You’ve probably noticed it around you.
The older dentist down the street still runs a packed schedule. Your mentor from residency is still working three days a week.
And maybe you’re wondering: am I on track to retire when I want to?
Or do dentists just… never retire?
It’s a fair question—and one we get a lot at Core Advisors.
So let’s look at what the data actually says, and then we’ll dig into what really drives dental retirement age, especially the financial side.
So, What’s the Average Retirement Age for Dentists?
According to the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute, the average retirement age for dentists in the U.S. has steadily climbed over the last two decades. In 2024 it was 68.7, up from 64.7 in 2001 — and a growing number of dentists continue working well into their 70s.
The same data shows the average dental career now spans 41.3 years, up from 37.8 years in 2001. Dentists aren’t just retiring later — they’re working substantially longer.
And sure, part of that is about loving the work. Dentistry can be rewarding and flexible. But if we’re being honest, a lot of it comes down to the numbers.
Why Do Dentists Retire So Late?
Let’s unpack it. In our work with dental clients, we’ve seen three big drivers behind delayed retirement, and they’re all connected to financial planning.
1. Debt Slows Down Wealth-Building
Dental school debt is a real drag on early wealth-building. The American Dental Education Association puts average educational debt for indebted dental school graduates in the class of 2025 at about $297,800 — and private-school and specialty graduates often carry meaningfully more. That slows down savings exactly when compounding would have the most impact. Then add in practice acquisition costs, real estate, and family expenses, and it’s easy to see why many dentists don’t hit their retirement savings stride until their 40s or even 50s.
2. Practice Ownership Adds Responsibility
Owning a dental practice can be a path to great income, but it also comes with overhead, staff management, and daily decision-making. Many dentists feel tied to the business until they’ve either sold it or structured a gradual exit. And many don’t fully realize how long it takes to transition out of ownership until it’s crunch time — a DSO sale, an associate buy-in, or a staged sale to a partner each run on very different timelines, and the one you want may take years of preparation to be ready for.
3. No Forced Retirement Plan
Unlike corporate jobs with built-in pensions or target retirement programs, dentists are solo pilots. There’s no default track, no hard stop. So unless you’ve built a clear plan, the path just keeps going… sometimes by design, sometimes by drift.
How Much Do You Really Need to Retire?
Let’s get specific. The big question we hear is: how do I know if I’m close to being able to retire?
Here’s a simplified starting point we use with dental clients. Treat it as a rough sketch, not a plan — the real number depends on your spending, your practice, and when you want to stop.
- A common planning rule of thumb is to replace roughly 70 to 85 percent of your current annual income in retirement, depending on lifestyle.
- So if you currently take home about $300,000, that points to retirement income somewhere around $210,000 to $255,000 a year.
Now let’s reverse-engineer that.
Using a 4 percent withdrawal rate — a long-standing planning guideline, not a guarantee, and one plenty of planners debate — here’s what that looks like:
- To generate about $210,000 a year, you’d need roughly $5.25 million saved.
- To generate about $255,000, roughly $6.4 million.
This doesn’t include the value of your practice — and that distinction matters. Your practice is generally a liquidity event, not a reliable income stream once you stop producing.
If your practice is worth roughly $1 million on a recast EBITDA basis and you sell near retirement, that’s a meaningful piece of the picture. But it only helps if it’s built into the plan years ahead of the sale — including what you’ll owe in tax on the proceeds, which is where a lot of the value quietly goes if nobody planned for it.
We also build in buffers for health care, long-term care, and travel — and health coverage between retirement and Medicare eligibility at 65 is a bigger line item than most dentists expect. If you plan to retire early or want to maintain an above-average lifestyle, those numbers go up.
How Do You Know If You’re On Track?
That’s where planning comes in. At Core Advisors, we work with dentists across every stage—early career, mid-career, pre-retirement, and post-sale—to help them answer the “When can I retire?” question with real clarity.
And this is exactly why we’re not your typical accounting firm.
Yes, we handle your practice taxes, books, and cash flow. But our team also includes CFP® professionals, not just CPAs — one team, under one roof. That means we look at the full picture: your business, your personal investments, your debt, your exit plan, and your long-term goals. All of it.
Because retiring on time (and comfortably) doesn’t happen just because your practice is profitable. It happens when your business finances and personal finances are working together toward a shared outcome.
When we work with clients, we look at:
- What you’ve saved and invested so far
- The projected value of your practice, and how to sell it in a tax-smart way
- What your lifestyle will actually cost in retirement
- How your investment portfolio may need to perform to support that lifestyle
- Whether your current trajectory is realistic, or needs adjusting
If you’re not sure whether you’re close to retiring—or not even close—we’ll help you find out. And we’ll build a plan to get you where you want to go.
Final Thoughts
The average dentist now retires at about 68.7. But an average doesn’t tell you much if your goals are different.
What matters is whether you’ve saved enough, planned thoroughly, and feel confident that your money can support the life you want next.
If you want a second set of eyes on your numbers, or you’re just starting to map this out, let’s talk.
Retirement doesn’t have to be a mystery. It just needs a plan — built well before you need it.
Simply head over to our Contact page to book your first call, or read more about how we approach retirement planning for dentists.
We’re always here to help!
Until next time.
This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, or investment advice. Dollar figures are approximate illustrations, not projections, and withdrawal-rate and income-replacement guidelines are simplifications that will not fit every situation. Please consult your own tax and financial advisors about your specific circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average retirement age for dentists?
The American Dental Association reports an average dentist retirement age of 68-69, several years later than the broader workforce average of 64-65, per their 2022 Survey of Dental Practice.
Why do dentists retire later than other professionals?
Practice equity, professional identity, and the relatively manageable physical demands of late-career dentistry combine to push retirement later. Most dentists report enjoying the work and being financially able to retire earlier than they choose to.
What financial milestones should a dentist hit before retiring?
A reasonable framework: 10-15x annual lifestyle spending in liquid retirement assets, the practice positioned for a clean sale or transition, health-insurance bridge to Medicare planned, and Social Security claim timing optimized.
