Dental
Books and taxes for periodontists.
Recurring maintenance visits, one-time implant and grafting cases, laser therapy fees, and bone graft materials that never behave like ordinary supplies. Gus sorts every deposit, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number each month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May made $19,300. Maintenance visits held steady even though surgical referrals were quieter than April, and I kept the bone graft material separate from your everyday supply orders.
- Perio maintenance paymentsMaintenance visit income
- Implant case paymentSurgical case payments
- Bone graft material orderGrafting materials
- Laser therapy service feeEquipment service
- Benco Dental orderDental supplies
Why your books are different
A periodontal practice's books go wrong in four familiar places.
Your practice runs on two different kinds of income: steady maintenance visits and occasional, high-dollar surgery. A generalist bookkeeper who blends the two hides which side is actually carrying the practice.
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1
Maintenance visits and surgery live in different categories
Perio maintenance is recurring and steady, while implant and grafting cases are occasional and worth far more. Blended into one revenue number, you cannot tell whether the practice is thriving or just staying afloat on maintenance alone.
What we doKeeps maintenance visit income and surgical case income in separate categories, so each shows through on its own. -
2
Bone graft material is not an ordinary supply run
A single grafting case can use material costing well into four figures. Filed with routine supplies, it makes a normal restocking month look wildly overspent.
What we doKeeps grafting materials in their own category so a big case does not distort a normal month of supply orders. -
3
Laser therapy fees hide inside the exam
Laser gum treatment is billed as its own procedure, separate from a standard scaling and root planing visit, but a generalist bookkeeper often lumps them together as one kind of cleaning income.
What we doKeeps laser therapy fees apart from standard maintenance visits, so you can see how much of the month came from each. -
4
Steady maintenance can hide a quiet surgical month
If surgical referrals slow down but maintenance visits stay on schedule, the total revenue for the month can look fine while the more profitable side of the practice is actually struggling.
What we doKeeps the two income streams visible side by side, so a quiet surgical month does not get lost inside a normal-looking total.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a periodontal practice.
Set up once for how the practice gets paid and what it spends. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Maintenance visit incomeRecurring perio maintenance cleanings, usually every three to four months.
- Surgical case paymentsImplant placement, grafting, and gum surgery, paid by the patient.
- Insurance paymentsPPO coverage for scaling, root planing, and periodontal surgery, with the write-off kept separate.
- Patient financingCareCredit payouts for larger surgical cases, net of the fee.
Money out
- Dental and surgical suppliesBenco Dental and Henry Schein orders for everyday materials and instruments.
- Grafting materialsBone graft material and membranes for implant and gum surgery cases.
- Laser and equipment serviceMaintenance and repair for surgical lasers and other clinical equipment.
- Clinical staff payHygienists trained in perio maintenance and any associate periodontist.
- Sterilization suppliesAutoclave supplies and biohazard pickup.
- Marketing and referral costsMaterials and outreach aimed at the general dentists who refer patients.
What we watch for you
- Maintenance visit count
How many perio maintenance visits happen each month, the steady base under the surgical swings.
- Surgical case volume
How many implant and grafting cases came through, since those carry most of the profit.
- Referral source mix
Whether new surgical cases are coming from a broad group of referring dentists or a few.
- The set-aside
What you owe as maintenance and surgical income shift the total, tracked so April holds no surprise.
Ask Gus
Things periodontists ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Maintenance income covered the month, but surgical cases usually carry more of the profit. I kept the two separate so you can see the steady number is hiding a quieter surgical side.
I keep it apart from your regular supply orders since one large graft case can run material costs into four figures. That way a big case does not look like an ordinary restocking month.
I can show you what the practice made this year and what a lease payment versus a purchase would do to your monthly number, but the actual buy-or-lease call is above my pay grade. The accountant can walk through it with you.
The tax side
The tax side of a periodontal practice.
Most of what goes wrong here is labels, not rules. Graft materials filed like ordinary supplies, and a laser purchase treated like a routine expense.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Laser and surgical equipmentA periodontal laser or surgical microscope can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- Hygienist and associate classificationA hygienist trained in perio maintenance or an associate periodontist paid on production is usually an employee, and state rules on who can own a dental practice narrow the options further.
- Contractor 1099sA relief periodontist or a lab paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- The pass-through deductionMost owners can take up to 20 percent of profit off their taxable income. It works differently for personal-service practices like a periodontal office as income climbs.
Deductions periodontists miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Bone graft and membrane materials
- Laser equipment service
- Loupes and headlights
- Malpractice insurance
- Scrubs and clinical uniforms
- Continuing education
- Periodontal association dues
- Sterilization supplies
- Practice software subscriptions
- Referral outreach materials
- Credit card processing fees
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A periodontal year, kept every month.
Maintenance visits keep a steady rhythm. Surgical referrals do not. Your team keeps you ahead of both, and of the calendar. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the contractor list for any relief periodontist is ready, and a monthly set-aside begins so April is not a scramble.
- April
Filed and signed
Your business return is filed. Because maintenance income kept the set-aside on track since January, the number due holds no surprise.
- July
Midyear read
A look at where the practice stands, what you will owe, and whether surgical referrals are keeping pace with maintenance visits.
- October
Before the slow stretch
Referrals often dip around the holidays even as maintenance visits stay steady. Before that hits, Gus flags equipment worth buying and anything worth doing before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for periodontists. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions periodontists ask first.
How do you separate maintenance visits from surgical income?
They are kept in their own categories since maintenance is steady, recurring income and surgery is occasional and higher dollar. That way a strong maintenance month does not hide a quiet surgical one.
Bone graft material is expensive. Does that mess up a normal month?
It can if it is lumped in with everyday supplies. Gus keeps grafting materials in their own category, so a big case reads as a big case, not a strange spike in ordinary restocking.
Most of my surgical referrals come from three general dentists. Should I be worried about that?
That is more of a business conversation than a bookkeeping one, but Gus can show you how steady or lumpy your surgical income is month to month, which often reflects how concentrated your referrals are.
Do perio maintenance visits get treated differently for taxes?
No. All collected revenue is treated the same for tax purposes regardless of the type of visit. The split Gus makes between maintenance and surgical income is about a clearer monthly picture, not a tax difference.
My books are behind since my office manager left. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send what you have. Gus works through the gap between maintenance and surgical income, and the accountant signs off once everything is caught up.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in dental
We keep books for the business next door too.
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- Endodontists
- Oral surgeons
- Orthodontists
- Pediatric dentists
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- Dental implant centers
- General dentists
- Compounding pharmacies
- Durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers
- Elective 3D/4D ultrasound studios
- Independent pharmacies
- Medical billing companies
- Mobile nursing & concierge nurse services
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- Birth doulas
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- Herbalists & apothecaries
- Hypnotherapists
- Lactation consultants
- Midwives & birth centers
- Neurofeedback clinics
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever