As private equity reshapes American health care, the dentistry industry is now leading the charge — and patients are bearing the cost. In the last decade, private equity firms have been quietly taking control of dental care from behind the scenes, largely through secondary business organizations that push dental practices to cut costs and, in some cases, encourage unnecessary and irreversible dental procedures.

In 2024, the dental industry witnessed 161 private equity deals — the highest number of any health care industry, as tracked by the watchdog organization Private Equity Stakeholder Project. The data reveals that these investment firms are increasingly acquiring dental practices or inserting themselves into clinic management roles, where they then cut corners on patient care.

“A lot of small dental practices have been bought up by big corporations,” said Adelena Brannan, a dental hygienist in Virginia who has been working for twelve years at private practices, where she’s heard about the harmful effects of acquisition. As these large corporations have begun buying up small, independent practices, patients increasingly face overcharging, understaffing, and, in worst-case scenarios, excessive dental treatments that destroy otherwise healthy teeth.