Great Lakes Dental Partners

What Great Lakes Dental Partners does

Great Lakes Dental Partners (GLDP) is a private Dental Support Organization (DSO) founded in 2008 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The company provides comprehensive non-clinical practice management services to independently operated dental practices throughout the Midwest United States, enabling affiliated dentists and dental specialists to focus on patient care while GLDP handles business operations. Its service portfolio spans eight functional areas: Practice Operations, Recruiting/HR/Benefits, Information Technology, Accounting/Payroll, Marketing/Advertising, Continuing Education, Insurance/Billing/Collections, and Lab Costs/Supply Purchasing.

GLDP operates under the standard DSO economic model, collecting a percentage of partner-practice production in exchange for centralized back-office support. The company claims differentiated unit economics relative to the industry, citing a 98% production collection rate (vs. industry average) and higher insurance reimbursement rates across major procedure categories — 37% higher for comprehensive exams, 35-44% for fillings, 20% for all-porcelain crowns, and 17% for root canals. It also offers a best-in-class continuing education program and a Dental Advisory Board to support clinical collaboration across the network. The technology stack consists of conventional practice management and dental technology systems provided to affiliates; no proprietary AI or advanced data assets are disclosed.

Go-to-market is direct and consultative: GLDP pursues affiliation partnerships with independent dental practices via a dedicated 'Affiliation Opportunities' program offering customized, multi-year partnership terms with variable economics. The company explicitly concentrates on a single region (the Midwest) as a strategic differentiator versus national DSO competitors, arguing that regional focus enables deeper market knowledge and more responsive practitioner support. With 251-500 employees and no disclosed funding history, GLDP appears to be a mature, internally financed mid-size DSO in active network expansion mode.

Name

Great Lakes Dental Partners

Legal name

Great Lakes Dental Partners

Website

https://csgsmiles.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Great Lakes Dental Partners is a Midwest-focused Dental Support Organization providing non-clinical practice management services — operations, HR, IT, billing, marketing, and supply purchasing — to independently affiliated dental practices in exchange for a percentage of production.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. DSO Practice Management Services: Great Lakes Dental Partners generates revenue by providing comprehensive practice management support services to affiliated dental practices. The company collects a portion of practice revenue and in return provides operations, HR, IT, marketing, billing, and other support services, enabling dentists to focus on patient care.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Great Lakes Dental Partners is a Dental Support Organization (DSO) that provides comprehensive practice management services to affiliated dental practices throughout the Midwest. The company delivers centralized back-office support covering operations, HR, IT, accounting, payroll, marketing, continuing education, insurance/billing/collections, and lab/supply purchasing in exchange for a share of practice revenue, enabling partner dentists and dental specialists to focus exclusively on patient care.

Product overview

Great Lakes Dental Partners is a Dental Support Organization (DSO) offering a comprehensive suite of practice management services to partner dental practices throughout the Midwest. The organization provides an integrated platform of support services including Practice Operations, Recruiting/HR & Benefits, Information Technology, Accounting & Payroll, Marketing & Advertising, Continuing Education, Insurance/Billing & Collections, and Lab Costs & Supply Purchasing. These services work together to enable dental professionals to focus on patient care while GLDP handles administrative and operational functions. The DSO model generates value through economies of scale in purchasing, centralized back-office operations, and best-in-class reimbursement rates achieved through their scale.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Practice Operations Support
• Recruiting, HR & Benefits
• Information Technology
• Accounting & Payroll
• Marketing & Advertising
• Continuing Education
• Insurance, Billing & Collections
• Lab Costs & Supply Purchasing

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% production collection rate (vs industry average)
• +4 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Smile Brands: National DSO providing non-clinical business support to affiliated general and specialty dental practices — directly comparable in service-mix (HR, billing, marketing, procurement) and growth via affiliation.
• Heartland Dental: The largest US DSO, supporting a nationwide network of affiliated dental offices through non-clinical management services — directly comparable business model to GLDP, but at materially greater scale and geographic reach.
• Dental Care Alliance: Multi-state DSO offering practice management support and shared back-office services to affiliated dental groups — directly comparable in offering portfolio and affiliation-based revenue model.
• North American Dental Group: Multi-state DSO providing comprehensive practice support services to affiliated dentists — directly comparable in service breadth, with overlap in Midwestern US affiliate territory.
• Marquee Dental Partners: Regional DSO consolidating dental practices in the Southeastern US with the same percentage-of-production affiliate model — comparable in scale and DSO operating approach, though geographically distinct.
• Aspen Dental Management (TAG - The Aspen Group): National DSO operating Aspen Dental-branded practices with the same managed-services, percentage-of-production support structure; competes directly for dental affiliate talent and payor leverage.
• Pacific Dental Services: Large multi-specialty DSO providing practice management, IT, and clinical support to affiliated practices — same DSO economics with emphasis on modern practice technology, making it a clear functional peer to GLDP.

Emerging players

• SGA Dental Partners: Smaller, growth-stage DSO focused on partnering with dental practices in select regions — analogous DSO operating model but at earlier scale, making it a more comparable emerging-stage benchmark than the national giants.
• U.S. Endo Partners: Specialty DSO supporting endodontic and other dental specialty practices via non-clinical MSO services — adjacent model that competes for some of the same specialist affiliate pool that GLDP court.

Regional players

• Chicago Dental Studio: Multi-location Chicago-area dental practice group operating in GLDP's home market — serves as a local/regional comparable for competitive context on pricing, payor mix, and affiliation competition in the Midwest.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GLPDdental

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Great Lakes Dental Partners