42 North Dental

42 North Dental is a prominent dental support organization (DSO) with a rich history spanning over 40 years. It was founded in 1977 by dentists Dr. Samuel Shames and Dr. Ronald Weissman with a revolutionary idea: to allow dentists to focus entirely on patient care by providing comprehensive business and administrative support. The company operated for many years under the name Gentle Dental Partners before rebranding to 42 North Dental in 2018 to better represent its expanding network of supported practices. The name itself is a nod to the latitude of Boston, Massachusetts, where the company first began. As a DSO, 42 North Dental's core model is to partner with existing dental practices and provide non-clinical support services. This includes a wide range of functions such as human resources, accounting, payroll, marketing, IT support, insurance processing, and facilities maintenance. This partnership model is designed to alleviate the administrative burdens of running a practice, allowing dentists to achieve a better work/life balance and devote more time to chair-side patient treatment, which the company believes leads to better outcomes. The organization has grown significantly, supporting over 80 locations and more than 30 practice brands across several states, including Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, and Pennsylvania. 42 North Dental is not a single clinic but a network that supports many individual and multi-site dental practices. It operates on a "quality seeks quality" philosophy, seeking to partner with well-regarded practices that have strong reputations and a commitment to exceptional patient care. It also offers affiliated dentists clinical autonomy and opportunities for equity ownership within the larger organization. 42 North Dental is known for its multi-specialty care model, its use of modern technology, and its commitment to community engagement through local sponsorships and charitable programs.