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Data Snapshot: Gross Production Per Day

Written by Dr. Barrett Straub | Apr 25, 2025 5:00:00 PM

This is one of my favorite metrics, but it’s one that often goes overlooked. Your Gross Production Per Day (PPD) is more than just the money you’re making—it’s a powerful tool for planning your future.  

Too many dentists see it as a lagging indicator, but instead of looking backwards at how you did, use your PPD to its full potential as a leading indicator. If you know your PPD and your days worked, simply multiplying them together will tell you if you’re going to meet your targets, fall short, or even exceed them. 

What’s more, many different factors influence your PPD, which means you have an arsenal of countermeasures at your disposal that will let you improve this metric:

  • Changing your fee schedule
  • Diagnosing more
  • Treatment planning more
  • Improving acceptance rate
  • Reducing your open chair time
  • Strategic Scheduling

We’re all about Better Practice, Better Life, and attaining that becomes so much easier when your practice is predictable. Your PPD will bring predictability, because it measures your efficiency, and as your efficiency improves, your practice becomes an equation. How much you want to produce and how many days you want to work are simply variables in this equation, and by tweaking the dials of your practice, you can get the result you want. 

Remember, you can produce more by working more, but ask yourself, “How much of my life do I want to give away to reach my goal?” Don’t just produce more—think better about it.