How to buy a dental practice: a step-by-step guide

Buying a dental practice usually comes down to two problems: finding the right practice, and making sure the market around it can support you. Most buyers start "on-market", with practices listed by a broker. When that comes up empty, the most common next move is to go off-market: reach out directly to owners who haven't listed but might sell.

Step 1: Define what you're looking for

Before you look at a single listing, write down:

Specialty and practice type: general, pediatric, ortho and so on; fee-for-service, PPO or Medicaid
Size: number of operatories, collections range, number of locations
Where: the regions you'd actually live and work in
Timeline and budget, including how much you can finance

Clear criteria make every later step faster, and they stop a good-looking listing from pulling you into the wrong market.

Step 2: Line up financing early

Talk to a lender who specializes in dental practices before you make an offer. Knowing what you can borrow sets your price range and makes sellers take you seriously.

Step 3: Search on-market: listed practices across every broker

Listings are spread across many brokerage websites, and each broker only shows their own. Search as many as you can, and set up alerts so you see new listings the day they go live. Good practices can sell quickly.

Step 4: Go off-market: reach owners who haven't listed

If you're striking out with listed practices, going off-market is a very common strategy. Instead of waiting for the right listing, you send mailers, or "feelers," directly to the owners of existing practices that fit your criteria.

Many owners would consider selling but haven't called a broker. Some are a few years from retirement, and some have never been asked. A short, personal letter from a dentist who wants to carry on their practice often reaches them in a way a broker can't.

How to do it well:

Target carefully. Narrow the list to owners most likely to say yes:
- Owner experience: owners with 20+ years in practice are more likely to be thinking about a transition.
- Single-location practices: an owner with one office is more likely to sell to a private buyer than a multi-location group.
- Specialty: only practices that match yours.
- Marketing level: how strong the practice's online presence is today. A practice that under-markets can be an opportunity for a buyer who will.
- The area around the practice: household income, and competition or saturation (residents per dental office).
Make it personal. Introduce yourself, say why you're interested in their community, and include your photo and contact details. Handwritten beats printed.
Keep it confidential. Many owners don't want staff or patients to know they're considering a sale.
Leave out anyone you shouldn't contact, such as practices you've already reached or any inside a restrictive covenant you've signed.

Dentists have sent more than 40,000 handwritten mailers through Dentagraphics' Practice Mailers to more than 20,000 practices, and doctors have found practices this way that were never listed for sale. In the Dentagraphics platform, you can send handwritten mailers to thousands of practices in minutes, and each one is printed, stamped and mailed on your behalf.

Step 5: Check the market around the practice

A practice's numbers tell you how it has done. The market around it tells you whether that can continue, and grow, under you. For every practice you're serious about, look at:

Residents per dental office nearby, using a list of practices checked by a person, not just an online map
Population growth, household income and age mix
Who the practice's patients are, and whether the area is changing
Nearby competitors, including new offices that have opened recently

Step 6: Do your due diligence

Before you sign, get professional help reviewing:

Financials: production, collections, overhead, and how the patient count is defined
Patients and charts: active patients, hygiene recall, insurance mix
Staff, equipment and the building
The lease: term, renewal options, assignment to you, and any restrictive covenants. Have a dental attorney review it.
The purchase agreement and transition plan, including how long the seller stays on

Step 7: Make the offer and plan the transition

Agree on price and terms, sign a letter of intent, finish due diligence, and close. A good transition plan, introducing you to patients and keeping key staff, protects the value you just paid for.

How Dentagraphics helps you buy a practice

Practice Marketplace: listings from dozens of brokers in one search, with alerts the day a matching practice is listed.
Practice Mailers: find practices by specialty, number of locations, owner experience, marketing level, and the income and competition around them, then send handwritten letters with your photo and message to owners who might sell. Reach thousands of practices in minutes: we print, stamp and mail every card on your behalf. $2.50 per letter, no minimum, and no Dentagraphics branding on the card.
Market analysis: unlimited searches around any address, backed by 118,330 practices verified by hand. Or have a demographer write a custom report, with handwritten analysis prepared by a person, not software: a Single-Site Study ($695) for the practice you're considering, or an Area Analysis ($745) to compare areas.
Lease review: a dental real estate attorney reviews the lease before you commit.

The marketplace, mailers and market analysis tools are included in a Start/Buy membership ($149/month). See plans and pricing, a sample Single-Site Study, and how we verify practice data.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find a dental practice for sale that isn't listed? Go off-market: write directly to the owners of practices that fit your criteria, especially those with long experience who may be considering a transition. A personal, handwritten letter works better than a form letter or a cold call.

Should I buy a practice or start one? Buying gives you patients and cash flow from day one, and starting gives you full control of location and design. See start from scratch or buy.

How do I know if the area around a practice is too crowded? Compare residents per dental office around the practice with the county and state averages, using a verified list of practices. A common guideline is at least 2,000 to 3,000 residents per general dental office.

Do I need a broker to buy a dental practice? Not always. Many sales go through brokers, but you can reach owners directly. Either way, have a dental attorney and an accountant review the deal.