North American Dental Group (NADG) is a dental service organization that supports over 1,600 affiliated dental practices across 17 states in the U.S.
NADG provides non-clinical business services to independent dentists, allowing them to focus on patient care while the organization handles administrative tasks like billing, marketing, and human resources. This model lets dentists maintain clinical autonomy while gaining access to economies of scale.
NADG offers several key services to its affiliated practices:
Many people confuse NADG with a traditional corporate dental chain. Unlike corporate chains that own practices outright, NADG affiliates remain independently owned by their dentists. The organization provides support services while dentists maintain control over clinical decisions.
Another misconception is that NADG standardizes treatment protocols across all practices. In reality, each affiliated practice operates independently, with dentists making treatment decisions based on individual patient needs rather than corporate directives.
Consider Dr. Smith's Family Dentistry in Ohio. As an NADG-affiliated practice, Dr. Smith maintains full clinical autonomy but receives support for non-clinical tasks. When a new patient calls for an appointment, the scheduling is handled by NADG's centralized system. After a procedure, NADG's billing department processes the insurance claim. Meanwhile, Dr. Smith focuses entirely on patient care, knowing that administrative tasks are being efficiently managed.
According to the American Dental Association, about 7,800 new dental practices opened between 2019 and 2021. Many of these practices join organizations like NADG to reduce overhead costs and gain access to resources they wouldn't have as solo practitioners. A 2022 report from the ADA Health Policy Institute found that DSOs like NADG now support about 10% of all dental practices in the U.S.
I've visited several NADG-affiliated practices and noticed how this model creates consistency in patient experience while maintaining the personal touch of a local dental office. The support structure allows dentists to provide high-quality care without getting bogged down by administrative burdens.