DSO Affiliation That Puts You First at Every Step.

A dental support organization (DSO), sometimes called a dental service organization (DSO) or a dental partner organization (DPO), offers non-clinical administrative support services to help dental practices operate and build their businesses. This can include tasks such as assistance with patient marketing, billing and accounts receivable, purchasing, patient scheduling support, and patient communications. Not all DSOs work the same way, so it’s important to find what level of support is best for your practice.

Heartland Dental has a 29-year track record of success and growth. Our supported doctors benefit from a culture that was started by doctors for doctors. For a side-by-side comparison, click here.

Heartland Dental and a supported practice look for practices that are a strong fit in four areas: clinical quality, culture, financial performance, and operational alignment. During the early evaluation stages, these areas are carefully reviewed to help ensure a fit and long-term success. Heartland Dental and a supported practice are especially focused on supporting general dentistry offices that meet the following criteria: Five or more operatories; more than $800K in annual revenue; and locations in attractive, well-populated communities.

The first step in selling your dental practice is defining your goals, such as gaining stronger operational support, growing your practice, or securing your financial future. From there, the process typically includes a practice valuation (reviewing your financials, production, and operatories), followed by due diligence, negotiations, and finalizing agreements. Selling to a dental support organization (DSO), such as Heartland Dental and a supported practice, helps to streamline the process. Heartland Dental and a support practice then provide guidance with valuation and developing a clear transition plan. It starts with a low-pressure conversation that is focused on understanding your goals. You can take the first step here: Contact Us.

There is no “typical” time frame for selling a dental practice, but most agreements are finalized in less than six months. Transition planning considers your goals (retirement, phased exit, partnership, etc.), sets the right pace for you, and ensures the process is smooth for your team and patients. For those who wish to move quickly, onboarding can be completed in just a few months. For practice owners with a longer timetable, we are always here to answer any questions.

Valuation looks at both financial performance and market potential. Key factors include location, number of operatories, annual revenue and profitability, operational efficiency, accurate financial records, and the doctor’s commitment to practice growth. In short, it’s about understanding your practice’s financial health, growth potential, and overall strength.

Most affiliated doctors maintain or increase their personal earnings as a result of the systems and support that Heartland Dental and supported practices offer along with the multipronged wealth-building model. Heartland Dental’s support focuses on giving doctors the tools to grow their practice based on each doctor’s goals. Heartland Dental’s model offers financial upsides tied to the profitability of each practice. Learn more here: Path to Long-Term Wealth

Supported doctors maintain complete clinical autonomy over patient care and are responsible for all treatment planning. Heartland Dental supported practices will never tell providers what treatments to perform. There are no production requirements, product endorsements, or sales quotas.

The vision of our founder, Dr. Rick Workman, was always to help supported doctors build their practices for themselves, not for Heartland Dental supported practices. Supported offices have unique brand names that resonate with their communities. Many are legacy brands, maintaining their original brand after a private practice and/or small group has affiliated with Heartland Dental and supported practices.

Not all DSOs offer the exact same services. Heartland Dental and supported practices have a support model that is one of the most comprehensive in dentistry. We focus on making the lives of supported doctors, hygienists, and team members easier by supporting many of the day-to-day hassles involved with running a dental practice. This includes things such as assistance with patient marketing, billing and accounts receivable, purchasing, patient scheduling support, and patient communications. Heartland Dental and supported practices also offer over 1,000 hours of AGD PACE-certified continuing education each year. Learn more about our comprehensive support model here: Support Services

Heartland Dental supported practices won’t mandate which supplies or labs your supported office purchases. Decisions regarding clinical supplies and equipment are left to the supported doctors and their teams. We do, however, offer assistance with negotiating rates with more than 3,000 trusted supplies — brand-name and generic — known as Diamond Trusted Supplies and Labs. Newly affiliated practices see on average 20%-40% savings using Diamond Trusted Supplies and Labs. To help ensure the quality of those products, a clinical council consisting of over 250 experienced supported doctors and hygienists conducts ongoing product trials and gathers feedback based on real-world experiences. This gives supported providers access to the best prices and gives them additional time to focus on patient care.