Explain the deposits
Compare approved collection summaries with processor activity and bank statements. Identify refunds, fees and settlement dates, and ask your billing contact about differences before making unsupported adjustments.
Dental practice bookkeeping services.
Your appointment book is full. Your monthly numbers should be easier to follow. Bookeeping.us helps US dental practices reconcile collections and deposits, organize operating costs and receive reviewed reports in their accounting software. AI supports preparation; your named bookkeeper checks the work and asks about unclear items before finalization.
Get my bookkeeping quotePractice finances, explained. AI-assisted preparation. Human review.
See the month.
Beyond the schedule.
Full chairs, collections and cash left over answer different questions. We help explain the included financial activity so you can discuss the numbers with your practice manager and accountant.
Separate recurring practice costs
Keep lab bills, dental supplies, occupancy, software and supported payroll accounting entries in agreed categories. Larger purchases and financing need their own records and treatment.
Receive reviewed operating reports
Agree the monthly profit and loss statement, balance sheet, reconciliations and unresolved questions. Location, provider, overhead or receivable schedules depend on reliable inputs and explicit scope.
Have people to work with
Your named bookkeeper reviews the agreed work before finalization. Your dedicated account manager coordinates records and updates. AI helps prepare; your practice supplies context on unclear financial items.
Explore the monthly bookkeeping process. The core service is month-end delivery; it does not monitor every patient payment or run the front desk each day.
A practical records list.
For the books you need.
Confirm report names, dates, locations and the sharing method before providing records. Use financial summaries appropriate to the agreed work; do not send clinical files to request a quote.
| Record | What it helps explain |
|---|---|
| Account, entity and location list | The practice businesses, operating accounts, cards, loans and payment sources included. Shared costs and transfers need a consistent purpose and allocation method. |
| Production and collection summaries | The selected period, gross/net definitions, adjustments, write-offs and payment categories. Your practice contact identifies report settings and explains billing-side activity. |
| Bank and settlement statements | Collections received, processor or patient-finance fees, refunds, holds and payout timing. Compare included channels separately and check what is already in the ledger. |
| Lab and supply bills | Supported charges, supplier credits, due dates and payments. Separate lab services, routine supplies and other purchases rather than grouping every supplier under one label. |
| Payroll and provider summaries | The accounting output approved by the practice/payroll provider. Provider labels, allocation changes and compensation schedules need reliable inputs and a separately agreed responsibility. |
| Equipment, finance and prior balances | Purchase invoices, loan/lease agreements, lender breakdowns and the last accepted reconciliations. Identify missing months and purchase-related adjustments before recurring work starts. |
Read the loan payment records guide and bookkeeping setup scope. An agreed manual-statement workflow is an option; connecting a bank is not mandatory.
Illustrative example · Fictional dental practice
$40,000 of net production.
$34,300 into the bank.
For this simplified example, the practice records $50,000 of charges and $10,000 of fee reductions, giving $40,000 net production. Separately, it collects $35,000 by card: $30,000 relating to this period and $5,000 from earlier balances. The processor withholds $700 and settles the rest in the same month.
Practice-management activity
Start with the
report definition.
- Gross production in this example
- $50,000
- Combined fee reductions
- − $10,000
- Net production
- $40,000
Collections to settlement
Then explain
the bank receipt.
- Collections for this period’s activity
- $30,000
- Collections from earlier balances
- + $5,000
- Total card collections
- $35,000
- Processor fee
- − $700
- Bank deposit
- $34,300
The three figures describe different events. The bank receipt is $700 lower than collections because of the fee. Collections include $5,000 from earlier activity, so they are not simply this month’s net production. Neither total, by itself, establishes the practice’s profit.
Assumptions: one practice, all collections by card, no refunds, advance payments, holds, other payment methods or unsettled amounts. Reductions are grouped only for this illustration; actual software may split categories and use different timing settings. The $700 is fictional, not a quoted processor rate. This is report/settlement arithmetic, not a revenue-recognition policy, complete receivable rollforward, provider-pay calculation or taxable-income figure. Explore profit versus cash flow and account reconciliation.
Keep the definitions.
Make comparisons useful.
Production is not a deposit
Open Dental distinguishes gross/net production from income or collections. Its definitions account for adjustments and insurance write-offs. The accounting basis and supported financial activity determine the ledger entries; a report label alone does not.
Report settings change the view
Open Dental offers different report types and provider/clinic selections. Compare like periods and settings before relying on a trend or provider total. Your practice team remains responsible for the clinical system and explaining its output.
Costs need a consistent scope
Agree which costs a requested overhead view includes and which collections or revenue measure it uses. Owner pay, financing and shared costs can affect comparisons. We do not apply one universal overhead target or promise a percentage saving.
Equipment needs more than a payment
An equipment invoice and a lender’s breakdown answer different questions. We need the approved asset and financing treatment to separate balances and costs. Tax depreciation, elections and acquisition accounting are for the appropriate professional.
Agree the access.
Keep the scope clear.
Start with the minimum financial information needed for the proposed work. Your practice, advisers and service providers must assess any patient-information access before it is accepted.
HHS explains that services involving protected health information can create business-associate responsibilities. Applicable agreements and safeguards require assessment; calling a document a financial report does not automatically remove those obligations. This page does not establish HIPAA assurance or permission to share patient data.
Patient billing, clinical coding, insurance follow-up, associate contract interpretation and healthcare compliance are outside the core monthly offer. Detailed provider/location reporting and new software connections also need an agreed scope. Tell us which financial problem you need help with so we can assess fit.
For a backlog, explore catch-up and cleanup. Review the cost guide for the factors that affect a quote. Fees, limits, extra-work charges and delivery dependencies are confirmed before starting.
Questions before
you get started.
What is included in monthly bookkeeping for a dental practice?
We assess the practice’s financial summaries, included bank/card accounts, supplier bills and agreed month-end reports. Your named bookkeeper checks the work and resolves financial questions with your practice contact. A dedicated account manager coordinates records and updates. The proposal identifies entities, accounts, volume limits, fees, reports and the records needed for delivery.
Why are production, collections and bank deposits different?
Production reports describe charges and adjustments using the dental system’s definitions. Collections describe payments, which can relate to earlier treatment periods. A bank deposit may also reflect processor fees or settlement timing. Your bookkeeper compares the agreed financial summaries and statements rather than treating one total as proof of every balance or the month’s profit.
Can you work with Open Dental, Dentrix, Eaglesoft and QuickBooks?
We assess the available financial exports, report settings, accounting edition and existing entries before accepting a workflow. Product names do not guarantee a supported integration. Your practice contact supplies the approved reports. We can assess manual statements and exports; a bank connection is optional. New connectors, software subscriptions and migrations need separate scope.
Do you handle patient billing, insurance claims or collections follow-up?
Our core service is monthly financial bookkeeping. It does not include treatment coding, submitting or appealing claims, allocating patient payments inside the clinical system, contacting patients or pursuing unpaid balances. Your billing team explains its summaries and adjustments. Claim-level accounts receivable cleanup or revenue-cycle work requires the appropriate specialist.
How do you handle lab bills, supplies and equipment?
We organize supported supplier costs into agreed categories and check unpaid bills where that is in scope. Equipment purchases and finance payments need invoices, agreements and lender breakdowns; a bank withdrawal alone does not establish an ordinary expense. Asset treatment, depreciation and tax deductions are decided with your accountant. Inventory and detailed provider-cost allocations require assessment.
Will you calculate associate pay or profitability by provider?
Those are separately assessed reporting needs, not automatic monthly deliverables. Provider reports depend on consistent allocations, selected dates and the compensation agreement. We can discuss the accounting summaries required, but do not infer a pay entitlement from a production total or promise contract interpretation, payroll processing or a verified margin from incomplete records.
What does dental bookkeeping cost?
We quote after reviewing the entities, locations, accounts, transaction volume, accounting basis, payment sources, software and reports you need. Your proposal confirms the monthly fee, service limits and extra charges. Catch-up, cleanup, software and specialist schedules may cost extra. This page does not establish a universal dental package price or a savings guarantee.
Can you help a new owner or a practice with a backlog?
We assess the last completed reconciliations, opening balances, software connections and missing periods before agreeing a starting point. Catch-up and cleanup have separate records, fees and timelines. For an acquisition, receivable ownership, purchase accounting and legal/tax treatment need the appropriate advisers; a new bank account does not settle those questions.
Do you need patient records, and do you provide HIPAA assurance?
Do not send patient names, treatment records, insurance identifiers or patient-level financial documents through the public enquiry form. We assess the minimum financial summaries and permitted access before accepting work. If a workflow involves protected health information, applicable agreements, safeguards and responsibilities must be assessed first. We do not claim HIPAA certification or that a financial report is automatically free of protected information.
A clear next step
for your books.
Tell us your practice size, locations, accounting/practice software and whether you need monthly books, catch-up or cleanup. Share business context only: no patient names, treatment records, insurance identifiers or patient-level financial documents. We will assess the records and confirm fit, scope and price.
Please share a short description only. Keep financial documents, passwords and account numbers out of this enquiry form.