Dental clinics
Operatories, sterilization and imaging — coordinated to the millimetre.
A dental clinic is a technical fit-out disguised as an interior project. Chair utilities arrive through the floor, sterilization has a one-way workflow, imaging rooms carry shielding requirements, and the dealer's equipment schedule has to meet the construction schedule exactly.
- $180–$350
- per sq ft, construction (excl. equipment)
- 14–22 weeks
- typical construction
- 4–6
- operatories in a typical 1,500–2,200 sq ft clinic
- $280k–$500k
- common construction range, 4–5 operatories
Hard construction cost, 2025–2026 GTA benchmarks, ±30% until a site review. Permit timing and approvals remain subject to municipal review.
What we deliver
One scope, from drawings to opening.
- 01
Clinic planning
Operatory count and sizing, sterilization centre with a dirty-to-clean flow, imaging, consult, lab and staff areas planned with your equipment dealer's templates from day one.
- 02
Chair and equipment rough-ins
Under-floor utilities to each chair — water, air, vacuum, drain, power, data — plus compressor and vacuum pump rooms, set out from the dealer's schematics and verified before the slab closes.
- 03
Imaging and shielding
Intraoral, panoramic and CBCT rooms built to the physicist's shielding report, with HARP-related approvals coordinated so imaging is ready when the clinic opens.
- 04
Construction and handover
Full interior construction with mechanical, electrical and plumbing coordination, dealer installation windows in the schedule, and inspections sequenced for a clean opening.
Approvals & compliance
Requirements handled inside the schedule, not after it.
What a new Ontario dental clinic has to satisfy:
Building permit
Interior alterations under the OBC, with plumbing and HVAC drawings — dental suites carry unusual plumbing and ventilation loads for their size, and reviewers look for them.
X-ray (HARP)
X-ray equipment in Ontario falls under the Healing Arts Radiation Protection Act — shielding designed from a qualified physicist's report and installation coordinated so registration and inspection do not delay opening.
Sterilization (IPAC)
Reprocessing areas are laid out for one-way dirty-to-clean flow with the sinks, counters and ventilation that IPAC-based inspections expect to see.
Mechanical capacity
Compressed air, vacuum, and added HVAC for equipment heat loads — confirmed against the base building early, because rooftop or service upgrades need landlord consent and lead time.
Accessibility
Barrier-free entry, an accessible operatory path and washroom provisions are reviewed at permit; corridors and door swings are planned around chairs and delivery routes.
Acoustic and privacy
Wall assemblies and door selection for speech privacy between operatories and consult rooms — inexpensive during framing, disruptive after.
Professional design and engineering services are provided through qualified consultants where required. Specialized connections and regulated work are completed by qualified trades and suppliers as required.
Questions
Straight answers on dental clinics.
- What does a dental clinic build-out cost in Ontario?
- Construction generally runs $180 to $350 per sq ft in the GTA, excluding dealer-supplied equipment. A 1,500 to 2,000 sq ft clinic with four or five operatories is commonly $280,000 to $500,000 in construction. Imaging shielding, compressor rooms and plumbing density are what separate dental from ordinary office cost.
- How long does a dental clinic take to build?
- Typically 14 to 22 weeks of construction, inside roughly 6 to 9 months from lease signing when design, permits, equipment lead times and inspections are included. The dealer's equipment schedule and the shielding report are the two items most worth starting early.
- Do you work with dental equipment dealers?
- Yes — we build from the dealer's room layouts and utility schematics, verify every chair rough-in against them before closing floors and walls, and hold installation windows in the construction schedule for their technicians.
- Can a clinic go into any commercial unit?
- Most retail and office units can work, but three things need checking before you sign: floor structure and the route for under-floor plumbing, HVAC and electrical capacity for equipment loads, and landlord consent for roof penetrations. We review these on a pre-lease site walk.
Planning numbers in more depth: the full cost guide or a quick range from the budget estimator.
Discuss your project
Tell us about the project.
Five short steps. We reply with a real next step — usually a call, then a site walk.