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The Two Small Moves That Can Drastically Improve Your New Patient Experience
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• 46 min
How to Buy the Right Dental Practice
The Startup Dentist
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Buying a Dental Practice? Avoid the Paste Mistake and Do This Instead
If you’re an associate dentist dreaming of practice ownership, you’ve probably considered buying an existing practice. On paper, it can sound like the fast track to success.
But here’s the hard truth: buying the wrong practice can set you back years—financially, clinically, and emotionally.
I’ve seen it too many times. Great doctors stuck in bad situations because they followed outdated advice, rushed the process, or relied on paste strategies—generic templates that don’t account for your unique vision.
That’s why I recorded a full episode of The Startup Dentist Podcast dedicated to one of the most overlooked paths to ownership: smart acquisition. Not just any acquisition—the right one, done the right way.
In this post, I’ll walk you through the key insights from that episode and give you a high-level look at the 13 essential stages of acquiring a practice that actually works for you.
Why Most Dental Practice Acquisitions Fail
Let’s start with the obvious: buying a practice because it has “good cash flow” is not enough.
If the location doesn’t support your lifestyle…
If the patient base isn’t aligned with your clinical vision…
If the systems are outdated and unscalable…
You’ll be spending your first few years fixing someone else’s problems, not building your dream.
That’s why our approach at Ideal Practices is different. We put your vision at the center of the process—then build a strategy around it.
Stage 1: Define Your Vision
Before you run a single report or tour a practice, ask yourself:
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Who do I want to serve?
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What kind of dentistry do I love delivering?
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What kind of life do I want to lead?
Your answers are the North Star of this entire process. Without them, you risk ending up in a practice that looks great on paper—but feels wrong every day you walk through the door.
Explore how we help dentists like you define their mission in our Startup Practice Blueprint.
Choose a Location That Supports Your Growth
Forget “trendy” zip codes. This is about long-term sustainability.
At Ideal Practices, we evaluate location using the Three Ds:
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Desirability – Do you want to live and lead here?
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Data – What do the trends say about population growth, income levels, and demand?
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Demographics – Will your ideal patients actually be here?
From Owner to Leader (Fast)
When you acquire a practice, you inherit more than charts and chairs. You inherit:
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A team with habits (good and bad)
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Systems that may need overhauling
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Patients who expect consistency
You need to step into a leadership role quickly—and with clarity.
Our acquisition clients get access to systems and training that let them assess culture, define KPIs, and align the team with their new vision starting on day one.
Should You Wait 6 Months to Make Changes?
You’ve probably heard this advice: “Don’t change anything for the first six months.”
Here’s my take: that’s paste advice.
If you have a respectful, well-communicated plan—aligned with your purpose and your patients’ best interest—you can begin implementing small but meaningful changes right away.
The key is intentionality, not inertia.
Ready to Buy a Practice? Don’t Do It Alone.
Acquisition isn’t just a transaction—it’s a transformation. And if you want to get it right, you need a system that protects your investment and honors your future.
At Ideal Practices, we’ve helped over 900 dentists build practices that reflect their values and vision—whether from scratch or through strategic acquisitions.
Final Thought: Don’t Let Paste Advice Derail Your Dream
This is your future. Your reputation. Your career.
You deserve more than a cookie-cutter playbook or a “good deal” that ends in burnout.
The right acquisition can give you the freedom, fulfillment, and clinical satisfaction you’ve been working toward since dental school. But only if it’s your acquisition. Your terms. Your path.
Let’s help you build a practice you’ll be proud to own.
— Stephen Trutter
President, Ideal Practices
🎧 Listen to the full episode on The Startup Dentist Podcast
📍 Compare both paths with our Buy vs. Start Guide
Dreaming of being a practice owner? Listen to The Startup Dentist Podcast here! 👇
Entrepreneurship • Business • 30 episodes
The Startup Dentist
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