Learn the exact steps to find, analyze and buy the best dental practice
Episodes
4 days ago
4 days ago
24 min
Most associates wait to feel ready to buy a practice. That feeling isn't coming, and it was never the right test.
FREE Ready Kit — everything my clients use before they buy:
https://www.dentalbuyeradvocates.com/ready
Your Google reviews can make or break a dental practice purchase, and the biggest red flag is not the occasional bad review. It's the pattern hiding underneath.
Dr. Len Tau breaks down how to evaluate a practice's online reputation before you buy, what review velocity signals to watch, and why a 4.7 to 4.9 rating can be healthier than a suspiciously perfect five stars.
Brian Hanks and Dr. Len Tau get practical about the reputation side of dental practice ownership - the part most buyers overlook while focusing on the numbers. Len explains why Google matters most, when Yelp still matters, and why AI tools are mostly pulling from the same underlying signals.
He also shares the exact kinds of review patterns that should make you pause, especially when the complaints keep pointing to the same front desk issue over and over. You'll discover:
- Why review velocity matters more than raw review count
- The review score range Len trusts most and why five stars can be a warning sign
- How to spot patterns in negative reviews instead of overreacting to one-offs
- What to do with old bad reviews after buying a practice
- Why name consistency, branded naming, and NAP data can affect local ranking
- Why listing services are not optional if you want Google to trust your practice
- How to build a reputation culture that drives trust, treatment acceptance, and growth
Brian also presses Len on the first 30 to 90 days after ownership - including how to handle a transition when the retiring doctor leaves fast, how to avoid whiplash with patients, and why making major clinical changes too soon can backfire.
Len shares the systems and habits that help new owners stabilize the practice, protect the team, and start building credibility from day one.
Len Tau is a practicing dentist, author, host of the Raving Patients podcast, and a leading voice on dental reputation management. He also runs the Supercharge Your Dental Practice event and is releasing Raving Patients Supercharged, a blueprint for creating a review-driven culture and better patient experience.
Essential listening if you're buying a dental practice, preparing for ownership, or trying to turn online reputation into a real growth engine. If you want patients to trust you before they ever walk in, this episode shows you where to start.
Learn more about Len, here: https://www.drlentau.com/
RESOURCES
- The book, How to Buy a Dental Practice: https://www.amazon.com/How-Dental-Pra...
- Book an Intro Call to Learn More: Book a call with Craig, here.
Brian Hanks, MBA, CFP® has helped more than 1,500 dentists buy dental practices and is the author of How to Buy a Dental Practice, now in its fifth edition.
Aug 26, 2026
Aug 26, 2026
19 min
Most associates wait to feel ready to buy a practice. That feeling isn't coming, and it was never the right test.
FREE Ready Kit — everything my clients use before they buy:
https://www.dentalbuyeradvocates.com/ready
In this episode of Practice Purchased, I get into why "I don't feel ready" is a feeling worth believing and a reason worth ignoring. What the failure rate actually is for dentists who buy (0.14%). The five things a bank actually requires, most associates already have all five. Why dentists now wait five to seven years longer to buy than the generation before them, and what that delay costs. And the one genuinely hard part nobody warns you about: there's no MLS for dental practices.
Season 9 answers the question every associate is secretly asking: am I ready?
RESOURCES
The book, How to Buy a Dental Practice:
https://www.amazon.com/How-Dental-Practice-Step-step/dp/1544112114
Book an Intro Call with Craig:
Blog and free resources:
https://www.dentalbuyeradvocates.com/
Weekly newsletter:
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Brian Hanks, MBA, CFP® has helped more than 1,500 dentists buy dental practices and is the author of How to Buy a Dental Practice, now in its fifth edition.
#dentalpractice #practiceownership #dentistry #dentalpracticeowner #buyingadentalpractice
Jul 18, 2025
Jul 18, 2025
17 min
In this episode, Brian is joined by Dr. Sapna Amin and Brian Tomono to talk through the story of Dr. C, a younger dentist in the Las Vegas who was looking to purchase the practice where he was working.
In part 1 of this 3-part story, we follow Dr. C as he gets into the legal side of the purchase. How important is the attorney? (Spoiler: vital.) How do you find a good one? How much should you expect to pay them? And the group wraps up by talking about the inspiring "why" behind Dr. C's purchase.
In season 8, you’ll hear real stories about real clients of Dental Buyer Advocates. Through those stories, you’ll gain a better understanding of the logistics, the timing, and the potential speed bumps that practice buyers run into. No two deals are the same, but hearing how our team navigated these deals will help prepare you for your own.
Schedule a free consultation with the DBA team
Read Brian's book, How to Buy a Dental Practice
Jul 17, 2025
Jul 17, 2025
21 min
In this episode, Brian is joined by Dr. Sapna Amin and Brian Tomono to talk through the story of Dr. C, a younger dentist in the Las Vegas who was looking to purchase the practice where he was working.
In part 2 of this 3-part story, we follow Dr. C as he digs into the post-LOI phase of his purchase. Three things happen simultaneously, creating a very busy time for buyers: securing financing, due diligence, and navigating the legal side. Brian Tomono talks us through this process and how he helped Dr. C through it all.
In season 8, you’ll hear real stories about real clients of Dental Buyer Advocates. Through those stories, you’ll gain a better understanding of the logistics, the timing, and the potential speed bumps that practice buyers run into. No two deals are the same, but hearing how our team navigated these deals will help prepare you for your own.
Schedule a free consultation with the DBA team
Read Brian's book, How to Buy a Dental Practice
Jul 16, 2025
Jul 16, 2025
18 min
In this episode, Brian is joined by Dr. Sapna Amin and Brian Tomono to talk through the story of Dr. C, a younger dentist in the Las Vegas who was looking to purchase the practice where he was working.
In part 1 of this 3-part story, we follow Dr. C as he begins talks with the selling doctor, and the DBA team gets to know the situation. This sounds like a pretty straightforward transition, but the devil is always in the details. And that gets to what makes your transition team so important: Is your team giving you answers? More importantly, are they teaching how to ask the right questions?
In season 8, you’ll hear real stories about real clients of Dental Buyer Advocates. Through those stories, you’ll gain a better understanding of the logistics, the timing, and the potential speed bumps that practice buyers run into. No two deals are the same, but hearing how our team navigated these deals will help prepare you for your own.
Schedule a free consultation with the DBA team
Read Brian's book, How to Buy a Dental Practice
Jul 5, 2025
Jul 5, 2025
11 min
In this episode, Brian is joined by Dr. Dana Fort and Brian Tomono to talk through the story of Dr. M, who was looking at practices in a relatively rural area of Maryland. This story is a bit of a wild ride, so buckle up!
In part 3 of this 3-part story, we follow Dr. M as he moves into the final stages of closing on his new practice. Among the interesting points to follow is what made Maryland an especially interesting state to purchase in. What did that mean for Dr. M, and what can other buyers in other states learn from that experience?
In season 8, you’ll hear real stories about real clients of Dental Buyer Advocates. Through those stories, you’ll gain a better understanding of the logistics, the timing, and the potential speed bumps that practice buyers run into. No two deals are the same, but hearing how our team navigated these deals will help prepare you for your own.
Schedule a free consultation with the DBA team
Read Brian's book, How to Buy a Dental Practice
Jul 4, 2025
Jul 4, 2025
21 min
In this episode, Brian is joined by Dr. Dana Fort and Brian Tomono to talk through the story of Dr. M, who was looking at practices in a relatively rural area of Maryland. This story is a bit of a wild ride, so buckle up!
In part 2 of this 3-part story, we follow Dr. M as he moves past the LOI phase and works toward closing. Is the practice as good as it looks based on the collections? What are the different phases of due diligence that need to be completed? And what did lending look like for such a large transition?
In season 8, you’ll hear real stories about real clients of Dental Buyer Advocates. Through those stories, you’ll gain a better understanding of the logistics, the timing, and the potential speed bumps that practice buyers run into. No two deals are the same, but hearing how our team navigated these deals will help prepare you for your own.
Schedule a free consultation with the DBA team
Read Brian's book, How to Buy a Dental Practice
Jul 3, 2025
Jul 3, 2025
15 min
In this episode, Brian is joined by Dr. Dana Fort and Brian Tomono to talk through the story of Dr. M, who was looking at practices in a relatively rural area of Maryland. This story is a bit of a wild ride, so buckle up!
In part 1 of this 3-part story, we follow Dr. M as he deals with a dual-representation broker and the difficulties that go along with that. Ultimately, Dr. M ends up scrapping that first deal and finding a much better practice.
In season 8, you’ll hear real stories about real clients of Dental Buyer Advocates. Through those stories, you’ll gain a better understanding of the logistics, the timing, and the potential speed bumps that practice buyers run into. No two deals are the same, but hearing how our team navigated these deals will help prepare you for your own.
Schedule a free consultation with the DBA team
Read Brian's book, How to Buy a Dental Practice
Jun 28, 2025
Jun 28, 2025
9 min
In this episode, Brian is joined by Dr. Dana Fort and Brian Tomono to talk through the story of Dr. F, who was looking at a practice in an exurb of Chicago. Dr. F's story is a great example of what happens when there's a major wrinkle in the course of a deal.
In part 3 of this 3-part story, we follow Dr. F as he works toward closing. With Brian Tomono's help, he went through the 100+ point checklist to be sure he was ready to step in as an owner. From patient charts to software reporting, hygiene and doctor books, an equipment audit, and dozens of other details that needed to be navigated before he eventually signed on that dotted line.
In season 8, you’ll hear real stories about real clients of Dental Buyer Advocates. Through those stories, you’ll gain a better understanding of the logistics, the timing, and the potential speed bumps that practice buyers run into. No two deals are the same, but hearing how our team navigated these deals will help prepare you for your own.
Jun 27, 2025
Jun 27, 2025
16 min
In this episode, Brian is joined by Dr. Dana Fort and Brian Tomono to talk through the story of Dr. F, who was looking at a practice in an exurb of Chicago. Dr. F's story is a great example of what happens when there's a major wrinkle in the course of a deal.
In part 2 of this 3-part story, we follow Dr. F as he navigates the lending process for a practice where he'll need to replace the production of two selling doctors. Can his dentist wife fill in the production gaps? Can she be added as a guarantor of the loan? Brian Tomono walks us through the various options and how Dr. F and the bank worked together to try to make it work.
In season 8, you’ll hear real stories about real clients of Dental Buyer Advocates. Through those stories, you’ll gain a better understanding of the logistics, the timing, and the potential speed bumps that practice buyers run into. No two deals are the same, but hearing how our team navigated these deals will help prepare you for your own.
Schedule a free consultation with the DBA team
Read Brian's book, How to Buy a Dental Practice