Prepare Your Dental Practice for a Stronger Sale
Dental practice sale preparation is the work you do before approaching a broker or buyer: clarifying your goals, normalizing financials, organizing diligence materials, and understanding how the market will view your practice. First Move Advisors helps dental owners take that step with buyer-side perspective and no pressure to sell.
Schedule a free consultation →What Should You Prepare Before Selling a Dental Practice?
A buyer-ready practice is easy to understand, supported by defensible information, and aligned with the owner’s goals. Focus on these five areas before going to market.
Clarify Your Goals and Timeline
Define what a successful transition means for you, including timing, your desired role after a sale, team and patient continuity, and the financial outcome you need. Clear priorities make it easier to evaluate the right sale path later.
Normalize Financials and Defend EBITDA
Organize several years of financial statements and identify owner-specific expenses, one-time costs, compensation adjustments, and revenue trends. Buyers will form their view of value from defensible normalized EBITDA, not simply the number on your tax return.
Document Operations, Providers, and Staff Dependencies
Make the practice easier to understand by documenting provider production, scheduling, payor mix, patient flow, staff roles, key contracts, compliance materials, and any operational reliance on you as the owner.
Build a Buyer-Ready Preliminary Data Room
Gather the financial, legal, operational, and clinical-business documents a buyer is likely to request. A well-organized preliminary data room helps diligence move faster and reduces avoidable surprises.
Understand Your Position in the Dental Market
Know which buyer types may fit your practice, what each will care about, and how your size, geography, growth profile, provider model, and goals affect marketability before you begin conversations.
The Step Before a Dental Practice Broker or Buyer
Brokers are valued transaction partners who market practices, bring qualified buyers to the table, and guide negotiations. Preparation comes first so you can enter that relationship with organized information, realistic expectations, and a clear view of what matters to you.
First Move is independent. We are not a broker or buyer, and our diagnostic does not require a listing agreement or future transaction. That independence lets us help you prepare before going to market, then choose the right next step with confidence. You can also understand the dental practice selling process.
How First Move Helps Dental Practice Owners
Our three-part model gives owners useful clarity whether a sale is months away or still several years out. See how First Move helps owners prepare.
Understand: Start With an Honest Conversation
Begin with a free 30-minute consultation with both co-founders. We listen to your goals, learn about your dental practice, and share an honest perspective. No pitch. No pressure. Just an honest look.
Prepare: Know What Buyers Will See
Our fixed-fee diagnostic covers financial normalization, operational benchmarking, market positioning, a preliminary data room, and a value-creation roadmap. The work is yours, with no listing agreement, no exclusivity, and no obligation to sell.
Navigate: Choose the Right Path When You Are Ready
When the time is right, we help you assess the available paths and can introduce brokers or buyers suited to your practice and goals. You stay in control of the timing and the decision.
Buyer-Side Experience Applied to Your Dental Practice
David Thoni brings 25+ years in healthcare and helped build a DSO from the ground up. Eric Thomas has reviewed more than 200 deals from the buyer’s seat, including financial normalization and diligence. Together, they apply that perspective for dental practice owners before the market process begins.
Meet the advisors bringing buyer-side perspectiveDental Practice Sale Preparation FAQs
How far in advance should I prepare to sell my dental practice?
Starting one to three years before a potential sale gives you time to organize records, understand value drivers, address issues, and make thoughtful decisions. Preparation is still valuable on a shorter timeline, and you do not need to commit to selling to begin.
What financial records do buyers review in a dental practice sale?
Buyers commonly review tax returns, profit and loss statements, balance sheets, payroll and provider compensation, production and collection reports, accounts receivable, and supporting detail for adjustments. The exact request list depends on the buyer and the practice.
How is normalized EBITDA used in a dental practice valuation?
Normalized EBITDA adjusts reported earnings for owner-specific, one-time, and non-recurring items to show the practice's sustainable operating performance. Buyers use that defensible earnings figure, along with market and practice-specific factors, when assessing value.
Should I prepare before choosing a dental practice broker?
Yes. Preparation helps you understand your goals, financials, marketability, and likely sale paths before selecting a broker. A prepared owner can choose a broker whose specialty, geography, and approach fit the practice, while giving that broker cleaner information to take to market.
Do I need to be ready to sell before talking with First Move?
No. Many owners are years from a transaction. A free consultation can help you understand where you stand and what to work on, with no pressure, listing agreement, exclusivity, or obligation to sell.
Know Where You Stand Before You Go to Market
Start with a free 30-minute conversation with both co-founders. No pitch. No pressure. Just an honest look.
Schedule a free consultation →