How do I sell a dental lab?

Selling a dental lab differs from selling a dental practice. There are no patient charts to hand over and no associate dentists to introduce. What a buyer takes on is a set of dentist accounts, a team of technicians and a way of getting cases through the shop. Your job is to show that these hold together when you step back.

Who tends to buy

Buyers usually come from a few places. Another lab may want your accounts or your capacity. A senior technician may want to own what they already run. A dental group may want its own lab. Each asks different questions, so think about who you would be comfortable handing the business to, and tell your broker or advisor so the search matches.

Keeping accounts and staff steady

Dentists send work to people they trust, so a sale can unsettle them. Decide when and how to tell your key accounts, and who tells them. The same goes for technicians, who may worry about their jobs. Use a confidentiality agreement with any buyer before sharing client names, and share them only as late as the process needs.

Documenting the lab so it runs without you

Write down how a case moves from impression or scan to delivery, who checks quality, how remakes are handled and how you set prices for each dentist. Keep clean records of work by client and by case type. The BDC guide to finding the right buyer is a sensible read before you begin.