It doesn’t just seem harder to sell a dental practice today. It is harder to sell a dental practice today. Although the larger suburban practices sell quickly, the smaller rural practices remain on the market indefinitely. Dentists keep retiring but the pool of potential buyers continues to dwindle.
There are fewer buyers today because:
- Approximately 18%–20% of practices are affiliated with DSOs today
- The DSOs are overpaying associates so they have less incentive to buy a practice
- Half of graduates today are female and many are not looking to own a practice
- The dentists looking to buy a practice have multiple options – the most solid practices are the most desired and will go first
- This situation is likely to worsen with increased DSO ownership
Essentially, the rural practices are significantly harder to sell. In fact, there are many practices that will not ever sell. Practice owners need to start their transition process much sooner than in the past. If you are nearing retirement and would like to discuss your transition options please contact us at 412-931-1040.