Background 

Todays Dental has grown rapidly, expanding from a single practice to more than 30 in just three years, with plans to reach 50 within the next. Unlike traditional dental acquisitions, where productivity often dips as former owners adjust to self-employed dentists, teams lose direction and revenue drops. The founding team, including Lyn Paxman, Culture Director set out to redefine integration through culture. The goal was to create a respected, people-first brand by aligning diverse practice cultures under a shared sense of purpose, belonging and accountability. The challenge lay in balancing the needs of employed staff and self-employed clinicians, many of whom value autonomy and flexibility, while maintaining consistency in leadership and patient experience.

Approach 

At its inception Todays Dental created the 4Ps framework – Purpose, People, Patients and Profit – and a strong set of Guiding Principles and built its integration strategy around them. A central Resource Hub (RH) leads the process, embedding cultural alignment as the foundation for performance. Cultural Ambassadors and operations leaders act as champions, supporting new practices through a phased, relationship-driven transition.

Recognising that the shift from owner-led to manager-led practices can unsettle teams, Todays Dental introduced Transition Managers to provide continuity and psychological support during the first months. These managers help new teams navigate change, clarify expectations and build trust with RH leaders.

“By putting culture before consolidation Todays Dental defied industry norms, turning post-acquisition decline into sustained growth across 30 practices”

Within six months of joining each practice takes part in a Discover Dream Day, an immersive, whole-team event where the practice closes for a day to co-create its vision and define shared goals. This builds psychological safety and ownership from the outset. Follow-up growth planning sessions and personalised Guiding Star packs translate each practice’s aspirations into clear action.

To sustain alignment, cross-functional onboarding sessions bring RH staff and practice teams together for open feedback. This ensures learning flows both ways and the integration approach continually evolves.

Outcome

Three years into its plan, Todays Dental has met its ambitious target of 4% growth in the first year post-acquisition and 8% annually thereafter, defying industry norms of early decline. Across 30+ practices, stability and engagement have been achieved through shared purpose and inclusive leadership. The company reports no difficulty attracting or retaining dentists, rare in the sector, and its people-first approach has earned praise from regulators such as the CQC and from agents who now actively recommend Todays Dental as a trusted acquirer.

The group’s success extends beyond dentistry, with invitations to share its cultural leadership model at international conferences in Austin, Amsterdam, New York and Marseille.

Todays Dental has proven that by aligning through purpose and inclusion diverse teams can thrive together and deliver sustained business growth.

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