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Are you selling a practice? Talk it through with me first.
I take on about five practices a year, and none of them pay a broker.
I'm Dr. Jordan Cooper, and I've been on both sides of the table. I came up through a father-son practice, built and sold my own multi-practice group, and helped facilitate a build-out of an entire state. I charge sellers nothing. Before you sign with a broker or answer a DSO's letter, book a free, confidential, no-obligation consultation, doctor to doctor.
- Free, with no obligation to sell
- No broker fee. I charge sellers nothing
- Confidential. Your staff and patients won't hear about it from me
- A 30-minute call by phone, Zoom or Google Meet
3 → ~25My office grew from 3 employees to about 25, with four dentists
50–100People in the multi-practice group I built and sold
Both sidesBuilt and sold my own group, then helped facilitate a build-out of an entire state
Scots DenCo-chair of the Scots Den at Lyon College's dental school
Selective by design
About five practices a year. None of them pay a broker.
I take on about five practices a year, and I focus on the ones that are a really good fit. Doing this well takes real time with each owner, so a practice earns a spot by being the right fit, not by being first in line.
When we work together, I coach you on positioning the practice, raising EBITDA (roughly, what the practice earns before interest, taxes and a few accounting items), negotiating the lease with a private-equity buyer, and the deal terms themselves.
I've coached 40 plus practices through sales that closed, and hundreds more that haven't closed. About 10–20% of the deals I get involved in close, compared with the 1–2% most people close.
Book a free consultationWhat leaving the broker out can mean
- Brokers typically charge 5–12% of the sale price, usually 8–12%.*
- On a $3–4M sale, an 8–12% broker fee is $240K–$480K. Often $300K–$400K stays with you.*
- I'm a free connector and coach. I charge sellers nothing. It works for everyone at the table.
- If you're interested, we can potentially get an evaluation done at no charge.
*Typical ranges; savings vary by deal.
How the free consultation works
Three simple steps. You can stop after any of them.
- 1
Tell me a little about your practice
Use the short form below. Rough numbers are fine. No documents and no patient information.
- 2
We talk for 30 minutes
Doctor to doctor, by phone, Zoom or Google Meet. I'll want to hear your goals, your timeline and what matters to you.
- 3
You leave with a clear picture
You'll know your realistic options, what buyers look at, and whether a sale makes sense now, later or not at all. If you're interested, we can potentially get an evaluation done at no charge.
What practices are trading for
Every practice is different, but here's a useful starting point: larger DSOs pay on average 5–6x EBITDA, depending on practice health and market conditions.
The word that matters is healthy. Buyers look closely at the doctor, the team, the payer mix, the lease and the real (adjusted) earnings. Two practices with the same collections can be valued very differently.
As a general guide, practices doing about $1.25M or more in annual revenue are usually large enough for a serious DSO conversation. Below that, there are still good options, and I'm happy to talk them through.
Book a free consultationGood questions to answer before any offer
- Who does the dentistry after closing, and for how long?
- What are my true earnings once personal and one-time expenses are added back?
- How much is cash at closing, and how much is equity or earn-out?
- What happens to my team?
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Practice Acquisitions News
The latest DSO and practice acquisition news
Headlines from trusted dental industry sources, each with a one-line summary. Click through to read the full story at the source.
Last updated:
Sponsored · Featured in deals / news
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The trends dominating dental M&A
Five forces behind this year's deals: costlier financing after the September rate move and new SBA rules, DSOs buying other DSOs, choosier buyers, steady deal volume, and more state scrutiny.
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Guardian Dentistry Partners adds North Carolina practice
Miami-based Guardian added FreshDental in Hickory, N.C., soon after buying New Jersey's Select Dental Management.
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Buyer beware: What 'active patient count' really means in a practice sale
There's no standard definition of an 'active patient.' This column shows how the number gets inflated and what both sides should verify before it affects price.
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Q4 2026 Dental Market Report
The sell-side advisor's quarterly report covers DSOs moving into new states, tighter practice financing, and falling dentist ownership, and urges owners 55 and older to weigh full or partial sales.
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Heartland Dental Acquires Foundation Dental Partners and its 33 Supported Practices
Heartland, which describes itself as the largest DSO in the U.S., closed on a Southeast group with 33 practices in Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Kentucky. It's another case of a DSO buying a DSO.
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DSO Specialty1 Partners adds Conn. practice
The specialty DSO affiliated with an oral surgery practice in Waterbury, Conn., and now reports 226 locations in 29 states.
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DSO Deal Roundup – September 2026
A monthly list of named transactions. September included Lone Peak adding four pediatric and orthodontic practices in Alabama, plus a wave of DSO de novo openings.
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DSO Park Dental expands its reach in Ariz.
Park Dental Partners affiliated with Sapphire Dental Care, a three-doctor practice in the Phoenix area. Terms weren't disclosed.
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TUSK Advises Prairie Kids Dental and Clover Kids Dental on Their Partnership with Chord Specialty Dental Partners
A founder-led pair of pediatric practices in central Ohio partnered with Chord as part of Chord's expansion into Ohio.
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Colo. stays rule reshaping DSO ownership
Colorado's dental board paused enforcement of Rule 1.7, which restricts dentist-DSO arrangements, while a legal challenge from the DSO trade group proceeds.
Sources: Becker's Dental Review, DrBicuspid, Group Dentistry Now, TUSK Practice Sales. Headlines and links belong to their publishers. Summaries are our own. DSO Brief is not affiliated with these publications or the companies mentioned.
Wondering how today's market affects your practice? Let's talk it through.
Book a free consultationAbout
Hi, I'm Dr. Jordan Cooper
I came up through a father-son practice. I practiced alongside my father, and I know how much is riding on the decisions you make about your practice, because I've made them myself.
When I started, my office had 3 employees. It grew to about 25, with four dentists. The multi-practice group I built and sold grew to between 50 and 100 people, and later I helped facilitate a build-out of an entire state. I've been on both sides of the table, so I can tell you what buyers look for and what owners often miss.
I'm adjunct faculty at Lyon College School of Dental Medicine and have served as co-chair of its Scots Den, where I get to work with the next generation of dentists.
Years ago a career counselor asked me what I wanted to have achieved by 65. That list became my book, Chasing the Blue Marlin, #1 in three Kindle sub-categories, July 2015. It's still the best question I know for a practice owner.
Book a free consultationChasing the Blue Marlin
#1 in three Kindle sub-categories, July 2015
What practice owners say
“I found Dr. Jordan Cooper who comes so highly recommended. I'm amazed by what he's done in his career.”
“I called him and we just talked just on a Saturday afternoon and he was very helpful.”
Common questions
Is the consultation really free?
Yes. There's no cost and no obligation, and you don't have to sell anything. I don't charge sellers anything, and there's no broker fee if we work together.
Why only about five practices a year?
Because coaching a sale well takes real time. I'd rather give a handful of owners my full attention on positioning, EBITDA, the lease and deal terms than spread myself thin. If your practice isn't the right fit, I'll tell you plainly and point you toward options that make sense.
Is it confidential?
Completely. I don't contact your staff, patients, landlord or anyone else, and I don't share your information without your permission. If you'd like a mutual NDA before sharing financials, I'm glad to sign one.
Do I need to be ready to sell?
No. Whether your horizon is two years or twenty, it helps to talk it through early.
Will you tell me what my practice is worth?
Not on the first call, and I don't do free valuations just to shop a number around. If you're seriously considering a sale and you're interested, we can potentially get an evaluation done at no charge.
What do I need for the call?
A rough idea of your annual revenue, number of doctors and operatories, and your timeline. No documents, and please don't send any patient information.
Is my practice big enough?
As a general guide, practices doing about $1.25M or more a year are usually large enough for a DSO conversation. If you're below that, reach out anyway. There may be other paths worth discussing.
Who are you working for?
Dr. Cooper charges sellers no fee. He is a partner in a dental partner group and may be compensated if a practice he introduces joins that group. This is educational, not legal, tax, or investment advice.
Free consultation
Book a free consultation
One 30-minute conversation, doctor to doctor. Free, confidential and no obligation.
I take on about five practices a year, so this short form also helps me see whether yours is a good fit. If we work together, you won't pay a broker. On a $3–4M sale, an 8–12% broker fee is $240K–$480K. Often $300K–$400K stays with you.*
- No broker fee. I charge sellers nothing
- No documents needed to start
- No patient information, ever
- I'll reply personally, usually within 1 to 2 business days
Prefer email? consult@dsobrief.com
*Typical ranges; savings vary by deal.
Free download
What to Fix 12 Months Before You Sell Your Practice
A free, plain-English checklist for practice owners thinking about a sale or a DSO partnership in the next one to three years. I only take on about five practices a year, so this is the version every owner can use, whether or not we ever work together.
- The nine areas buyers look at first: financials and add-backs, payer mix, hygiene, staff and associates, your lease, equipment, patient systems, legal, and your own goals
- A month-by-month order of work, so you know what to start now and what can wait until the last 90 days
- Three pages. No patient information needed