{"id":14172,"date":"2025-03-01T07:46:32","date_gmt":"2025-03-01T15:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/?p=14172"},"modified":"2025-03-05T00:13:28","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T08:13:28","slug":"top-tips-for-growing-a-private-dental-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/blog\/top-tips-for-growing-a-private-dental-group\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Tips for Growing a Private Dental Group Without External Investors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It can be daunting to determine the right way to fund your dental practice growth. At the Yankee Dental Multi-Site Summit in January, a panel of experts\u2014including private dental group founders, dental support organization (DSO<\/a>) executives, and a bank lender\u2014shared their insights on scaling a private dental group without outside investors. The summit, presented in partnership with the Association of Dental Support Organizations (ADSO<\/a>) and Group Dentistry Now<\/a>, provided a rare opportunity for dental leaders to learn from those who have successfully built and expanded their organizations while maintaining full ownership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While external investors can provide quick capital, many dental entrepreneurs prefer to chart their own course, keeping control over their vision, culture, and financial future. The strategies shared during the session offered a roadmap for private dental groups<\/a> looking to scale independently while building a sustainable and profitable business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 Tips for Scaling Your Private Dental Group<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Expanding without external investors requires a combination of financial discipline, operational efficiency<\/a>, and a long-term growth mindset. Here are expert-backed strategies for successfully scaling a private dental group while maintaining full ownership:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Define your growth vision. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Before determining how to fund expansion, dental entrepreneurs<\/a> need a clear understanding of their mission and long-term objectives. Tarek Aly, BDS, partner at Modern Smiles Dental Group and Community Dental Partners<\/a>, emphasized that financial strategy should align with overall business goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen a dentist or dental entrepreneur is evaluating whether to privately fund or bring in external investors, I always suggest they start with defining their mission, vision, objective, goals, and strategy,\u201d advised Aly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He noted that the decision to bring in outside funding or remain self-funded directly impacts how the business is structured. Groups seeking rapid expansion and immediate profit distributions may find private equity partnerships beneficial, while those focused on long-term control and gradual growth may prefer private funding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf the dream is to retain majority control and build more slowly, then the dentist-owner may decide to privately fund,\u201d Aly explained. \u201cTypically, they\u2019ll have more flexibility with their capitalization table because they\u2019ll have more shares to offer minority equity partners.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Build a strong financial foundation. <\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For groups looking to grow without outside investors, securing bank financing requires a well-structured financial beginning. Evan Barker, senior healthcare relationship manager at Old National Bank<\/a>, outlined four key areas banks evaluate when determining loan eligibility:<\/p>\n\n\n\n