Clear Lakes Dental logo
Clear Lakes Dental
Norwalk, Connecticut

The Easy Method to Become a Dentist Owner – See Below

DentistNo weekendsFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 3mo ago

Job Description

Join our network of owner dentists at Clear Lakes Dental.

We are now building in Norwalk!

In 2024, Clear Lakes Dental clinics that had been in operation for the entire year averaged Revenue of $5,129,450 per clinic and the top owner doc did a Revenue of $8,864,788! The Bottom office? Only $1,958,239… while only open four days a week:) (I had an associate and I didn't even work in the dental office)

We help dentists build his or her dream practice. After we help build the dental practice from start to finish, we then help with operations. There will always be guidance from building your practice to operating it. Join a network of already successful owner dentists at Clear Lakes Dental.

Hi. Dr. David Park here. I know I just threw a whole bunch of stats and data at you up there, but I wanted to explain pretty much the goal and the achievable result for the dental ownership position.

I guess I was a little different than most – I just wanted to own my own dental practice as soon as I got out. Any mistakes or systems that I’d make would be faster that way. I also knew that the upside of ownership would be much better than the alternative, which is associate dentist.

Ownership would provide me financial freedom, being my own boss, keeping any profits that the practice made and, eventually, creating systems so that I could eventually hire people and sit back and operate the business.

And so, I graduated and started my career as an owner dentist. Though there was an issue – student loans. I don’t know how much you have, but I had some crazy amount like $550,000. Not only that, but my wife had about $500,000 as well (she’s also a dentist).

But that’s not the scary part. The scary part is the interest. I was in the IBR program where you pay like the absolute minimum. And that’s when it hit me. While I was paying the minimum, my principal balance kept going up. I did this for about 3 years without truly knowing what was going on. So yeah, I was making money and invested into real estate, but decided to just pay off over a million dollars in student loans.

The point I’m trying to make is that being an associate dentist isn’t what it used to be. Associates have student loans they have to pay (probably the biggest one), car loans, rent / mortgage, family, life, and the cycle goes on and on.

And that’s precisely why I’m trying to let as many associate docs know the value of ownership and opportunity cost.

Though we averaged a little over 5 mil for our practices, the top owner doc produced $8,864,788 for the year of 2024. I guess he was impressed by the system, so he took over another CLD practice… and this is the doc that became an owner doc after 8 months of graduation.

And to complete the range, the bottom number is $1,958,239 while we had one full time and one part time doc on site (four days a week). I own this practice, but didn't have to work in it the whole year and still made this much.

These are truly achievable results because, well, we did it and you can come to meet us whenever. And yes, it sounds too good to be true because I feel it too as I’m writing this. But you’ll just have to see it for yourself. We’re a legit company and we’re here.

In fact, we have something called "Item 19" in our Franchise Disclosure document. It's a public, legal document where it shows how much we've made each month for the whole year of 2024. Let me know if you'd like me to send it to you (or you can visit our website at clearlakesdentalfranchise.com)

Oh, and I have a youtube channel that explains the building process of dental clinics. So here it is: youtube.com

Make sure you subscribe! … I still feel awkward saying it.

In the end, ownership is just one of those things we do during our dental career. And if you have the desire to succeed, you have a team that knows the process, then why not? If you are interested, please email me at dpark@clearlakesdental.com. Alternatively, you can text or call my personal cell phone at 443-759-0910.

Key Responsibilities

The owner dentist is responsible for building and managing a dental practice from start to finish. This includes overseeing daily operations, implementing business systems, and managing staff to ensure practice profitability.

Requirements

The candidate must be a licensed dentist with a desire to own and operate their own practice. The role is suitable for both new graduates and experienced dentists looking to transition into ownership.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Key Skills

Dental Practice ManagementBusiness OperationsEntrepreneurshipFinancial PlanningLeadershipStrategic PlanningPractice Development

Dentistry Career Context

Clear Lakes Dental holds silver-tier status on WeekdayDoc's Top Employers work-life index, composite score 82/100, 10 active listings.

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

Dentist by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score3.9 / 10 · above average in dentistranked against 3,154 Dentist listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed paynot listedDentist median $225k (middle half $165k–$240k)10 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost of livingConnecticut index 103.6US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Dentist listings in Connecticut99 active5,625 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 34% no call · 78% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentloan repaymentUS healthcare professional listings: 21% state a sign-on bonus (median $10k) · 3% offer loan repayment1,000 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
Clear Lakes Dentalsilver tier, 82/100Top Employers work-life index10 active listings
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (3,154 Dentist listings), Top Employers work-life index, 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%
Sign-on bonus
29%
Visa sponsorship
24%
Loan repayment
6% this job

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 3.9
Better work-life than 60% of Dentist listings

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

  • No weekends
Clear Lakes Dental logo

About Clear Lakes Dental

Hospitals and Health Care
Minneapolis, Minnesota
51-200 employees

Benefits & Perks

Practice ownership opportunity
Guidance from building to operating
Network of successful owner dentists

Living in Norwalk

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$716k
Typical market rent
$2,730/mo
Residents’ average commute
27 min
State income tax
Up to 7%
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.