Our Blog - Everything DSO

Not long ago, if you asked most dentists what determined the value of a practice, the answer was usually pretty simple. Collections, location, number of operatories, maybe equipment and goodwill. For years, that was largely how many practices were evaluated. But in today’s environment, especially with DSOs and private equity groups aggressively competing for the right opportunities, the conversation...

  Most dentists still think dental practices are valued the same way they were 10 or 15 years ago. A percentage of collections. Maybe adjusted a little for equipment, location, or goodwill. But quietly, over the last several years, the rules have changed in a very big way. Today, some dental practices are selling for numbers that honestly surprise even the doctors who own them. And it’s not happening...

Let’s rip the Band-Aid off: Nothing scares a buyer faster than a flatline. They can forgive ugly carpet. They can forgive outdated equipment. They can even forgive messy books. But if your production numbers have flatlined for the last 3 years? If they see no momentum, no marketing, no growth? They see a dying practice wearing makeup. Buyers Don’t Buy History They Buy Trajectory Buyers don’t...

Want to know what makes buyers sweat bullets? It’s not your locationIt’s not your technologyIt’s not even your staff It’s your numbers. Buyers don’t trust them. They’ve seen too many deals implode because the “healthy” practice they were promised turned out to be a house of cards propped up by sloppy bookkeeping, wishful thinking, and numbers no one could verify. They’re no longer just cautious....

Let me tell you how most of these conversations start. A doctor reaches out and says, “I’m not ready to sell yet… but maybe in five years.” It sounds reasonable. It sounds like there’s plenty of time. And in their mind, it means they don’t have to make any big changes right now. That’s the mistake. Because what your practice will be worth in five years is being shaped by what you’re doing today. Not...

Let me tell you about a call I had a few weeks ago. The doctor gets on the phone, clearly excited. He says, “Stan, we’ve been using AI a lot lately.” You could hear it in his voice—he felt like he was ahead of the curve. So I asked him a simple question. “What’s it actually doing for your numbers?” There was a pause. Then he started listing things. “We’re writing better emails. Our social media is...

Let me tell you about a conversation I had not long ago. A Doctor sits down across from me, confident, successful by most standards. Full schedule, strong team, good reputation in the community. He leans back and says, “I think we’re in a really good place right now.” And he wasn’t wrong. But I asked him a simple question that changed the tone of the entire conversation. “If you stepped away for 60...

Let’s talk about something that actually moves the number. Not production. Not how busy your schedule looks. I’m talking about EBITDA, because that’s what buyers use to determine what your practice is worth. And right now, AI is starting to change how that number is built, how it’s evaluated, and how much someone is willing to pay for it. Most dentists don’t spend much time thinking about EBITDA until...

SCHEDULE NOW AI Won’t Replace DentistsBut It Will Replace Unoptimized Practices   Let’s clear something up right out of the gate. AI is not coming for your license, your clinical judgment, or your ability to diagnose and treat patients. Dentistry is still a human profession, and it will stay that way for a long time. But the way your practice operates around that clinical work is already changing,...

SCHEDULE NOW Let me paint a picture for you. Two practices. Same town, similar patient base, both run by good dentists who care and work hard. On paper, they look almost identical, busy schedules, steady production, and teams that seem to be doing the right things day in and day out. But when you spend a little time inside each one, you start to notice something that doesn’t show up on a report....