Hi there,

A lot of practice owners are walking around with a price in their head. A number a broker mentioned, or what a mate down the road got a few years ago.

I'm sorry to be the one to tell you. That number is gone.

If you go to market expecting 2021 money in 2026, you'll be badly disappointed. Or worse, you'll accept a bad deal because you didn't know what your practice is actually worth today.

For years, valuations only went up. Cheap borrowing, aggressive buyers, a land grab for anything with a dental chair in it. Then rates climbed, cheap money disappeared and acquisitions slowed right down. Today's buyers are fewer, slower and far choosier. They still pay, but only for the right practice, and only after checking everything.

Valuations are a multiple of your associate led EBITDA, and that multiple varies enormously. A solo practice might sit around four and a half times. A premium private group with several surgeries can reach eleven. Same underlying profit, and the difference between a comfortable retirement and a life changing one.

So what moves you up? Not your location, not your equipment, not how hard you work. Scale. A group of three or more with proper management looks like a business a serious buyer can integrate and grow. They pay a higher multiple, and there's more profit to apply it to. The value compounds twice.

There's a cliff edge too. Small single site practices, especially those relying heavily on NHS income, are taking a haircut. Meanwhile well run private groups are holding firm, and in strong areas we've seen practices attract dozens of offers in a single sale. The market hasn't collapsed. It's split.

In my recent YouTube video I cover why recurring private income now lifts your multiple, how buyers underwrite your numbers rather than trusting them, and the to do list for moving up a band two to three years before you sell.

Watch: What Is Your Dental Practice Really Worth in 2026?

Don't guess, and definitely don't use a 2021 number. Watch it, then try our free valuation tool on the Samera website for a realistic current range.

Subscribe to the channel to watch more such videos.

Know your real numbers,
Arun Mehra