toward higher-value dentistry. Perhaps you want 40% of your revenue to come from cosmetic or private treatments, up from 25% currently.
• Team development – maybe your focus is on building a stronger team, reducing staff turnover, or creating a better workplace culture. These might seem like “soft” goals, but they have hard impacts on your practice performance.
• Patient experience – you might prioritise improving patient satisfaction scores, reducing failed appointments, or increasing treatment acceptance rates.
• Work-Life balance – perhaps 2026 is the year you finally achieve a better balance, working four days instead of five, or taking that long-overdue holiday without everything falling apart.

The key is to choose two or three primary goals rather than trying to fix everything at once. What would make the biggest difference to your practice? What would move the needle most? Focus there.

Make your goals SMART

Whatever you choose, make sure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Not “increase profitability” but “increase profit margin from 32% to 38% by October 2026 through reducing lab costs and improving treatment plan acceptance.”

Write your goals down. Share them with your team. Put them somewhere you’ll see them regularly. Goals that stay in your head have a nasty habit of staying as dreams.

Step three: get protocols and processes in place

This is where the magic happens. Goals without systems are just wishes. You need robust protocols and processes that turn your intentions into daily actions.

Track your leads properly

Every phone call, email inquiry, and social media message is a potential new patient—and potential revenue. Yet many practices have shockingly poor lead tracking systems, or none at all.

Implement a system that captures every lead from the moment of first contact. Who called? When? Where did they hear about you? What treatment were they asking about? Did they book an appointment? If not, why not?

Use a simple spreadsheet or invest in CRM software like Boxly or Dengro that tracks this automatically. The goal is to understand your conversion rate—what percentage of inquiries actually become patients? If you’re getting 100 inquiries a month but only converting 30 into appointments, you’ve got a massive opportunity for improvement.

Track what happens after the first appointment too. Did they accept the treatment plan? Did they book their next appointment before leaving? Are they still with you six months later? This data tells you not just whether you’re attracting patients, but whether you’re keeping them.

Nail your patient communications

Outstanding patient communication isn’t an accident—it’s a system. Create protocols for every patient touchpoint.

• Pre-appointment communications – automated reminders 48 hours before, clear information about what to expect, parking details, any forms to complete in advance.
• During the appointment – scripts or guidelines for treatment discussions, consent processes, and scheduling follow-ups before the patient leaves.
• Post-appointment follow-up – thank you messages, check-in calls after complex treatments, recall reminders at appropriate intervals, birthday messages, re-engagement campaigns for lapsed patients.

Consider creating templates for common scenarios. How do you respond to Google reviews? What do you say when a patient cancels? How do you handle complaints? Having these protocols in place ensures consistency, maintains your professional image, and takes the guesswork out of daily operations.

Master diary zoning

A poorly organised diary is revenue left on the table. Diary zoning is about being strategic with how you allocate your chair time.
Block out time for specific types of treatments. Perhaps Wednesday mornings are for new patient assessments, allowing you to focus on case presentation and treatment planning. Thursday afternoons might be reserved for longer procedures or high-value treatments. Friday mornings could be your hygienist-led slot for scale and polish appointments.

This approach has multiple benefits. It helps you mentally prepare for different types of work. It makes it easier for reception to book appropriate appointments. It prevents your diary from becoming a scattered mess of 15-minute checkups mixed randomly with hour-long crown preps.
Build in buffer time too. Back-to-back appointments with no breathing room is a recipe for stress and running late. Strategic gaps allow you to catch up, deal with emergencies, or simply take a breath.

Review your diary weekly. Are you sticking to your zones? Are there patterns in cancellations or gaps? Adjust as needed.

Plan your events and promotions

Don’t leave your marketing to chance. Plan your events and promotions for the entire year in advance.

Create a marketing calendar. When will you run promotions? Perhaps a teeth whitening special in January when people are thinking about New Year improvements, or an Invisalign promotion before wedding season. Plan events like open evenings, patient appreciation events, or lunch-and-learn sessions for your team.

Schedule your content marketing too. Blog posts, social media content, email newsletters—when you plan these in advance, you maintain consistency rather than scrambling at the last minute.

Book key dates well in advance. If you want to attend conferences or training days, get them in the diary now. If you’re planning team-building activities or practice development days, schedule them before the year gets away from you.

Take action now

Growing your dental practice in 2026 isn’t about luck or hoping for the best. It’s about knowing where you stand, setting clear goals, and putting the systems in place to achieve them.

Start this week. Pull your numbers. Calculate your ADY. Look at your new patient figures. Assess your profitability. Then sit down—ideally with your practice manager or key team members—and decide what you want 2026 to look like.

The practices that will thrive in 2026 are the ones taking action now. Let Hive help guide and refine your plans – get in touch with our team today for a free chat about our services.