What percentage do dental recruiters charge?

Contingency recruiters usually quote a percentage of the hire’s first-year compensation or a flat fee, owed at start. Retained searches split a similar total into instalments. DDS Recruit quotes its figures on the discovery call, because they depend on the seat and the depth of the search.

Is a retained recruiter worth it for a dental practice?

For a hire you cannot get wrong, often yes. For routine seats, the risk of paying for a search that does not fill is hard to justify.

What is the difference between contingency and retained recruiting?

A contingency recruiter is paid only when a candidate starts and rarely works your search exclusively. A retained recruiter is paid in instalments during an exclusive search, typically whether or not the seat is filled.

How does the DDS Recruit fee work?

A nominal monthly search fee opens the search and makes it exclusive. The larger share is a success fee, owed only when a placement sticks; exact figures are quoted on the discovery call.

What happens if a placed dentist leaves in the first year?

We run the search again at best effort, at no additional charge. The guarantee covers every placement for a full year.

Why would a contingency recruiter not prioritise my search?

They are paid only on a start and often work several clients’ searches at once, so effort goes where a placement is fastest. Your seat competes for attention with every other open role.

Browse jobs Sign in

Contingency, retained, or a search fee with a success fee.

Published October 14, 2026

All three are recruiters. They differ in when you pay, who carries the risk of an empty search, and how hard anyone works your seat when a faster fee is available elsewhere.

Key takeaways

Contingency recruiters are paid only when someone starts, usually as a percentage of first-year compensation or a flat fee. The incentive is speed, so fit can come second.
Retained search is exclusive and thorough, but the fee is paid in instalments whether or not the seat is filled. You carry the risk of an empty search.
DDS Recruit charges a nominal monthly search fee that makes the search exclusive, plus a success fee owed only when a placement sticks. The larger share of the fee depends on a hire.
Every DDS Recruit placement is backed for a full year. If the hire leaves, we run the search again at best effort, at no additional charge.
For a seat that just needs filling fast, contingency is a reasonable call. For a partner-track associate or a leader, pay for depth and exclusivity, from us or a retained firm.

How we compared them

Each option is judged on the same 5 criteria, the rows of the table below: when you pay, who carries the risk, exclusivity, screening depth, after the hire. We describe how each model is structured, not any named provider, and every claim about DDS Recruit matches our pricing and how-it-works pages.

Side by side

Contingency vs Retained Dental Recruiters, compared side by side.
Dimension	Contingency recruiter	Retained search	DDS Recruit
When you pay	Only once someone starts, as a percentage of first-year compensation.	In instalments across the search, typically regardless of outcome.	A nominal monthly search fee, then a success fee when a placement sticks.
Who carries the risk	Shared, but the incentive is speed and volume rather than fit.	Largely you. The fee is owed whether or not the seat is filled.	Mostly us. The larger share of the fee is owed only on a placement.
Exclusivity	Rarely. You may be one of several clients racing for the same candidates.	Yes. The search is exclusive and worked properly.	Yes. The monthly fee opens the search and makes it exclusive.
Screening depth	Whatever gets a candidate to a start date fastest.	Deep, usually with a structured process.	Every person spoken to before you see them, screened on role, culture and long-term fit.
After the hire	A replacement window, usually measured in months rather than a year.	Depends on the contract; any replacement guarantee is usually shorter than a year.	A full year. If the placement leaves, we run the search again at best effort, at no additional charge.

Which one, by situation

You need any licensed body in a chair next week
Contingency recruiter
Speed is what the model rewards. Accept that fit is a secondary concern and plan to rehire.
A partner-track associate or a group-level leader
Retained search or DDS Recruit
The cost of a wrong hire dwarfs the fee. You want exclusivity and depth, whoever provides it.
You want depth but not a fee owed on an empty search
DDS Recruit
The monthly fee is small; the success fee is owed only when a placement sticks, and the guarantee runs a year.
You have an office manager with time and a strong local network
Neither
Post the role yourself first. Bring in a recruiter if the seat is still open after a few weeks.

Verdict

Contingency is the right call when speed matters more than tenure and you can absorb a rehire. Retained is right when budget is not the constraint and you want a fixed, documented process. Our model sits between them: exclusive like retained, paid mostly on success like contingency, with a full year of accountability behind every placement.

Questions

What percentage do dental recruiters charge?: Contingency recruiters usually quote a percentage of the hire’s first-year compensation or a flat fee, owed at start. Retained searches split a similar total into instalments. DDS Recruit quotes its figures on the discovery call, because they depend on the seat and the depth of the search.
Is a retained recruiter worth it for a dental practice?: For a hire you cannot get wrong, often yes. For routine seats, the risk of paying for a search that does not fill is hard to justify.
What is the difference between contingency and retained recruiting?: A contingency recruiter is paid only when a candidate starts and rarely works your search exclusively. A retained recruiter is paid in instalments during an exclusive search, typically whether or not the seat is filled.
How does the DDS Recruit fee work?: A nominal monthly search fee opens the search and makes it exclusive. The larger share is a success fee, owed only when a placement sticks; exact figures are quoted on the discovery call.
What happens if a placed dentist leaves in the first year?: We run the search again at best effort, at no additional charge. The guarantee covers every placement for a full year.
Why would a contingency recruiter not prioritise my search?: They are paid only on a start and often work several clients’ searches at once, so effort goes where a placement is fastest. Your seat competes for attention with every other open role.

Not sure which fits your seat?

Tell us about the role and we will talk through the options on the discovery call.

Schedule the discovery call