For dentists & specialists · US & Canada
Know your number before you answer that DSO letter. A quiet, competitive process puts DSOs, dental partnerships and private dentists on the same facts — and you’re paid only when you close.
In short
Owner-operated solo practices typically sell for about 1.5–3.5x seller’s discretionary earnings (SDE); established practices with roughly $0.5–1M of EBITDA trade around 4.5–7x EBITDA, multi-provider practices with $1M+ of EBITDA around 6–9x, and platform DSO groups 9–12x. These are market ranges, not a quote or a guarantee — and the same practice can price very differently depending on buyer type, payor mix, real estate and how the process is run. That is a starting range, not an appraisal.
Recent dental closings
Multi-location dental group, acquired by a national platform.
Two-location family practice, sold to a dental partnership.
First buyer stalled after signing; we brought a second and closed.
The honest version
Owner-operated practices are priced on seller’s discretionary earnings (SDE); larger practices on adjusted EBITDA, which keeps a market wage for the dentist’s role. Where your practice lands depends on collections, payor mix, hygiene program strength, associate coverage, real estate — and, more than anything, whether more than one qualified buyer is at the table.
Market ranges from reported sales of comparable practices — not a quote or a guarantee. Bars share one 0–12× scale (ticks every 3×), but SDE and EBITDA are different measures — compare a practice with its own row. Get your own range in 60 seconds.
Who is buying dental practices in 2026
The same practice is worth different amounts to different buyers. A run process doesn’t pick a lane in advance: qualified buyers of every type sign NDAs, compete on the same facts, and you choose with real information.
The deepest pockets
The most flexible structure
The strongest continuity
Do you have to sell to a DSO? No. Read the trade-offs in Should I sell my dental practice to a DSO?
Holding a DSO letter?
It exists because it’s cheaper than competing. The most expensive deal most owners ever do is the one they accepted without an alternative on the table. An offer in hand is leverage, not a deadline — get a read on it before you sign anything, including an LOI with exclusivity.
What moves the number
Collections trend, payor mix (heavy Medicaid discounts value), hygiene reactivation — and how much of production is you personally.
Will patients and associates stay when you step back? Buyers pay up when the answer is provably yes.
The single biggest lever — and the one owners control least on their own.
Rollover equity, earn-outs and real estate can move total consideration far more than the headline multiple.
What our AI checks before your practice goes to market
Why our read is different
Sentinel’s buy-side practice works directly with active dental groups and DSOs — we help acquirers source practices, so we see what they pay, at what structures, in which states, and who re-trades at the eleventh hour. When we sell, that intelligence sits on your side of the table.
No buyer we advise is ever shown your practice without the same NDA-first, written-go-ahead process. How we keep the two apart, in writing →
How selling with Sentinel works
The best exits start 6–24 months before the owner wants to leave — not because selling takes that long, but because the fixes that add real value (associate agreements, hygiene programs, payor cleanup) need runway.
60 seconds, anonymous, no email. Your range from reported sales of comparable businesses.
Get my free practice valuation →One email. Ask Vera, our AI, anything; see what moves your number with your Exit Profile; get a free read on any offer.
Create my free account →Next quarter or in five years. The AI works your sale 24/7, a senior principal leads, and you approve every step. Most sales take six to twelve months.
See how the engine works →Confidential by design
We also source for acquirers — here’s how we keep the two apart, in writing: the five rules →
Real people, accountable
Meet the team → Founded 2019 · San Francisco · Toronto
Prefer a person?
Tell us the basics — collections, providers, locations, timing. A principal, not a call center, reviews it personally and replies within one business day with an honest range. No listing. No pressure.
Or call (888) 560-5852
Prefer to explore on your own first? Try the free Exit Profile — no email needed.
Straight answers
More in our dental multiples guide — or ask Vera in your free account.
Owner-operated solo practices typically sell for about 1.5–3.5x seller’s discretionary earnings (SDE); established practices with roughly $0.5–1M of EBITDA trade around 4.5–7x EBITDA, multi-provider practices with $1M+ of EBITDA around 6–9x, and platform DSO groups 9–12x. These are market ranges, not a quote or a guarantee, and the same practice can price very differently by buyer type, payor mix, real estate, and how the process is run. Our free calculator gives you an indicative range from reported sales of comparable businesses; a confidential look at your actual numbers narrows it.
No. A run process puts DSOs, private buyers, and individual dentists in competition — and you choose on price and terms, including your staff, your patients, and how long you stay on.
Yes. Confidentiality is built into the system, not promised on a page: buyers are qualified and under NDA before they learn your name. Your team, patients, and competitors hear nothing until you decide they should.
Nothing. The valuation conversation is free and confidential. If we work together, our economics are success-based — we are paid when your deal closes.
Most run six to twelve months from first conversation to close. Preparation shortens it; surprises in diligence lengthen it. Starting the valuation conversation early costs nothing and compresses the timeline later.
No — an offer in hand is leverage, not a deadline. Before you sign anything (including an LOI with exclusivity), a confidential read tells you whether that offer is strong or simply first.
Guides & related