May 2026, Acquisition International | 13 The UK’s Deeply Human Dental Group hether someone is looking to sell their dental practice, embark on a new challenge as a nurse or a receptionist, improve their leadership skills as a practice manager, create beautiful smiles as a dentist, or find a new opportunity in a purpose-driven and peoplefocused company, Todays Dental has everything they need across its organisation. Comprising more than 135,000 patients and 700 people, this purpose-led dental group is looking to change what it means to run a successful dental group. First and foremost, this starts with the cultural model of the four Ps (purpose, people, patients, profit), within which the central and practice teams of Todays Dental work. Using this model, the aim is to create a hub of inspiring, authentic leaders who empower and support, with success being measured through happiness of their people as well as the profit they create . One of the most important elements of Todays Dental’s work is change management. Steve explained: “When a new practice team joins Todays Dental, we pay a lot of attention to the emotional aspect of this change , both as a team and on an individual basis. We’ve therefore created a Transition Pathway where the goal is to set new teams up for success both practically and emotionally as they become part of our network.” The development of this Transition Pathway stemmed from the recognition that a practice shifting in ownership following an acquisition and during its transition into the Todays Dental ecosystem was a cultural inflection point. Introducing the role of Transition Manager which is designed to support a team’s psychological shift by ensuring they have a dedicated person they can turn to for clarity and reassurance from the start, sees everyone set up for success, through clear, early communication and inclusion in broader strategic goals. For instance, during the first six months, the group runs a Discover, Dream Day, which sees an entire practice close for the day to give its team chance to co-create a shared vision for its future. Steve told us: “These immersive sessions are crucial for fostering psychological safety and enabling honest dialogue between the team.” This is followed up by a Practice Roadmap session that pulls together everything discussed, forming the basis of business planning for the practice from that point on. “It’s been super exciting so far since the Discover, Dream Day, to be able to start planning to implement what the team want for the practice, and how they see the practice in the future.” – Practice Manager Over the last few months, Todays Dental has also had the pleasure of working with one of its practice teams to transform the service they provide to patients. Due to a series of external factors outside of their control, the practice team had started to become disillusioned with their long-standing approach to delivering patient care. After many conversations about making changes, the collective decision was made that 2026 should be the year for this. A huge collaborative effort then took place, the results of which are already starting to be felt by the practice team and their patients, demonstrating the strategic value of their cultural model and of involving people to ensure changes are implemented as effectively as possible for all parties. Securing these results at a time like this, when dental consolidation has made the acquisition landscape more competitive and crowded, sees Todays Dental able to stand out as a result of the flexibility and culture it offers. Steve added: “We’ve put people, structures, and systems in place that enable us to support our practice teams in a way that is aligned to our purpose and vision.” This attracts like-minded businesses looking for an organisation that can meet their short-term needs whilst also protecting their heritage. Lastly, when it comes to the future of Todays Dental, new digital infrastructure is set to be introduced into its practices, enhancing patient workflows and improving the ability of its practice teams to deliver exceptional patient journeys. However, these kinds of initiatives would be nothing without engaged people to support the results, and this is why the group is also looking to expand the central team who have been crucial every step of the way. Contact: Steve Williams Company: Todays Dental Web Address: https://www.todaysdental.co.uk/ As a uniquely people-focused dental group, Todays Dental’s purpose is to improve lives and create smiles, all the way from acquisitions and transition services to day-to-day operations. With practices across England and Wales, the group is led by an experienced management team who prioritise collaboration, with the aim of creating a purpose-driven culture, happy dental teams, and, crucially, happy patients. With its central team being named the Specialist Healthcare M&A Experts of the Year 2026 – UK in this feature, we caught up with Steve Williams, CCO of Todays Dental, for more on the UK’s people-focused dental group. W
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