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A dentist employment agreement sets the terms between a dental practice and the dentist it hires, covering pay, schedule, and patient records. Build yours with a guided form and have a signature-ready document today.
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A dentist employment agreement is a written contract between a dental practice and a dentist joining it as an employee. It records the clinical role, the pay arrangement, and the terms on which either side can end the relationship.
Most of these agreements cover an associate joining an established practice. The owner keeps the business, the equipment, and the patient base, while the associate provides clinical care under agreed terms.
However, the document differs from a general employment contract in what it must address. Chair time, production targets, malpractice coverage, and patient records all need answers that a standard office contract never raises.
It also differs from an independent contractor agreement. An associate who works set hours, uses the practice’s equipment, and follows its protocols is usually an employee, so the paperwork should say so.
Use a dentist employment agreement whenever a practice brings a dentist on as staff rather than as an owner or a contractor.
Common situations include:
Some arrangements call for different paperwork, though. A partnership or buy-in needs its own agreement, for example, and a locum covering a handful of days may sit better under a short engagement letter.
Tip: If a buy-in is on the table, say so even when the details are unsettled. One line noting that ownership will be negotiated separately prevents a later argument about what was promised at hiring.
Work through these sections as you build the agreement. Each one answers a question that surfaces in practice, usually at the worst possible moment.
Name the practice entity and the dentist in full, then list the locations where the dentist will work. Add the first clinical day.
Describe the procedures the dentist will perform and any they will refer out. Also note who handles treatment planning and how cases get assigned.
Set the days, the hours, and the operatories available. In addition, cover call coverage, emergencies, and who fills gaps in the schedule.
State the pay structure in full, including any base salary, the percentage used, and what that percentage applies to. Payment timing belongs here too.
Require an active license and any registrations the role needs. Then say who pays for renewals, insurer credentialing, and hospital privileges.
Name who carries the policy, the coverage limits, and whether it is claims-made or occurrence-based. Tail coverage after departure deserves its own sentence.
Many practices fund a set number of CE hours or a yearly allowance. Record the amount, the approval process, and whether unused funds carry over.
Explain how either side ends the agreement, how much notice applies, and what happens to patients who are mid-treatment.
Associate pay normally blends a guaranteed floor with a performance share, and the details matter far more than the headline percentage.
The common structures are:
Write down what the percentage applies to. Lab fees, adjustments, insurance write-offs, and hygiene production are all commonly excluded, and an unstated exclusion is where most associate pay disputes begin.
Then say when the calculation runs and when payment lands. Furthermore, state what happens to production credited after the dentist leaves.
Three clauses cause more argument than the rest of a dentist employment agreement combined, so handle each one deliberately.
A non-compete limits where a departing dentist can practice, while a non-solicit limits contact with patients or staff. Enforceability varies by state, and so do the limits that apply. So check your state’s official website, and have a local attorney review the wording before either side signs.
Patient records normally belong to the practice rather than the treating dentist. Say so plainly, then set out what a departing dentist may take, what patients get told, and who handles records requests.
If the policy is claims-made, cover stops when the policy stops unless someone buys tail coverage. Decide now who pays for it, because that bill arrives exactly when the relationship is ending.
Tip: Ask the associate to confirm in writing that no existing restrictive covenant blocks them from taking the role. A five-minute question at hiring beats a dispute with a former employer later.
What a dental practice must do before hiring varies by state and by the payers it works with. So confirm the specifics ahead of the start date rather than after it.
Ask these questions early:
Credentialing is the step that most often delays a start date. Therefore, begin it as soon as the offer is accepted rather than in the final week before day one.
A local employment attorney earns their fee on the harder versions of this agreement. Restrictive covenants, buy-in terms, and multi-location roles all justify a review before anyone signs.
Both parties sign and date the same version before the first clinical day, and each keeps a copy. Electronic signatures suit hiring paperwork well, so you can send, sign, and file without printing a page.
Store the signed agreement with the practice’s employment records, and keep license copies and the insurance certificate alongside it. Those are the documents you will want quickly during a credentialing review.
Also revisit the terms whenever the role changes. Rather than editing an old file, write an amendment or a fresh agreement, then have both sides sign again. Start your dentist employment agreement template now and have it ready for signature today.
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