The need to get practices into shape before considering a sale, the impact of AI on the sector, and what makes a good leader all came under the microscope at the first Dentist Times Owners Club event of 2026.
Organised by Dentist Times publisher, Nexus Media Group, the event, held in St Albans, brought dental practice owners from across the country together with suppliers of goods and services for a series of one-to-one business meetings.
There was also a packed conference programme, with speakers offering an insight into everything from practice acquisitions to optimal management approaches.
First to speak was Phil Kolodynski of Dental Elite, who looked at acquisitions, disposal and exit plans.
Bank policies can change very quickly, so the biggest gamechanger for anyone looking to expand is that 2027 is probably the time to do it, so get started now.
He said: “The market over the last 12 months has been firing on all cylinders and the main thing driving that is the funding position.
“If you are looking to expand your group then the key takeaway from today is around funding and the ability to get funding.”
He revealed that individual micro consolidators were driving the current market and banks were increasingly keen to provide funding, and on more-favourable terms than previously seen.
He added: “Bank policies can change very quickly, so the biggest gamechanger for anyone looking to expand is that 2027 is probably the time to do it, so get started now.”
His session was followed by the first talk of the day exploring the impact of technology on the dental sector.
Benjamin Bilderback of event headline sponsor, Dandy, was joined on stage by Robert Glenning of Peninsula Dental, which uses Dandy’s digital dental lab across its six practices.
Bilderback said: “There is so much information we are now able to expose that can help with decision-making.
“We are under pressure with more locations, and more patients, and more providers, but we need to preserve clinical excellence always.
“It’s about leading from the front, but having the data to back that up.”
Glenning was one of two speakers on the day to highlight some of the challenges to adopting new technologies – namely that dentists are ‘stuck in their ways’.
“It is very difficult to get dentists to change habits or to get associates to move to a consolidated position. Every dentist has their favourite laboratory or supplier and it is very hard to change their perspective,” he said.
AI is great at doing repetitive tasks, usually quicker and sometimes better than we can, but you have also got to be prepared to explore. We all need rogue bees in our businesses
“We have taken the approach that through the use of AI they can look after their patients better, are going to have more confidence in their work, and are ultimately going to make more money.”
Offering further advice on why practices should embrace AI were Adrian Dray and Ellicia Dillon of CareStack.
Dray said AI must be viewed as something to augment, not substitute and compared the challenge to a beehive, telling delegates: “You will have some 30,000 bees keeping a hive going. When each bee comes back to the hive, they do a little ‘waggle dance’. The direction and speed of the waggle tells the other members of the hive where nectar can be found and how far away. But not all bees will go in that direction. Around 20 per cent go rogue because it’s important some are always exploring.
“AI is great at doing repetitive tasks, usually quicker and sometimes better than we can, but you have also got to be prepared to explore. We all need rogue bees in our businesses.”
The speaker sessions also looked at structure, governance and compliance, with input from Greg Allan and William Haggerty of Birketts law practice, who advised practices to ensure they had everything signed and documented prior to any sale or change of ownership.
And one of the most-impactful speeches of the day was by Dr Ashkan Pitchforth, who was interviewed by Neil Carmichael, executive chair of the Association of Dental Groups, about his unique business approach.
The Dentist Times Owners Club brings together the people actually running dental businesses, not theorising about them. The conversations are sharper, the questions are harder, and the outcomes are more honest than almost any other format I know
Dr Pitchforth said the future for long-term business survival lay with NHS contracts.
He said: “NHS work is our bread and butter and we should be proud of it. We should always fly the flag.
“At the moment the NHS is the best place to be. The ICBs are utterly clueless and we have exploited that by winning contracts.
“I would never be a fully private practice. The NHS draws patients in we spend zero on marketing because the NHS does that for us. We then upsell the private treatments.
“I think the NHS will continue as it is and practices who are just riding the fashion storm – only doing cosmetic work – will find that it will dry up.”
The last session of the day featured Mark Aichroth of DeNovo Dental Partners; and Andy Sloan of Agilio Software and new consultancy, Sloan Strategic, who looked at the future of dentistry.
Sloan, who also chaired the sessions throughout the day, said of the event: “Chairing a room full of dental practice and group owners is one of my favourite things to do. Not because I have all the answers, but because the people in that room do.
“The Dentist Times Owners Club brings together the people actually running dental businesses, not theorising about them. The conversations are sharper, the questions are harder, and the outcomes are more honest than almost any other format I know.”
Sally Pike of Tempdent added: "I had a fantastic day yesterday connecting with some of the most-influential professionals in the dental industry. Conversations like these are invaluable in understanding the evolving needs of practices"
The next Dentist Times Owners Club event will be held at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield on 17 September.
For more information, click here.