What ACT Dental does

ACT Dental is a privately held dental practice coaching company founded in 1999 by Kirk Behrendt and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm serves independent private practice dentists in the United States and Canada who are seeking to improve practice profitability, team performance, and work-life balance, addressing structural pain points such as dentist burnout (54.9%), reduced PPO reimbursements (82.4% of US dentists participate in at least one PPO), hiring and retention difficulty (67% of practice owners), and rising competition from Dental Service Organizations (DSOs).

The company's offering is organized around three subscription-based coaching products: Pro Coaching (comprehensive, full-structure coaching for scaling practices), the TTT (To The Top) Study Club (peer-driven learning and leadership development in collaborative groups), and the Best Practices Association (BPA) membership (a community providing tools and frameworks). Supporting products include the 333 Training System, the GAPs Calculator for financial analysis, Ideal Day Scheduling methodology, a podcast, a magazine, a blog with recurring "Data Snapshot" KPI content, and free downloadable resources. ACT pairs human coaching with third-party analytics platforms (Dental Intel, Jarvis) and integrates Pearl AI for radiograph analysis as a recommended technology layer; the firm does not develop proprietary AI models.

ACT operates a sales-led and community-led go-to-market motion with a dedicated business development team (VP of Sales, Business Development Directors/Managers, TTT Advisors, BPA Concierge) and self-serve content/lead-generation assets. Pricing is quote-based with monthly or annual subscription billing. In May 2025, ACT merged with Smile Source, the nation's largest dentist-led private practice network (nearly 800 independently owned practices and 1,200+ dentists), and in February 2026 launched the Smile Source Marketplace with integrated ACT Dental Coaching. The company has been recognized as a top dental consultant in Dentistry Today's annual rankings for 10 consecutive years and appeared on the Inc 5000 list of fastest-growing US private companies.

Name

ACT Dental

Legal name

ACT Dental

Website

https://actdental.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ACT Dental is a privately held dental practice coaching company that provides subscription-based coaching, peer learning communities, and practice-performance tools to independent private practice dentists in the US and Canada, and merged with Smile Source in May 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Coaching Subscriptions: ACT Dental operates on a subscription-based model for their coaching services, billed monthly or annual depending on the subscription plan selected. The product includes various coaching programs including TTT Study Club, Pro Coaching, and Best Practices Association membership. Subscriptions automatically renew at the end of each billing cycle unless cancelled.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ACT Dental provides subscription-based coaching, consulting, and educational services to private practice dentists through three core coaching pathways: Pro Coaching (comprehensive full-structure coaching for practices ready to scale), TTT (To The Top) Study Club (peer-driven learning and leadership development in collaborative groups), and the Best Practices Association membership community. The coaching addresses operational, financial, leadership, and personal development dimensions, supported by proprietary frameworks like the 333 Training System and tools like the GAPs Calculator. Services are delivered via virtual coaching, in-person workshops, and integrated with third-party analytics platforms (Dental Intel, Jarvis Analytics, Pearl AI).

Product overview

ACT Dental is a dental practice coaching and education company offering a comprehensive suite of services designed to help private practice dentists 'create a Better Practice and a Better Life.' The core offerings consist of three coaching pathways: Pro Coaching (comprehensive full-structure coaching for practices ready to scale), TTT Study Club (peer-driven learning and leadership development in collaborative groups), and Best Practices Association (membership community with tools and resources). These are supported by free resources including the GAPs Calculator, the 333 Training System for team consistency, and Ideal Day Scheduling methodology. ACT also provides content through its podcast, magazine, and blog featuring recurring 'Data Snapshot' articles on practice KPIs. The company merged with Smile Source in May 2025, combining ACT's coaching expertise with Smile Source's network of nearly 800 independent dental practices and 1,200+ dentists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 54.9% of dentists experience burnout symptoms; ACT coaching addresses stress management and work-life balance
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Smile SourceflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2025ACT Dental merged with Smile Source, the nation's largest dentist-led network dedicated to private practice dentistry with nearly 800 independently owned practices and more than 1,200 dentists. The combined organization supports the full lifecycle of private practice ownership. ACT Dental Coaching integrates with the Smile Source Marketplace platform, providing comprehensive procurement and business services to Smile Source members.
• Pearl AIcoreTechnology or IntegrationPearl AI integration allows ACT Dental coaching clients to leverage artificial intelligence for radiograph analysis. This technology helps dentists see more in radiographs and present objective truth to patients, reducing subjectivity in periodontal disease diagnosis and treatment presentations.
• Dental IntelcoreTechnology or IntegrationDental Intel analytics platform is used by ACT Dental coaches to track dental practice performance metrics and KPIs during coaching engagements. Enables data-driven coaching conversations and practice improvement tracking.
• Jarvis AnalyticscoreTechnology or IntegrationJarvis analytics platform is used alongside Dental Intel for dental practice performance coaching. Part of ACT's online analytics platform toolkit for practice coaching.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MGE Management Experts: MGE is a long-standing dental practice management and consulting firm offering coaching, training, and growth programs to dentists. It is the closest direct peer to ACT Dental in business model, target customer (private practice owners), and coaching-led delivery format.
• All-Star Dental Academy: All-Star Dental Academy provides practice growth coaching, leadership training, and team development specifically for dentists, often featuring subscription-style membership tiers. Directly comparable to ACT's Pro Coaching and BPA membership offerings.
• Productive Dentist Academy: Productive Dentist Academy offers coaching, workshops, and analytics-driven consulting focused on productivity and profitability for dental practices. Targets the same independent practice owner segment with similar coaching plus data-analytics positioning.
• The Madow Group: The Madow Group provides dental practice coaching, speaking, and consulting for private practice dentists with a strong content/podcast-led GTM motion similar to ACT's blog and podcast approach.
• Jameson Management: Jameson Management is a dental consulting and coaching firm serving private practice dentists with practice management, marketing, and team training services. Comparable in target market and consulting-led delivery to ACT Dental.

Emerging players

• Delivering WOW: Delivering WOW is a dental practice coaching and community platform focused on growth, systems, and culture, often leveraging online courses and membership. Partial overlap with ACT's TTT Study Club and BPA community-led offerings.
• Spear Education: Spear Education provides clinical and practice management education to dentists via workshops, seminars, and an online learning platform. Overlaps with ACT on coaching and continuing education but leans more clinical than ACT's business/practice focus.
• Dental Intel: Dental Intel is a dental practice analytics platform used by ACT's coaches to track KPIs. While ACT is a partner/user, Dental Intel increasingly sells adjacent coaching and benchmarking services to the same dental customer base, making it a partial competitor.

Others

• Curve Dental: Curve Dental is a cloud-based practice management software provider serving independent and group dental practices. It addresses the same end customer (private practice dentists) via a different product category (SaaS), and represents an adjacent technology competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Patterson Dental: Patterson Dental is a large dental supply, equipment, and technology distributor with a practice services arm serving independent dental practices. It is a broader incumbent adjacent to ACT's market via its dental operations consulting and supplies ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/actdental
• Facebookfacebook.com/442589266173928
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/actdental
• Instagraminstagram.com/actdental

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ACT Dental