As specialized dental practice attorneys, the dental attorneys at Nardone Limited routinely assist dentists in forming their dental practice entities, including the setting-up of the legal name and trade names of those entities. Our dental practice attorneys commonly find that dental practices set-up by other professionals, or the dentist themselves, do not have an appropriate legal name or trade name. This article provides a brief overview of the rules regarding the proper naming of both a dental practice entity and a dental practice trade name in the state of Ohio. 

Setting-up Dental Practice Entity and Trade Names under Ohio Law

A properly set up entity should comply with the Ohio Dental Board’s Dental Practice Act regarding the rules for dental practice entity names. The Ohio Dental Board allows a dentist to practice dentistry or dental surgery through a corporation, professional association, professional partnership, or a limited liability company, as long as at least the last name(s) of the owner dentist(s) is included in the name of the entity. For example, if Dr. Sue Smith wanted to form a new dental practice called “Family Dental Care of Columbus,” at least Dr. Smith’s last name would need to be in the entity name. A few examples of acceptable entity names would be “Smith Family Dental Care of Columbus, LLC,” “Dr. Smith, D.D.S. – Family Dental Care of Columbus, Inc.,” and “Family Dental Care of Columbus, Sue Smith, D.D.S., LLC.”

This same rule requiring at least the last name(s) of the owner dentist(s) to be in the entity name also applies to dental practice trade names. Thus, continuing with the previous example, if Dr. Smith wanted to register a trade name with the Ohio Secretary of State for her newly formed dental practice entity, an acceptable trade name would be “Smith Family Dental Care.”

Contact Nardone Limited

Nardone Limited represents dentists and dental practices, including those who are starting to set-up their practices.  If you are setting up your practice, you should contact an experienced dental practice attorney today. Nardone Limited’s dental practice lawyers and professionals have vast experience representing dentists and dental practices in such diverse areas as: (i) buying and selling dental practices; (ii) asset purchase agreements; (iii) employment contracts; (iv) labor and employment representation; (v) human resource representation; (vi) Ohio Dental Board representation; (vii) lease agreements; (viii) real estate purchase agreements; (ix) tax planning; and (x) estate planning. The staff at Nardone Limited understands that a dental practice is a business and strives to handle transactions while minimizing each client’s time spent away from the office. Contact us today to discuss your practice and how Nardone Limited may help you.