The 5 Biggest Mistakes Owners Make When Selling Their Dental Practices
Dear Doctor,
Selling your dental practice is one of the most significant decisions of your career—and your life. After years of building something meaningful, you deserve a transition that honors your work, protects your legacy, and gives you peace of mind as you step into retirement.
At Practice Endeavors, we’ve helped hundreds of dentists plan their exits. Along the way, we’ve seen what works and what doesn't. This short guide outlines the five most common mistakes dentists make when selling their practices and how to avoid them.
Read this now, revisit it later, and remember: you don’t have to do this alone.
The Practice Endeavors Team
Practice Transition Advisors for Dental Practice Owners
The 5 Mistakes
Mistake #1
Waiting Too Long to Start Planning
Why it happens: Dentists are often busy managing their practices and delay thinking about retirement until it’s imminent or too late.
What it costs: Waiting limits your options, lowers your practice value, and puts unnecessary pressure on your timeline. Without proper planning, if something unexpected happens to you, your family could experience a 90% loss in practice value in 3 months.
What to do instead: Start planning 3–5 years in advance. This gives you time to clean up your financials, protect your family, and structure your ideal exit. Practice Value Acceleration℠ , Practice Endeavors’ proprietary tool, assists dental practice owners who are not ready to sell, who want to plan in advance of exit.
Mistake #2
Not Knowing What Your Practice is Really Worth
Why it happens: Many dentists assume what their practices are worth, but estimates are frequently far off. This makes financial planning difficult.
What it costs: Overpricing can scare away serious buyers. Underpricing leaves money on the table.
What to do instead: Get a professional practice valuation early from a licensed and credentialed expert. Dentists are licensed. Your advisors should be too. At Practice Endeavors, we offer confidential valuations to help you understand your real market value.
Mistake #3
Focusing Only on Price, Not Terms
Why it happens: It’s natural for sellers to focus on the listing price and not other terms nor on after-tax net from a sale.
What it costs: Sellers can lose their best prospective buyers by not having their practice properly priced with other terms that are being offered.
What to do instead: Look at the entire deal package, including asset allocation, lease or sale of the real estate, and seller post-sale employment terms.
Mistake #4
Choosing the Wrong Buyer
Why it happens: Dentists often sell to the first interested buyer, whether a DSO, associate, or private individual.
What it costs: Choosing a buyer that is not the best fit at best can hurt the legacy of your practice and, at worst, result in post-sale litigation.
What to do instead: Choose a broker who understands it is not his or her job to find a buyer (1), but it is the broker’s job to find many best fit buyers that will pay the highest price. Your ideal buyer will align with your culture, staff, and long-term goals.
Mistake #5
Doing It Alone
Why it happens: Dentists are used to being self-reliant and may not realize the complexity of a sale. According to business psychology experts, qualities that help make dental practice owners successful actually work against them during the sale process.
What it costs: Missed opportunities, legal oversights, poor deal structure, and post-sale regrets.
What to do instead: Choose a licensed, credentialed, and experienced dental practice broker with a real estate license that provides seller-only representation. Also, select an attorney with significant dental practice transaction experience. A good team can often increase your net proceeds and reduce your stress.
Your Next Step
You're not just selling a business—you're turning the page on your life's work.
At Practice Endeavors, we help dentists like you transition with confidence—whether you’re ready to sell soon or just beginning to plan.
Schedule a confidential 15-minute call. No pressure. Just helpful insight from someone who’s helped dentists like you to succeed.
Take control of your future
PVA℠ helps practice owners prepare for the inevitable transition of their practices to new ownership.
J. Robert “Bob” Brooks, CEPA, CBI
J. Robert “Bob” Brooks, CEPA, CBI, leads Practice Endeavors, an Ohio-based practice brokerage and dental realty company. His company provides practice owners with the tools they need to prepare well for life after practice ownership and to find the best price/best fit buyers for their seller clients. Bob was integral in starting the first of its kind dental practice broker credentialing for the International Business Brokers Association.