Dental Office Feasibility Study in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metro Area

High cancellation, no franchises, Live Oak out front

15.9% or more of the FY2017 to FY2024 dental approvals in Tampa Bay were cancelled, while no ceiling or charge-off rate is published. The cell holds 116 approvals worth $108.5 million. Tampa Bay lands 16 of 562 among all areas for the class, with dentistry 6 of 39 inside Tampa Bay, and 1.24x on the location quotient putting dental offices ahead of the national weight. The franchise share lists as 0.00%, so each practice is its own business.

The median is $627,500, 1.24x the national class median, and $310,500 and $1.3 million mark the quartile edges. The programs split 87 loans to SBA 7(a) against 29 to SBA 504. That is a large fixed-asset side for a class that often buys its building. Cancellation at that level signals a lender should ask early about the lease, the equipment order and the buyer's financing commitments. A dental practice also carries high fixed costs, so the study should show break-even chair utilization before anything else.

Credit providers and counties

Live Oak Banking Company holds 22 SBA 7(a) loans and $30.8 million. Bank of America, National Association holds 11 loans and $6.8 million, The Huntington National Bank 10 and $11.8 million, United Community Bank (SC) 7 and $14.5 million, and TD Bank, National Association 6. On SBA 504, Florida Business Development Corporation holds 14 loans and $7.5 million. SBA's holder entries carry no verdict on practice. Hillsborough County, FL has 69 loans and Pinellas County, FL 34, which puts the weight on the Tampa side of the bay.

Approvals started at 13 loans and $8.5 million in FY2017, fell to 6 in FY2020, climbed to 21 loans and $23.9 million in FY2024, and eased to 10 loans and $6.9 million in FY2026. Tampa Bay totals depend on the 2023 delineation matching each project county.

Testing a Tampa Bay dental practice

A study should test patient demand near the site, the practices already open in Hillsborough or Pinellas County, and the payer mix. It prices operatories, imaging and build-out against $627,500, and asks whether hygiene income, collections and chair hours repay the loan. The appraisal covers the real estate separately. In Tampa, we write it; signed by Daniel Smith, MAI, and 116 past approvals are only context.