Colorado's New DSO Rules: What Changes January 1, 2027 — and What Doesn't dso & m&a regulation & compliance Jun 25, 2026

Most of what's circulating about Colorado's new dental rules is wrong in one direction or the other. Either someone is calling it a ban on DSOs — it isn't — or someone is waving it off as business as usual. It isn't that either.

Here's what actually happened, what it means for your structure, and w...

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DSO Discipline in 2026: What Separates the Platforms That Will Survive From Those That Won't capital planning dso & m&a Jun 11, 2026

By Dental Strategy Institute | June 2026 | 8-Minute Read | For DSO Operators and Group Practice Leaders


The DSO model had a run in the early 2020s that looked, in retrospect, like a period where almost anything worked. Low interest rates made debt cheap. Private equity was aggressive. Multiples e...

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The Retiring Dentist Wave: Why the Seller's Market Has an Expiration Date dso & m&a practice transitions Jun 05, 2026

By Dental Strategy Institute | June 2026 | 7-Minute Read


Right now, in the summer of 2026, demand for dental practices is high and supply is low. DSOs are hungry. Sixty-nine percent of them expect to increase their acquisition activity this year, and many report relying more heavily on brokers be...

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How DSOs Should Plan Capital Expenditures Across Multiple Locatio capital planning dso & m&a May 28, 2026

Here's how equipment capital planning works in most dental groups: a chair breaks at Location 7. Someone calls the service company. The service company comes out and says the pump motor is gone. The office manager calls the regional director. The regional director calls the CFO. The CFO asks why thi...

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DSO vs. Solo Practice: The Financial Comparison No One Puts in Plain Language dso & m&a practice finance May 22, 2026

There's a version of this conversation that happens constantly in dentistry right now, and it almost always goes the same way. A practice owner gets an offer. Or a recent graduate is evaluating associate paths. Or a mid-career dentist is trying to figure out whether to build, buy, or affiliate. And ...

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What Is a DSO Earn-Out — And Why Most Dentists Don't Understand What They're Signing dso & m&a practice valuation May 18, 2026

The letter of intent arrived on a Thursday. It looked good — 7x EBITDA, a two-year earn-out with solid upside, rollover equity with a projected second-bite return. The dentist called his accountant, who said the number looked reasonable. He signed the LOI the following week.

Eighteen months later, ...

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Why DSOs Are Flying Blind on Equipment — And What the Smart Ones Are Doing About It capital planning dental equipment dso & m&a May 17, 2026

If you run procurement for a dental group — or you're the CFO signing off on capital requests — you already know the problem I'm about to describe. I've spent more than 25 years working inside and alongside dental organizations of every size. And in all that time, one operational blind spot shows up...

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How to Read a DSO Earn-Out Agreement — What Every Clause Is Actually Doing to Your Money dso & m&a practice valuation Apr 16, 2026

You got the letter of intent. The number looks right. The buyer's team has been professional, the process has moved quickly, and everyone keeps telling you this is a strong deal.

Then the Asset Purchase Agreement arrives — three hundred pages of legal language — and somewhere in Article 6 is the ...

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The Earn-Out Trap: Why Your DSO Deal Isn't Done Yet dso & m&a practice valuation Mar 06, 2026

 


You negotiated hard. You got a strong multiple. The letter of intent is signed, due diligence is underway, and closing is scheduled for next quarter. The total consideration looks excellent on paper — but a meaningful portion of it isn't paid at closing. It's deferred, contingent on future perf...

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What Is a DSO — And Should You Join One? dso & m&a practice transitions Mar 02, 2026

 

Every dentist eventually hears the pitch. A well-dressed rep from a regional or national dental support organization sits across from you, slides a deck across the table, and starts talking about "partnership." The numbers look interesting. The promises sound reasonable. And somewhere in the back...

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