The Dental Studio

What The Dental Studio does

The Dental Studio is a family-owned, single-location dental practice headquartered at 1425 N Main St., Wheaton, Illinois, founded in 2018 by Dr. Erica Kight. The practice delivers pediatric, general, cosmetic, and emergency dental services for individual patients and families across eight surrounding western Chicagoland suburbs, with clinical operations led by Dr. Kight (DDS, Indiana University; BA Psychology, Taylor University) and Dr. Erin Best (DMD, University of Pittsburgh; 17+ years of Chicagoland practice; Rush University Medical Center residency). Service breadth spans preventive care (exams, cleanings, x-rays, fluoride, sealants), restorative care (fillings, crowns, bridges, gum therapy, implants), cosmetic treatments (SureSmile clear aligners, custom whitening trays, smile design, veneers), and emergency dentistry supported by 3D diagnostic imaging.

The underlying technology stack is conventional dental digital tooling rather than a proprietary platform: intraoral digital scanning for SureSmile aligner treatment planning and custom whitening-tray fabrication, 3D diagnostic imaging for emergency and restorative workflows, and the Flexbook (flexbook.me) integration for online appointment scheduling. Patient-facing channels include the practice website, Google Business listing, Facebook (@itsthedentalstudio), Instagram, email, SMS, and direct phone/text contact.

The business model is a hybrid of fee-for-service dental procedures billed to patients or PPO insurance carriers, supplemented by the In-Studio Membership — an annual subscription product for uninsured patients that covers preventive care and a 20% treatment discount. Pricing is opaque on procedure-level rates but transparent through upfront estimates, a typical $100 restorative appointment deposit, and 25%-down payment plans for medically necessary treatment. The practice does not accept HMO, Medicaid, or Medicare. As of the most recent disclosure, Dr. Erica Kight is on maternity leave with Dr. Erin Best providing coverage, and the practice has 1–10 total employees with no outside funding, partnerships, or M&A activity recorded.

Name

The Dental Studio

Legal name

The Dental Studio

Website

https://thedentalstudio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Dental Studio is a family-owned, single-location dental practice in Wheaton, Illinois, founded in 2018 by Dr. Erica Kight. It delivers pediatric, general, cosmetic, and emergency dental services to families and individuals across eight surrounding western Chicagoland suburbs, with revenue from PPO insurance billing, fee-for-service procedures, and an annual In-Studio Membership for uninsured patients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

General Dentistry

NAICS

Offices of Dentists (621210)

SIC

Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Family Dentistry (Multi-Disciplinary In-Office General Care) (HLABAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Membership/Subscription & Direct-Pay General Dentistry Practices (HLABAAAI), Emergency/Urgent General Dentistry (Walk-In/After-Hours General Care) (HLABAAAJ)

Keywords

• Family dental care
• Pediatric dentistry
• Cosmetic dentistry
• Emergency dental care
• Dental membership plan

Headquarters

HQ city

Wheaton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Dental Services: Revenue generated from fee-for-service dental procedures including exams, cleanings, x-rays, fillings, crowns, bridges, gum therapy, implants, oral surgery, emergency care, and cosmetic treatments. Patients pay at time of service, with costs covered by insurance (PPO) or out-of-pocket. The practice also collects treatment deposits (typically $100) to hold restorative appointments.
2. In-Studio Membership Program: Annual membership subscription model for uninsured patients. A one-time membership premium covers 12 months of essential care including unlimited exams, unlimited x-rays (age 4+), 2 regular cleanings, 2 fluoride treatments, and a 20% discount on treatment (excluding cosmetics and nitrous oxide). Individual premiums depend on age and gum health. This provides recurring subscription revenue from price-sensitive patients who lack dental insurance.
3. PPO Insurance Billing: The practice accepts all PPO dental insurance plans. Revenue is collected from insurance carriers based on contracted fee schedules. PPO plans allow patients to visit any dentist, and the practice submits claims on behalf of patients. The practice does not accept HMO, Medicaid, or Medicare plans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Dental Studio is a family-owned dental practice delivering pediatric, general, cosmetic, and emergency dental services for individual and family patients. It also operates an In-Studio Membership program that provides uninsured patients with annual preventive coverage and discounts on treatment, while accepting all PPO dental insurance plans.

Product overview

The Dental Studio is a family dental practice offering a comprehensive range of dental services organized into core service categories. The core offerings include Pediatric Dentistry, General Dentistry, Emergency Dentistry, and Cosmetic Dentistry (encompassing Whitening, Straightening, and Smile Design sub-services). Financial support is provided through an In-Studio Membership program and Insurance Acceptance. The practice differentiates itself through Comfort Services that enhance the patient experience. The practice accepts PPO dental insurance and offers its own membership plan for uninsured patients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pediatric Dentistry
• General Dentistry
• Emergency Dentistry
• Cosmetic Dentistry
• Whitening
• Straightening
• Smile Design
• In-Studio Membership
• Insurance Acceptance

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• SmileDirectClub: Former DTC clear aligner company that disrupted the orthodontic market with direct-to-consumer aligners. Adjacent/competing channel for clear aligner treatment, a service The Dental Studio offers in-office via SureSmile.
• Quip: Direct-to-consumer oral care brand offering electric toothbrushes, toothpaste, and related dental products via subscription. Adjacent comparable as a digitally-native brand serving the same consumer dental-care category, though focused on home products rather than in-office services.

Broad incumbents

• Smile Brands: Multi-brand DSO supporting affiliated dental practices across the U.S. including general, specialty, and cosmetic services. Relevant as a broad incumbent and roll-up acquirer of practices comparable to The Dental Studio.
• Pacific Dental Services: DSO supporting 900+ offices with comprehensive general, specialty, and cosmetic dental services. Comparable broad dental services incumbent with overlapping service mix and presence in U.S. suburban markets.
• Aspen Dental: One of the largest DSOs in the U.S. with hundreds of branded locations providing general, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping services though at significantly larger scale.
• Heartland Dental: Largest dental support organization in the U.S., supporting over 1,700 dental offices across general, specialty, and cosmetic services. Relevant as a major DSO operating in similar suburban markets including the Chicago area.
• Dental Care Alliance: DSO supporting 400+ practices across the U.S., offering general, specialty, and cosmetic dentistry. Comparable broad incumbent acquiring and supporting dental practices that overlap with The Dental Studio's service offering.

Emerging players

• Candid: Direct-to-consumer clear aligner company offering at-home orthodontic treatment with remote monitoring. Partial competitor in clear aligner treatment, a service The Dental Studio offers via SureSmile, though Candid's channel is DTC.

Direct peers

• Tend: Tend operates a chain of modern, experience-focused dental studios that prioritize patient comfort and hospitality-driven service. Most comparable peer given both brands compete on differentiated patient experience over commodity dental care.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/itsthedentalstudio
• Instagraminstagram.com/itsthedentalstudio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/itsthedentalstudio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 The Dental Studio