Sell your dental practice business.
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Selling a dental practice comes down to cash flow a buyer can underwrite, the people who already do the work, and a file they can diligence. For the overview of selling a business, use the seller page. Start with a valuation and the notes on how the sale is financed. The complete dental practice guide covers buyers, diligence, and the handoff.
What buyers typically underwrite
Patient Retention
Patients may switch providers post-sale. Transition plans are essential.
Associate Retention
Associate dentists and hygienists are key assets requiring retention incentives.
Regulatory Compliance
Dental board regulations and licensing requirements vary by state.
Technology Systems
Patient records, imaging, and practice management systems transfer complexity.
Recare and collections, priced on SDE until the bench is real
A general practice the selling dentist still produces is an SDE file. After a real associate or owner wage, those practices often trade around 2x–3.5x SDE of collections. Hygiene capacity, an associate who already treats, and a recare board that is not a list of inactive charts often move toward 2.5x–4.5x SDE. A managed multi-doctor office priced near $10 million is more often read on adjusted EBITDA, commonly about 3x–6x. These ranges are directional, not a quote, and not legal, tax, or lending advice.
A dentist, a small group, or a DSO only if the office already looks like one
Individual dentists stepping into ownership are the main buyer for a single office. A small group adds a chair when the staff and the recare will stay. A DSO or larger group shows up when an associate bench and the reporting already exist. A two-chair practice where you still do every crown is not that sale.
Practice lenders and SBA 7(a) both know dental collections. The SBA 7(a) cap is $5 million. Some states limit who can own the practice. That is counsel's work, and a seller note often fills the equity piece. This is not lending advice.
Florida payer mix is local. The recare question is national.
A heavy PPO book in a Florida metro and a fee-for-service book in a smaller market do not share a collections rate. Coastal seasonal residents can bunch hygiene in the winter. Bridge Point sells dental practices nationally from Spring Hill. Buyers in any state still underwrite collections, hygiene, the lease, and whether patients call the office or the dentist.
How dental-practice purchases get financed
Dental is one of the friendlier professional-practice credits. Practice lenders and SBA 7(a) both know chairs, hygiene, and collections. They still underwrite payer mix, the recare board, and a provider bench that is not only the selling dentist. A GP with an associate and a full hygiene schedule clears easier than a sole producer with a short lease. Some states limit non-dentist ownership; that structure belongs in the letter of intent, not in a hope that the bank will ignore it.
Unused treatment plans and prepaid ortho or implant packages are liabilities until they are delivered. Seller notes are common even when SBA is in the stack. A standby note is how many buyers fill the equity piece. We would rather show collections versus production and who is on the recare list than a headcount of charts that have not been in for two years.
Who typically buys a dental practice
Individual dentists stepping into ownership, small groups adding a chair or a specialty, and DSOs when the associate bench and reporting already look like a platform. Solo buyers care about recare and staff stay. They will not pay a group price for an owner-only book.
Complete industry guide
Hygiene recare, payer mix, and dental practice valuation.
Read Buying or Selling a Dental Practice: The Complete GuideFrequently asked questions
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Request a confidential consult or call (352) 515-0226. We will tell you whether a sale is realistic before you go to market.