Lightwave Dental logo
Lightwave Dental
Blacksburg, Virginia

Associate Dentist - $50K Sign On Bonus

DentistFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting and call expectations.

Posted 3mo ago

Job Description

At Real Life Dental, our patients are our highest priority. Our dentists and team give our patients full attention, offering a full range of services. We provide quality care in a warm, relaxing environment and use the latest technologies to ensure precise, comfortable treatments. We are committed to our patients’ smile and comfort, and work hard to help them achieve and maintain a healthy smile for life.

We are growing!! Real Life Dental is looking to add our next amazing provider - $50k SIGN ON BONUS!

“At Real Life Dental- Blacksburg, we pride ourselves in delivering amazing patient care while maintaining a dynamic and fun culture. Our office treats our patients like family and highly values our patient relationships. We work hard and offer the most up-to-date procedures to provide comprehensive care.

Our team is an incredible group that works together to achieve the results we are looking for – smiling faces on our patients and our team!! We would love to have you join our office family!!”

Growth and Development

We believe in career growth and continuous learning.

We have some of the most highly skilled and clinically proficient dentists in the region. Our Senior Doctors provide mentorship to early-in-career Associates, passing on the insight, knowledge and tools to the next generation of experts in this field.

You Would Have Access To

  • Mentorship/Residency-like work environment
  • $12,000 Continuing Education
  • Internal and external courses
  • Path to partnership for our Associates
  • Support for business growth and non-clinical management support:

We ensure our doctors are surrounded by a team of strong, dedicated and skilled professionals from the front desk to the clinical experts. We provide strategic marketing efforts, targeting the most effective strategies for your market.

  • Expert staff members
  • Marketing to fuel new patient growth and referrals
  • Supplies and equipment

Negotiating Insurance Rates

  • Dedicated Regional Operations Director committed to your success.
  • Become a part of the team!
  • If this resonates with you, we should talk. Please reach out to Dennis Milford, Sr Director of Talent Acquisition demilford@lightwavedental.com
  • Highest standards of clinical quality and patient care
  • Collaboration with a group of experienced specialists
  • Desire to become an owner of your practice

Responsibilities

  • Provide amazing care to our patients
  • Work collaboratively and professionally with staff
  • Bring a positive attitude to work every day.

Qualifications

  • Strong communication skills to build positive relationships with patients and parents
  • Dedication to providing consistent, quality dental care
  • Commitment to Continued Dental Education
  • Desire to expand business knowledge
  • DDS or DMD from accredited school

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Clinical dentistryRelationship buildingProfessionalismTeam collaborationDental procedures

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Associate Dentist - $50K Sign On Bonus at Lightwave Dental a 6.8 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 25% in Dentist — ranked against 3,154 active Dentist listings on WeekdayDoc.

Dentistry Career Context

Of the 50 active Dentist listings this role was benchmarked against, 34% have no call, 78% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Virginia is 101.1 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 61.1% of Virginia clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Dentist by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score6.8 / 10 · top 25% in dentistranked against 3,154 Dentist listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed paynot listedDentist median $240k (middle half $185k–$320k)16 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost of livingVirginia index 101.1US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Dentist listings in Virginia170 active5,625 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 34% no call · 78% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repayment$50k sign-onVirginia healthcare professional listings: 34% state a sign-on bonus (median $10k) · 16% offer loan repayment170 active listings, Nov 2026
New Dentistry listings213 in the last 30 days209 the 30 days before (about the same)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (3,154 Dentist listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Dentist Jobs

22 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

21 jobs · 17 employers
4
<$240k
4
$240k-280k
9
$280k-320k
2
$320k-360k
2
$360k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

17 jobs
401k / retirement match
71%
CME allowance
59% this job
Sign-on bonus
29% this job
Visa sponsorship
24%
Loan repayment
6%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

General Dentist

Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics · Waco, Texas

$300k-$500k
#2

General Dentist

Smile Brands · Murphy, Texas

$200k-$400k
#3

Part Time Dentist

$250k-$350k
#4

Associate Dentist | Private Practice, Not a DSO | Mentorship + Modern Digital Office | North Phoenix

$220k-$340k
+ 20 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 3.0this job 6.8
Better work-life than 80% of Dentist listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 3,154 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Lightwave Dental logo

About Lightwave Dental

Hospitals and Health Care
Woodbridge, Virginia
51-200 employees

Benefits & Perks

$50,000 sign-on bonus
$12,000 continuing education allowance
Mentorship program
Path to partnership

Living in Blacksburg

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$394k
Typical market rent
$1,910/mo
Residents’ average commute
15 min
State income tax
Up to 5.8%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.