Abra Health
Newark, US · Founded 2008 · 140 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
Abra Dental is a family dental practice offering services ranging from cleanings and fillings to braces, implants, and veneers for children and families. It operates as an inclusive practice with multilingual staff serving patients in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Also known as Abra · Abra Dental · Abra Health Group
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Abra Health (also referred to as Abra Health Group or Abra) is a dental support organization (DSO) that supports a family of practices offering pediatric dentistry, general dentistry, orthodontics, oral surgery and sub-specialties such as endodontics and periodontics, alongside pediatric primary care. Its stated mission is to provide access to high-quality, affordable care to underserved communities through its supported practices, and its vision is to become a leading dental support organization for underserved communities in the areas it serves. Unlike many DSOs, it prioritizes working with state Medicaid insurance plans.
The group's consumer-facing brand Abra Dental operates dental and orthodontic offices for children and adults in New Jersey, providing pediatric dental care, hygiene, X-rays, orthodontics, cosmetic dentistry and specialty care, with extended evening and weekend hours and multi-lingual staff serving patients in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Abra Health also delivers pediatric primary care — wellness visits, sick visits, immunizations, physicals, allergy testing and treatment, and minor injury care — from practices in Newark, New Jersey and surrounding areas, including a Bloomfield Avenue facility co-locating dental and pediatric primary care.
Other brands under the group include Smiles 4 Keeps (Pennsylvania), Abra Health Children's Surgery Center (also known as the Children's Ambulatory Surgery Center of New Jersey, in Fair Lawn), Pearly Whites (Berkeley Heights and Whippany, NJ), Presto Dental (Connecticut), All About Kids Pediatric Dentistry (Connecticut) and Garden State Oral Surgery Group (New Jersey, with Pennsylvania expansion noted).
Founding story
In 2008, Dr. Michael Skolnick, an orthodontist, and Dr. Brooke Skolnick, a pediatric dentist, opened a pediatric dentistry and orthodontic practice in the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark, New Jersey, with the aim of increasing access to dental care for the urban underserved community there. The first Abra Dental location opened on Somme Street in Newark on August 1, 2008. The pair subsequently opened additional practices, added adult services, and expanded into new geographies and specialties.
Business model
Abra Health Group operates as a dental support organization, providing centralized non-clinical support to affiliated practices so clinicians can focus on patient care. Centralized functions include finance and accounting; credentialing, billing and collections; branding and marketing; strategy and development; infrastructure and facilities; information systems and technology; human resources and employee management; recruiting and professional development; and patient scheduling and support. The group pools practice resources to fund facility investments and negotiates with insurance payors on behalf of supported practices.
Revenue derives from patient dental, orthodontic, oral surgery and pediatric primary care services delivered by supported practices, which accept most commercial insurance plans as well as state Medicaid plans.
Traction
The group reports more than 200 doctors, 23 locations, 7 brands across 3 states, and over 300,000 patients seen annually, with approximately 950 staff employed across its pediatric primary care and dentistry clinics in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Latest developments
Recent expansion includes the February 2024 opening of a third Newark location on Bloomfield Avenue housing both Abra Dental and Abra Health pediatric primary care, the November 2024 acquisition of Connecticut-based All About Kids, and 2025 openings in Reading, PA (January), Elizabeth, NJ oral surgery (February) and an adult dentistry practice in Scranton, PA (June). A Paterson, NJ office is also noted as newly open.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
The group describes itself as a rapidly expanding multi-specialty dental and pediatric healthcare organization and reports 200+ doctors, 23 locations, 7 brands, 3 states and more than 300,000 patients seen annually. It positions itself among DSOs by prioritizing state Medicaid participation and service to underserved communities.
Abra positions itself against typical dental support organizations by making Medicaid and state insurance participation a priority, co-locating pediatric primary care with dental services under one roof, and coordinating general, pediatric, orthodontic and surgical specialists through integrated treatment planning, shared advanced imaging and continuous provider collaboration.
Technology
Supported practices use shared advanced imaging and dental X-ray capabilities, with the group providing centralized information systems and technology services across its network.
Go-to-market
Growth combines de novo office openings and acquisitions of established local dental, orthodontic and oral surgery practices, which are operated under a portfolio of regional brands. Practices market locally through their own sites with online appointment requests, extended evening and weekend hours, and broad insurance and Medicaid acceptance.
Children, teenagers, adults and families — with an emphasis on underserved and underrepresented urban communities, including Medicaid-covered patients and Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking families.
Geography
Operations span New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. New Jersey sites include three Newark offices (Somme Street, Orange Street and Bloomfield Avenue), plus Kearny, Jersey City (165 Ocean Avenue), Elizabeth, Paterson, Bayonne, Fair Lawn, Berkeley Heights and Whippany. Pennsylvania includes Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Bartonsville, Hazleton, Allentown and Reading. Connecticut includes Danbury, Derby, Norwalk and Stamford.
History
After the 2008 Newark opening, the group added Pearly Whites in Berkeley Heights, NJ (2011), Abra Dental Elizabeth, NJ (2013), Pearly Whites Whippany, NJ (2017) and Abra Dental Orange St in Newark (2019). In October 2020 it acquired a children's ambulatory surgery center in Fair Lawn, NJ for complex dental cases, and in October 2021 made its first Pennsylvania acquisition, a four-practice dental group in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Bartonsville and Hazleton (Smiles 4 Keeps). In June 2022 it acquired a multi-specialty practice in Kearny, NJ (formerly For All Children and Adults Dentistry). 2023 brought the Jersey City office opening (March), the acquisition of two oral surgery offices forming Garden State Oral Surgery (August), and the acquisition of the Eugene McGuire, DDS practice with a new Allentown, PA office (August). In February 2024 it opened a third Newark location on Bloomfield Avenue co-located with Abra Health pediatric primary care, and in November 2024 acquired All About Kids, a Connecticut pediatric dentistry and orthodontic practice with offices in Danbury, Derby, Norwalk and Stamford. In 2025 it opened Smiles 4 Keeps Reading, PA (January), a Garden State Oral Surgery practice in Elizabeth, NJ (February) and an adult dentistry practice in Scranton, PA (June).
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 17
launches, deals, and filingsAbra Health's Children's Ambulatory Surgery Center of New Jersey in Fair Lawn announced accreditation from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.
Practice with offices in Danbury, Derby, Norwalk and Stamford, CT.
Abra Dental and Abra Health pediatric primary care offices open in the same facility on Bloomfield Avenue near Branch Brook Park in Newark's North Ward.
Acquisition of Bayonne Oral Surgery and the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Institute.
New Abra Dental office at 165 Ocean Avenue, Jersey City, NJ (Jersey City Smile Center).
Acquisition of For All Children and Adults Dentistry, subsequently rebranded as Abra Dental.
First Pennsylvania acquisition, covering practices in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Bartonsville and Hazleton, PA.
Acquisition of a children's ambulatory surgery center in Fair Lawn, NJ to treat complex dental cases; later known as Abra Health Children's Surgery Center.
Dr. Michael Skolnick and Dr. Brooke Skolnick open a pediatric dentistry and orthodontic practice in Newark's Ironbound neighborhood.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Abra Healthabradental.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Abra Health do?
- Abra Health is a New Jersey-based dental support organization backing pediatric, general and specialty dental practices.
- Who are Abra Health's investors?
- Abra Health's investors include Clairvest Group Inc.
- Where is Abra Health headquartered?
- Abra Health is headquartered in Newark, US.