FIRE for Dentists: Retire Early from Dental Practice
FIRE Number
$2.7M
Target Retirement Age
55
Years to FIRE
20
Monthly Savings Needed
$7K
Dentists earn $180,000–$350,000+ depending on specialty (general dentists vs. oral surgeons or orthodontists) and ownership status. Like physicians, dentists face a late start problem: 4 years of dental school after college, often $350,000–$500,000 in student debt, and early working years dominated by debt payoff. The typical dentist doesn't begin serious wealth accumulation until 32–36.
Practice ownership is the central wealth-building decision for dentists. A practice owner earning $350,000+ gross and taking home $200,000–$280,000 after expenses has dramatically different retirement options than an associate earning $130,000–$180,000. Practice equity — the sale value of the practice — is often a dentist's largest asset. A well-run practice generating $500,000 in annual collections typically sells for 65–85% of collections ($325,000–$425,000), providing a significant liquidity event at retirement.
Self-employed dentist practice owners have access to the most powerful retirement accounts available: Solo 401k or defined benefit pension plans. A solo 401k allows a dentist earning $220,000 in self-employment income to shelter up to $69,000/year (2025). Better still, a defined benefit pension plan for a 40-year-old dentist with no employees can allow contributions of $100,000–$200,000+/year — dramatically accelerating wealth accumulation in the final 15 years before retirement.
The practice sale + investing combination is the classic dentist FIRE path. A dentist who sells their practice at 55–60 for $400,000–$800,000 and has built $1.5M–$2M in investment accounts over 20 years has $2M–$2.8M total wealth. At 4% withdrawal: $80,000–$112,000/year. Add Social Security at 67 and most dentists can retire very comfortably at 55–60 with this approach.