How to find a dental practice to buy that isn't listed for sale

The most reliable way to find a dental practice that isn't listed is to write directly to the owners of practices that fit what you want. Narrow the list to owners most likely to consider a sale, usually single-location practices whose owners have 20 or more years in practice, and send each one a short, personal, handwritten letter. Many practices change hands without ever reaching a broker's listing page, because the owner was never asked.

Dentists have sent more than 40,000 handwritten mailers to more than 20,000 practices through Dentagraphics' Practice Mailers, and doctors have found practices this way that were never listed for sale. This guide covers why off-market buying works, how to choose who to contact, what to write, and what to check before you make an offer.

Why so many practices never get listed

Listed practices are only part of the market. Many owners would consider selling but haven't called a broker:

They're a few years from retirement and haven't started planning.
They've never been asked. A letter from a dentist who wants to carry on their practice is a different conversation from a broker's pitch.
They want privacy. Many owners don't want staff or patients to know they're thinking about a sale.
They want a say in who takes over. Some would rather choose a successor directly than sell to the highest bidder.

Going off-market also means less competition. A listed practice in a good area can draw several buyers. A practice you found yourself starts as a conversation between two dentists.

Step 1: Decide what you're looking for

Before you write to anyone, be clear about the practice you want:

Specialty: general practice, or the specialty you practice.
Area: the towns or counties you'd live and work in.
Size: roughly how many operatories and how much revenue you can finance.
Model: fee-for-service, PPO or a mix.

Step 2: Build a target list of owners likely to say yes

Narrow the list to the owners most likely to consider a sale. In the Dentagraphics platform you can filter practices by:

Owner experience. Owners with 20 or more years in practice are more likely to be thinking about a transition.
Number of locations. An owner with one office is more likely to sell to a private buyer than a multi-location group.
Specialty, so you only reach practices that match yours.
Marketing level, meaning 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, including household income and competition (residents per practice).

Every practice in the Dentagraphics database is verified by hand and rechecked every year, so you aren't paying to mail offices that closed or moved.

Step 3: Write a letter that sounds like you

A good off-market letter is short and personal:

Introduce yourself and say why you're interested in their community.
Say what you're looking for without sounding like a buyer with a checklist.
Make it easy to reply with your phone number and email.
Include your photo. Owners want to know who might take care of their patients.

Handwritten letters get read. With Dentagraphics' Practice Mailers you write your message once and send handwritten mailers to thousands of practices in minutes. Each one is printed, stamped and mailed on your behalf, with no Dentagraphics branding on the card. Letters cost $2.50 each, with no minimum.

Step 4: Follow up and keep it confidential

Most owners won't reply to the first letter. A second letter a few months later reaches the ones whose plans have changed. When someone does reply, treat it as confidential, and keep track of who you've contacted so you don't write to the same owner twice or reach practices you've agreed not to contact.

Step 5: Check the market before you make an offer

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

Residents per general practice nearby, counted from a verified list, not an online map.
Population growth, household income and age mix around the practice.
Recent openings nearby that could pull patients away.

A custom report from a Dentagraphics demographer answers these questions for a specific practice, written by hand. For the full buying process, see how to buy a dental practice and independent market analysis before buying a dental practice.

Ways to find unlisted dental practices, compared

Approach	Strengths	Limits
Handwritten letters to targeted owners	Reaches owners who haven't listed; personal; scales to hundreds or thousands of practices	Replies take time; needs a good target list
Calling or visiting offices	Direct	Front desk staff screen calls; owners rarely want to talk in front of staff
Your network (dental school, study clubs, suppliers, reps)	Warm introductions	Limited to who you already know
Brokers' private lists	Some brokers hold "pocket listings"	Only owners who already called a broker
Associateship with a path to buy	Lets you learn the practice first	Takes years, and the terms need to be in writing

Frequently asked questions

Do dental practice owners respond to letters from buyers? Some do, and a personal, handwritten letter gets far more attention than a form letter or a cold call. Expect most owners not to reply to a first letter, and plan to follow up.

Who should I send letters to? Owners of single-location practices that match your specialty, in the area you want, especially owners with 20 or more years in practice.

How many letters should I send? Enough to cover every practice that fits your criteria in your target area. In a metro area that can be hundreds of practices; in a small town it may be a dozen.

Is it OK to contact an owner directly instead of going through a broker? Yes. Many sales start this way. You can bring in a broker, attorney and accountant once you and the owner agree to talk seriously.

How much does it cost to send handwritten mailers through Dentagraphics? $2.50 per letter with no minimum, printed, stamped and mailed for you. Practice Mailers are part of a Dentagraphics Start/Buy membership. See plans and pricing.

What should I check before making an offer on a practice I found this way? The same things as a listed practice: the financials, the patient base, the lease, and the market around it, including verified competition, income and growth nearby.