What is customer lifetime value for a dental patient?
Short answer: $2,500-$4,500 LTV per general-practice patient over 5 years; specialty patients average $4,000-$8,000.
Full answer
Patient lifetime value depends on retention more than acquisition. The benchmark:
General-practice patient (preventative + restorative): $500-$900 annual revenue × 5-year average retention = $2,500-$4,500 LTV.
Orthodontic case: $5,000-$8,000 over treatment duration (single-event LTV).
Cosmetic case: $3,000-$15,000 per event, but lower repeat probability.
Multi-procedure family unit (4 people): $2,000-$3,600 annual revenue × retention = $10,000-$18,000 family LTV.
The single biggest lever on LTV: recall capture. A patient who attends every scheduled hygiene visit produces 2-3x the LTV of one who drifts. Operational systems for recall pay back faster than any acquisition channel.