DSOs are here to stay. They are spreading nationally, and many believe they will be the largest providers of dental services very soon. Why? The obvious reason is that dentistry can be very profitable and provide a steady return to investors. Why did it take so long for investors to jump into the business of […]

Mergers are unquestionably the best return on investment you can make. The success of EVERY transition or merger assumes the vast majority of patients will stay with the practice and transfer to the new dentist. This is generally true when the transition is handled properly and both parties understand that the “goodwill” portion of the […]

Dental schools provide an excellent platform for training students to practice dentistry, but fail to prepare them for the realities of private practice ownership.  Today’s young dentists are faced with increased competition like never before. The biggest challenge facing future practice owners is the increased number of corporate clinics. The pressure imposed by the corporate […]

If you get a job as an associate dentist you are typically confronted with a written Employment Agreement containing many confusing terms and conditions.  Trying to decipher the meaning and context of an Employment Agreement can be just as confusing as a layman trying to read an x-ray. The following are a few items you […]

by Bill Avery, DDS, PhD As happens with most dental practice brokers, I frequently get calls from dentists who are considering bringing in an associate so they can eventually sell their practice to the associate and retire in a few years. For simplicity’s sake, I prefer the “sell and walk away” transition method where the seller […]

Baby boomers are perhaps the largest segment of full-time practicing dentists in the country today. Many are reaching a point where they need to decide how to transition out of their profession. We will briefly discuss some options during this important phase in your decision-making process. The goal is to arm you with 1,000 questions […]

Dental practice acquisitions and sales require the RIGHT STRATEGY WITH SENSIBLE GUIDELINES to result in a successful transition. It is important to find the ideal practice to purchase, and to know that the practice has a sufficient cash flow to provide a good living and to service debt. It is vital to ensure that the terms and conditions […]

In this day and age of deferred retirements,more practice owners are making the decision to have an associate join their practice.  Hiring an associate may allow the senior dentist to take more time off and still maintain some income. Before such an endeavor is undertaken, it should be realized that an associate buy-in is much […]

When practicing as a partner, one key agreement that should be in place is the buy-sell  agreement.  This stipulates the orderly purchase of a partner’s share of the practice if a partner  dies, becomes disabled, retires, or leaves the practice prior to retirement. Here are 10 questions to ask about your buy-sell agreement: 1. Is […]

The emergence of women in dentistry has been a slow but steady phenomenon that has challenged many of us to examine our preconceptions and stereotypes of how women practice. Besides the many influences women are having on the clinical side of the profession, they also are impacting the management and transitioning of practices. Recently, Gretchen […]