What happens to unfinished patient treatments when I sell my dental practice?

Selling a dental practice raises an obvious question: what about patients who are halfway through care? A crown may be unfinished or a treatment plan approved but not started. The sale can still close. It does not end the selling dentist’s professional responsibility for those patients, and continuity of care is a concern for the governing dental college, so the handover needs a plan.

Who finishes each case

The usual answer is a mix. The departing dentist may finish certain cases where that is feasible, the buyer takes on the rest, and a patient who would rather have the dentist they know complete the work should be offered that choice. Patients should hear about the change from the practice, ideally before or at closing, and every open case should be clearly documented at handover.

What the records have to do

Care cannot continue without the chart. Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner says a health information custodian’s obligations do not end until a legally authorized successor has custody and control of the records, and recommends a plan that names the successor, handles patients’ access requests and notifies patients of the transfer. Other provinces have their own health privacy laws. What happens to patient records when I sell my practice covers that question on its own.

How the agreement and price treat unfinished work

Mishandled follow-up care during a transition can create malpractice exposure, so the purchase agreement should say who is responsible for treatment that spans the closing date instead of leaving it as an assumed detail. Where a meaningful volume of work is still open, parties sometimes use a price adjustment or a holdback. The amount is for the parties and their advisors to settle; this page gives no figure.

Who may take over the practice

Ownership rules limit who can step in. The Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario says each dentist shareholder of a dentistry professional corporation must be a College member, and that the College must be told when shareholders change. Other provinces’ colleges set their own ownership and reporting rules, so a buyer’s eligibility is worth confirming early.