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Dental Startup + Acquisition Consulting
You didn't survive dental school to spend your career building someone else's dream.
Ideal Practices is the team behind 900+ successful dental practice startups and acquisitions. Whether you're building from scratch or buying an existing practice, we're with you at every stage, from your first vision call to your opening day and beyond.
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The Real Challenge
You know what you want. You just haven't found the right people to help you build it.
Here's the thing nobody talks about: every person you'll work with on this journey has something to sell you. The bank wants to fund you. The contractor wants to build for you. The equipment rep wants to sell to you. They're all good at what they do, but none of them are looking at your entire project and asking "is this actually right for this dentist?" That's what we do. We're the only people at the table whose only job is to make sure every decision serves your vision.
The Ideal Practices Method™
A proven process for starting or acquiring a dental practice.
The Ideal Practices Method™ is the system behind 900+ successful dental practice startups and acquisitions. It covers every stage of the journey, from defining your vision to negotiating your lease, designing your floorplan, building your team, and opening your doors. One dedicated team manages every moving piece so nothing falls through the cracks and you're never guessing what comes next.
Planning
Vision, demographics, financing, business plan
Pre-Build
Site selection, design, equipment, construction bids
Build
Construction, marketing, hiring, business systems
Launch
Dress rehearsal, opening day, and beyond
Planning
Vision, demographics, market alignment
Due Diligence
Practice analysis, financing, negotiations
Implementation
Credentialing, systems, ownership day
Ownership Coaching
8 months: leadership, marketing, KPIs, team
Whether you're building from scratch or acquiring an existing practice, the Ideal Practices Method™ gives you a proven path and a dedicated team that stays with you from your first conversation to well after your doors are open.
Two Paths to Ownership
Startup or acquisition: two paths to dental practice ownership.
There's no single right answer to how you become an owner. Both paths work. Both paths have risks that most people don't see until it's too late. The Ideal Practices Method™ is built for both.
Path One
Build Your Dental Practice from Scratch (with a Team Behind Every Decision)
Total control over every detail: your location, your floorplan, your equipment, your team, your culture. We manage the entire build while you keep earning as an associate. Our team negotiates your equipment, reviews every construction bid, and walks through your loan documents line by line.
Timeline: 12 to 18 months from vision to grand opening
Learn About Startup ConsultingPath Two
Buy an Existing Dental Practice (and Actually Make It Yours)
Walk into an existing patient base and revenue, but with a team running the due diligence most buyers skip. We are not brokers. We represent you from your first vision call through 8 full months of post-close coaching: leadership, marketing, team development, and KPI tracking.
Timeline: Up to 16 months (pre-close + 8 months ownership coaching)
Learn About Acquisition ConsultingNot sure which path is right for you?
That's exactly what the Ownership Clarity Call is for. One conversation, no application required.
Book Your Ownership Clarity CallClient Reviews
Real feedback from dentists who've been through the process.
Worth the Investment
★★★★★
“Financing during COVID was a pain. Banks refused to lend to me. Kyle led me through all the roadblocks and I ended up with great terms and fully funded. Steve Burns probably saved me $80K on equipment and another $80K on the contractor. That's got to be the best and quickest ROI I'll ever see.”
$160K+ saved on equipment and construction
I Was Nervous Before I Started
★★★★★
“Before joining Ideal Practices, I was nervous about the whole startup process. But during our vision call, I remember Stephen mentioning the idea of a trust fall: let us help you make the important decisions and trust us that they will yield the best results. In 11 months, a beautiful dental office, with patients that have truly fallen in love with everything we've created.”
Profitable from the very first month
Could I Have Done This Alone?
★★★★★
“You can DIY it and read and stress and open a practice by yourself or you can hire the folks at Ideal Practices, like a professional contractor, and have a better result faster and with less stress. They will run fast and work hard alongside you. You won't be disappointed.”
Google Review
What the Process Feels Like
★★★★★
“They have helped me refine my vision, figure out where and how I want to practice, the legacy I want to create, and every step along the journey. Demographics, real estate, floor plan, equipment, construction, hiring, marketing. You have helped me change my life, truly. I was getting burnt out and this project renewed my passion for what I do.”
Google Review, Sep 2024
See What's Possible
One dentist's story from associate to owner.
Dr. Bryan opened his practice and saw 200 patients in his first two months. Today, he's serving his community in what he calls "a profound way."
Led by Stephen Trutter
The person who'll be in your corner from day one.
Stephen Trutter is the CEO of Ideal Practices and the author of The Startup Dentist, the most widely read book on dental practice ownership. He's also the host of The Startup Dentist Podcast, where he breaks down the real decisions behind starting and acquiring a practice with the kind of honesty that's hard to find in this industry.
Every client's journey starts with a 1-on-1 Vision Call with Stephen and the executive team. It's where your vision for ownership gets defined before any tactical decisions are made. But Stephen is just the beginning of the team you'll be working with. Behind him are 16 in-house specialists who manage every stage of your project, from demographics and financing to construction oversight, equipment negotiation, and post-open coaching.
Your team, not just one person.
When you work with Ideal Practices, you get a full team of specialists dedicated to your project. Every person below is in-house, not outsourced.
Why Ideal Practices
We're not a course you take. We're the team that builds alongside you.
Vision first, always.
We won't let you sign a lease, pick equipment, or choose a location until your vision is clearly defined. Every decision flows from there, and that's why the process works. Most dentists who struggle in ownership made their biggest decisions before they had clarity on what they actually wanted.
One team managing every moving piece.
Your bank, your contractor, your equipment reps, your architect, your credentialing, your lease, your timeline. All of it connects. A single day's delay with the bank can cost you a month on the entire project. Our 16 in-house specialists manage every dependency so nothing stalls.
Guidance that saves real money.
We negotiate your equipment pricing and get you numbers normally reserved for large corporate groups. We review every construction bid and make sure contractors aren't learning dental construction on your dime. Every recommendation is in your interest because we don't take money from the vendors we recommend.
We don't disappear when your doors open.
For startups, we fly to your practice for a full-day Dress Rehearsal: over 200 items reviewed in person, days before your first patient. For acquisitions, we stay for 8 months of post-close coaching, including leadership, marketing, team evaluation, and KPI tracking.
Every client works directly with our in-house team. We don't outsource, we don't hand you off, and we don't take on more clients than we can give our best to.
Not Ready to Talk Yet?
Start learning before you start building.
Your practice starts with a conversation.
The Ownership Clarity Call is your first step. One conversation to help you figure out the right path for your vision, whether that's starting from scratch, acquiring an existing practice, or just getting clear on which direction makes sense for where you are right now. No application required.