Buying a dental practice: the steps, the checks and how to keep the patients

To buy a dental practice, you find one through a broker or a listing, have it valued, line up financing, check the books, charts, lease and staff in due diligence, then close and introduce yourself to the patients. Most buyers put their effort into the price and very little into the handover, yet the handover decides whether the patients you paid for stay.

This guide is general information, not legal, tax, lending or valuation advice. Buy with a team: a broker or buyer's representative, a lender, a dental CPA and a dental attorney. The California Dental Association puts it plainly: "A dental CPA, a dental attorney, a trusted lender" are must-haves for an acquisition team (CDA). Gigabit sells marketing to dental practices. We don't broker, value or finance practices, and we have no stake in which one you buy. Where we know the subject well, the handover of the patients, the Google profile and the website, we go into detail.

Many practices are sold through dental brokers. Henry Schein Dental Practice Transitions, for example, showed 280 practices for sale on 10 November 2026, each listed by region and a reference code rather than by name. It says it works for sellers, and that it "never represents both sides of a transaction" (Henry Schein DPT).

That's the point to hold on to: the listing broker usually works for the seller. That's normal, and a good broker keeps a deal moving. But the person setting the price isn't on your side of the table. Some buyers hire their own representative or lean on their CPA. Brian Hanks, a dental accountant who represents buyers, writes that full-service brokers charge sellers up to 10% of the price (AGD), which tells you whose fee it is.

Other routes are less formal: dentists you know who plan to retire, study clubs, supply reps who visit many offices, and the practice where you already work as an associate. An off-market deal can mean less competition, but you'll still want the same checks and the same advisers.

Before you look, write down what you want: location, size, the share of patients with insurance versus fee for service, the kind of dentistry, and the seller's plans. It saves you from falling for a nice office with the wrong patient base.

We've written a separate guide to dental practice valuation, so we won't repeat the ranges here. The short version: rules of thumb based on collections are a first look, and profit decides more. If the seller's broker produced the valuation, ask your own CPA to read it, check how profit was worked out and compare it with the tax returns.

Most buyers borrow. The Small Business Administration's 7(a) program is one common route. On its own pages, checked 10 November 2026, SBA says:

• The maximum 7(a) loan is $5 million, and "changes of ownership (complete or partial)" are an eligible use (SBA).
• You work with a lender, not with SBA. SBA guarantees part of the loan; for loans above $150,000 the guarantee is up to 75% (SBA terms).
• Terms are generally 10 years or less, and up to 25 years where the loan finances real estate.
• On variable-rate loans over $350,000, the rate can't exceed the base rate plus 3.0%.
• Change-of-ownership rules sit in SBA's lender handbook, SOP 50 10. The version effective 1 October 2026 has an appendix on them. Ask your lender how it applies to your deal.

Neither SBA page sets a down payment for buying a business, so we won't give one. Banks with healthcare lending teams also make practice loans outside SBA. We couldn't open their current terms on 10 November, so we don't quote any.

Get written terms from two or three lenders and compare more than the rate: the term, fees, prepayment penalties, what you must personally guarantee, whether working capital is included, and what happens if collections dip after the sale. Your CPA should check that the payments fit the practice's cash flow with room to spare.

Due diligence is where you check that the practice is what the listing says. The CDA's toolkit splits it into three audits: equipment, financial and patient chart (CDA). Your attorney and CPA run it. This is the checklist we'd want covered, with the marketing items most buyers forget at the end:

Patient information can be shared during diligence, within limits. HHS lists the "sale or transfer of assets" among the health care operations a practice may use patient information for, and the minimum necessary standard applies (HHS). Your attorney sets what is shared, when, and under what confidentiality terms.

Your attorney drafts or reviews the purchase agreement and the lease assignment. A few items to raise early:

• Allocation of the price. The IRS treats a business sale as a sale of each asset, and buyer and seller use the residual method to divide the price (IRS). It affects tax for both sides, so it's your CPA's question.
• The seller's role after closing. Whether the seller stays to introduce you, for how long and on what terms.
• Staff. Who you will employ, on what terms, and what is owed to them at closing.
• Patient records. Who holds them, and how long they're kept. State rules apply; ask your attorney.
• The practice name. If it carries the seller's name, there are limits on how long you can use it. Our valuation guide quotes the ADA's rule; your state board may have its own.
• A transition plan in writing. Who tells patients, when, and in what words. More on that next.

Patients chose the old dentist, not you. Some will leave when the dentist changes, and you can't stop all of them. You can make staying the easy choice. We found no published figure for how many patients typically leave after a sale, so here's what a small loss means, with example numbers:

That's why the handover belongs in the deal, not in a to-do list for later. Five things matter most.

Announce the new dentist

A letter or email from the seller, in the seller's own voice, introducing you, does more than any ad. It should say why the seller chose you, that the team is staying (if it is), that records stay with the practice, and how to book. HHS gives the example of a hospital using its patient list to announce a new specialty group as a communication that isn't marketing (HHS). Have your attorney check the wording and timing, and keep the message about the practice, not anyone's treatment.

An example the seller might adapt: "After [number] years, I'm handing the practice to Dr. [Name], who will see patients here from [date]. I chose Dr. [Name] because [one honest reason]. [Hygienist and front-desk names] are staying, your records stay here, and your next visit is booked as usual. Call [phone] or book at [link] to meet Dr. [Name]."

Take over the Google Business Profile, don't start a new one

The profile carries the reviews, photos and history patients see first. Get primary ownership transferred to the practice's account at closing. Google's steps: in the profile, open Business Profile settings, then People and access, pick the new user, edit their access and choose Primary owner. Only the primary owner can do this. A newly added owner may have to wait 7 days before managing everything, so add the new owner before closing day (Google).

If the seller can't be reached, you can request ownership. The current owner has 3 days to respond, and Google says the option to claim afterwards "isn't always available" (Google). That's a reason to put the transfer in the purchase agreement. If the practice name changes, update it only when the sign does: Google says the name should reflect the real-world name used on the storefront, website and stationery (Google).

Get the website, domain and phone number

List them in the asset schedule: the domain and the registrar login, hosting, the site itself, email, the phone numbers and the account that holds them, social accounts, ad accounts and the review and texting tools. Keep the same phone number. On day one, add your photo and a short bio to the site, and keep the seller's page up for a while with a note about the handover. Our dental SEO guide covers what the site should carry.

Keep recall running

The patients most likely to drift are the ones who aren't booked. Make sure the next hygiene visits stay on the schedule, confirmations keep going out, and someone works the overdue list in your first 90 days. Ask the hygienists to introduce you at each visit. Our dental marketing guide sets out a recall system.

Measure against the baseline

Diligence gave you a baseline: active patients, new patients a month, the overdue count and hygiene bookings. Compare each month against it for the first year. If the numbers dip, you'll know where, and whether it's the phone, recall or reviews.