Selling a Dentistry business

Dental practice deals move faster when you can explain the “Monday morning” reality. Buyers want collections (not just production), hygiene recall strength, provider coverage, and whether the space and lease keep the practice steady after you step back.

What's your dentistry business worth?

Sign up to learn more about selling your business. Free valuation included.

What buyers evaluate, and how to prepare

Can you walk through last month’s production to collections?
Deal-critical
Collections

What buyers determine

Buyers underwrite what actually lands in the bank, not what the schedule produced. They’re looking for leakage from adjustments, write-offs, and stuck claims, plus whether collections depend on one key front-desk person. Clean, repeatable collections support lender confidence and usually push price and terms in your favor.

How to prepare

  • Reconcile production to adjustments/write-offs to collections monthly for the last 24 months
  • Break out collections by payer type (PPO, FFS, Medicaid/other), and top plans
  • Summarize AR aging and who works claims and patient balances, including follow-up cadence
  • Document patient financing use, fees, and how declines are handled at the front desk
Great answer
Over the last 12 months, we averaged $205k/month in production and $193k/month collected, about a 94% collection rate. PPO is 62% of collections, with the top two plans at 34%; adjustments average 27%, and AR over 90 days stays around 9–11% of total AR. Claims are worked weekly by our billing lead, and time-to-collect runs about 18 days. I can share the monthly reconciliation report from the PMS alongside bank deposits.
Good answer
We track production and collections monthly, and collections usually run in the low-to-mid 90% range. We still need to package a clean reconciliation with AR aging and adjustment detail.
Red flag
Production is what matters, and we’re busy. Insurance is slow, but it all comes in eventually.
How Rejigg helps:Rejigg pulls your financials into a clean data room so buyers can verify production-to-collections, AR aging, and adjustments without a long email chase.
Show me your hygiene schedule: how far out are you booked, and what’s your reappointment rate?
Deal-critical
Hygiene Recall

What buyers determine

In most general practices, hygiene keeps the schedule full and feeds doctor production. Buyers want proof that your recall system works when a hygienist leaves, cancellations spike, or the seller steps back. If recall is weak, collections often dip right after close.

How to prepare

  • Define active patients (for example, seen in the last 18 months), and report recall cohort counts
  • Pull hygiene book-out, reappointment rate, and the size of your unscheduled/overdue list
  • Document cancellation and no-show rate, plus the backfill process and who owns it
  • Map hygiene capacity by provider and day, and note coverage gaps or recruiting plans
Great answer
We define active as seen in the last 18 months, and we’re at 3,420 active patients. Hygiene is booked 4–5 weeks for prophy and about 3 weeks for perio maintenance, and our reappointment rate averaged 78% over the last two quarters. The hygiene coordinator works the unscheduled list every Tuesday and Thursday, and we track same-day backfills. Here are the PMS reports and the last 90 days of cancellation metrics.
Good answer
Hygiene is usually booked out a few weeks, and we run recall calls and texts. We need to pull clean reporting on reappointment rates and the unscheduled list.
Red flag
Hygiene is always slammed. Patients come back when they’re ready, and we don’t track reappointment.
How Rejigg helps:Rejigg’s Owner’s Guide points you to the exact hygiene and recall reports buyers ask for, and the data room lets you share them under NDA.
How many days do you personally work, and what procedures are you the only one doing?
Deal-critical
Provider Dependence

What buyers determine

Buyers are measuring how much revenue depends on you personally, especially for high-skill procedures and relationship-driven case acceptance. They’re also modeling what it costs to replace your chair time and how much production might drop during the handoff. Transferable dentistry widens the buyer pool and tends to reduce holdbacks and earnouts.

How to prepare

  • Break down production and collections by provider (owner, associates, hygiene) for 24 months
  • List owner-only procedures with volumes and collected revenue
  • Model the impact of reducing one owner day per week or stopping key owner-only procedures
  • Draft a transition plan for clinical days, cases in progress, and referral introductions
Great answer
I work 4 days/week and produced 58% of 2025 collections; hygiene is 29%, and our associate is 13%. The owner-only procedures are implants (12–15/month) and molar endo (8–10/month), which collect about $38k/month. We modeled replacement with a full-time associate at 32% of collections, plus a 90-day guarantee. I’m willing to stay 2 days/week for 12–16 weeks to transition those cases and introduce the buyer to key referring offices.
Good answer
I’m the main producer, and I do the higher-skill procedures. I’m open to staying on, but we haven’t quantified production by procedure and provider yet.
Red flag
Patients come for me, so the buyer will need to be like me. I’m stopping immediately after close.
How Rejigg helps:Rejigg lets you compare offers with transition requirements, earnouts tied to post-close production, and coverage plans in one place.
What’s your insurance mix, and are you in-network or out-of-network for the top plans?
Deal-critical
Payer Mix

What buyers determine

Payer mix shapes fees, margins, and how hard the front desk has to work to get paid. Buyers look for concentration in the top plans, how adjustments behave, and whether the practice routinely discounts beyond fee schedules. This varies by market, but it often changes valuation and determines the buyer’s post-close plan for fees, participation, and marketing.

How to prepare

  • Report collections by payer and top 5 plans with percent of total collections
  • Summarize adjustment and write-off rates by plan and any known fee schedule changes
  • Document eligibility checks, claim cadence, resubmissions, appeals, and patient balance collection
  • List membership plan terms and how discounts are tracked in the PMS
Great answer
Collections are 66% PPO, 31% FFS, and 3% other. The top two PPOs are Delta at 21% and MetLife at 12%; total adjustments average 26%, and we don’t discount beyond contracted schedules without documented manager approval. We collect copays at the time of service and run a weekly AR huddle. I can share plan participation, the fee schedules we keep on file, and AR and claims-aging screenshots.
Good answer
We’re mostly PPO with a meaningful FFS base. I can list the top plans, but we still need to package fee schedule, adjustment detail, and the AR workflow.
Red flag
We take most insurance. The front desk handles it, and the buyer can figure out the plans later.
How Rejigg helps:Rejigg’s data room helps you share payer mix, AR aging, and billing workflows only with vetted buyers under NDA.
What happens if an associate or hygienist quits?
Deal-critical
Team Stability

What buyers determine

In dentistry, continuity lives with people. Hygienists protect recall, and an associate can be immediate capacity. Buyers look at turnover, comp competitiveness, cross-training, and whether patients feel loyal to the practice brand or one clinician because staffing shocks can dent collections right after close.

How to prepare

  • Create a roster with tenure, role, schedule, and comp model, using ranges for early calls
  • Assign owners and backups for recall, insurance/AR, schedule templates, and treatment presentation
  • Write down your hiring, onboarding, and training steps for front office and clinical roles
  • Flag any known risks and outline a realistic recruiting plan and timeline
Great answer
We have two full-time hygienists with 6 and 9 years' tenure; recall is owned by the hygiene coordinator, and our office manager is trained as backup. Our associate has been here 3.5 years, produces about 13% of collections, and is paid 30% of collections with no guarantee, backed by a signed agreement. New patients are routed through a consistent scheduling template, not ad hoc. If a hygienist left, we have a temp pipeline and a reactivation and backfill process we can stabilize within 2–3 weeks.
Good answer
The team is stable, and I don’t expect anyone to leave. We haven’t documented backups for insurance and recall ownership yet.
Red flag
If someone quits, we scramble. It always works out because everyone knows what to do.
How Rejigg helps:Rejigg helps you present staffing coverage and workflow ownership clearly so buyers worry less about a post-close wobble.
Is the lease workable for a buyer and are there any odd clauses?
Important
Facility & Lease

What buyers determine

Lease problems can slow or kill an otherwise solid practice deal. Buyers look for enough remaining term, workable assignment language, and any personal guarantee requirements, plus whether the space supports the current ops count and patient flow. Clear lease and facility details prevent last-minute surprises that push closing dates or trigger price cuts.

How to prepare

  • Gather the executed lease, all amendments, rent schedule, and landlord contact info
  • Confirm remaining term, options, assignment and consent language, and any use restrictions
  • Document ops count and what’s actually usable, plus expansion potential and parking notes
  • If you own the building, document market rent and whether real estate is sold or leased back
Great answer
The lease has 6 years remaining, plus two 5-year options. Assignment requires consent not unreasonably withheld, and there’s no new personal guarantee for a qualified buyer. Base rent is $8,750/month, plus NNN, and we have the full amendment package and landlord contact ready. The space has 6 plumbed ops, 5 used daily, and room to add 1 more op without moving walls.
Good answer
The lease has been straightforward, and the landlord is reasonable. We still need to pull all amendments and confirm assignment terms in writing.
Red flag
I’m not sure what the lease says. The landlord will probably be fine, and we’ll deal with it after LOI.
How Rejigg helps:Rejigg’s data room lets you share the lease package securely and keep all lease questions in one threaded place.
What’s about to break, and who’s paying for it?
Important
Equipment & Capex

What buyers determine

Downtime and surprise capex hit dental cash flow fast, especially with chairs, compressors, suction, imaging, and sterilization. Buyers are estimating what they’ll have to replace in the first year or two and whether maintenance has been deferred. Being upfront here usually reduces retrades later.

How to prepare

  • Build an equipment list with age, condition, ownership, and maintenance history
  • Flag critical systems and known issues, including any temporary workarounds
  • Share invoices for major repairs and any warranties or service agreements
  • Estimate a 12–24-month capex and separate elective upgrades from must-replace items
Great answer
The core systems are stable: the compressor was replaced in 2023, the suction pump was rebuilt in 2024, and two chairs were serviced and reupholstered last year. Our pano is 8 years old, owned outright, and covered by a service contract, and we have the last two tickets. The main near-term capex is one older delivery unit we expect to replace within 12 months for about $9–12k, and it’s disclosed in the equipment schedule.
Good answer
Most equipment works well, and we repair things as they come up. We haven’t pulled a full age and condition list with maintenance records yet.
Red flag
Everything works fine if you jiggle it. I don’t keep maintenance paperwork.
How Rejigg helps:Rejigg organizes equipment schedules, leases, and service records so buyers can diligence capex risk without slowing the deal.
Where do your new patients actually come from?
Good to have
New Patients

What buyers determine

Buyers want to know if new patients come from repeatable channels like Google and referrals, or from something fragile like one relationship or the seller’s personal brand. They also look at basic front-desk conversion and no-show patterns because empty chair time is hard to recover. Predictable patient flow can help a buyer justify a stronger offer and get comfortable with financing.

How to prepare

  • Report monthly new patients for 12–24 months and split hygiene starts vs comprehensive starts
  • List top sources and include spend and booked patients where you can
  • Track call answer rate, booking rate, no-shows, cancellations, and your backfill process
  • Document your online reviews trend and who responds and requests reviews
Great answer
We average 38 new patients per month over the last 12 months. About 60% start in hygiene, and 40% book a comp exam within 30 days. The top sources are Google/Maps at roughly half, patient referrals at about a third, and a $1,200/month search budget that produces 10–12 booked patients per month. We review calls answered and no-shows weekly; no-shows run about 6%, and we backfill from an ASAP list the front desk works daily.
Good answer
Most patients come from Google and word of mouth, and we get a few dozen new patients per month. We need to pull the trend and conversion metrics.
Red flag
We don’t track it. People just find us, and we don’t really do marketing.
How Rejigg helps:Rejigg helps you tell a credible new-patient story to the right buyer type and keep outreach and follow-ups organized.
How will patients find out, and who will reassure them?
Good to have
Transition Plan

What buyers determine

Transitions in dentistry run on trust. Patients need steady messaging, hygiene needs a script, and cases in progress need clean handoffs so people don’t feel abandoned. Buyers also want to see how you’ll keep staff steady and protect referral relationships in the first 30–90 days because that’s when churn shows up.

How to prepare

  • Write a patient communication plan with timing for letters, email, SMS, and in-office scripting
  • List cases in progress and set handoff rules for crowns, implants, ortho, and phased plans
  • Define your post-close role and schedule, including introductions and consult availability
  • Plan staff retention conversations and consider targeted retention bonuses where appropriate
Great answer
We’ll run a coordinated handoff: an announcement letter and email about two weeks pre-close, plus consistent scripting for hygiene and the front desk. I’ll be on-site 2 days per week for 10–12 weeks to introduce the buyer and finish or hand off cases cleanly. We’ve already pulled a list of cases in progress, including crown seats, implants, and ortho, with a communication plan for each. I’ll introduce the buyer to our key referral partners in the first month.
Good answer
I’m willing to stay on for a bit, and we’ll send a letter. We haven’t built a detailed plan for cases in progress or staff messaging yet.
Red flag
Patients will figure it out. I don’t want to be involved after closing.
How Rejigg helps:Rejigg provides transition templates and keeps agreed timelines and responsibilities visible from LOI through close.

Straight from buyer evaluations

“Nine hundred active patients, a hygienist who's been there eleven years, and a recall system that actually gets people back every six months. This practice basically runs itself between cleanings and scheduled work.”
Patient LoyaltyBuyer impressed by patient loyalty at a general dentistry practice
“The insurance mix is what caught my eye. Over 60 percent of patients pay out of pocket or through preferred plans, with the rest spread across four insurance companies. No single insurance plan makes up more than 15 percent of the revenue. That kind of balance is exactly what you want.”
Balanced RevenueBuyer analyzing a dental practice's healthy revenue mix
“Three rooms running and a fourth already set up and ready to go. The associate dentist handles two full days on her own, and the front desk runs scheduling without the owner hovering. I can grow right into that fourth room without spending a dime on construction.”
Room to GrowBuyer excited about growth potential at a dental practice
“When I saw the hygiene numbers and how many patients said yes to recommended treatment, I knew this wasn't just a cleaning mill. There's enough scheduled work to keep me busy for a year before I even need to bring in new patients.”
Treatment AcceptanceBuyer reviewing production numbers at a dental practice
“The digital imaging equipment is current, the practice management software is well-maintained, and every patient chart transferred without issue. Practices with records this organized are rare. That's what let me move fast on the offer.”
Well-OrganizedBuyer completing review of a dental practice

How buyers value this type of business

Where you land in that range depends on how many active patients you have, whether you have an associate dentist who handles some of the work, and how your insurance mix looks.

2x–7x
annual profit
Depending on patient base, team, and how much runs without you

What drives a premium

  • A large base of active patients
    The number of patients who've been in within the last 18 months is the single most important thing buyers look at. More patients means more value.
  • An associate dentist who handles their own patients
    If an associate produces a meaningful share of the work, it shows buyers the practice doesn't depend entirely on you being in the chair.
  • Patients who pay out of pocket or through preferred plans
    A higher percentage of patients not on discount insurance plans means better income per visit and less paperwork headaches.
  • Patients who come back for their regular cleanings
    When most of your patients come back for their six-month cleanings, you have a built-in flow of work that doesn't depend on marketing.

Common add-backs

Continuing education courses, travel, and conference expenses you run through the practiceSalary or perks for family members on the payroll above what you'd pay someone elseEquipment purchases you bought early for tax reasons rather than because you needed them right awayPersonal vehicles or insurance bundled into practice expenses

What the process looks like

5–8 months from listing to closemedian 201 days across closed deals
  1. 1
    Listing
    The day your business goes live on Rejigg.
  2. 2
    First messageMedian: 4 days later
    A buyer requests a conversation by sending a first pitch.
  3. 3
    First callMedian: 7 days later
    Your first completed call with a buyer to answer questions about your business.
  4. 4
    Letter of intentMedian: 59 days later
    A buyer submits an LOI and you choose to accept, decline, or negotiate.
  5. 5
    Deal closeMedian: 89 days later
    Assuming all is well in due diligence, you close the deal.
See the data behind this timeline in the 2026 Insight Report
Typical buyer types
Associate dentists ready to own their first practice instead of starting from scratchDental groups adding locations in your areaPractice owners looking to expand with a second or third locationFirst-time buyers with dental experience who want an established patient base

Common questions about selling a Dentistry business

Ready to see what your business is worth?

Share a few details and get an honest valuation. No pressure, no commitment.