Bridgepoint, one of the world’s leading quoted private asset growth investors, today announced that funds advised by Bridgepoint have agreed to acquire a majority stake in mydentist, the UK’s leading provider of affordable dentistry, from Palamon Capital Partners, a pan-European growth buyout private equity investor.
The current management team, led by Nilesh Pandya, CEO of mydentist, will remain invested in mydentist, while existing shareholder Palamon Capital Partners will fully exit its holding.
mydentist operates more than 500 dental practices across the UK. With over 3,500 dental professionals and more than 2,500 surgeries nationwide, mydentist is the UK’s largest dental provider by revenue, practices and clinicians.
Over the past few years, mydentist has delivered strong performance, underpinned by increased access to affordable dental care for NHS and private patients, continued investment in the latest digital infrastructure, and a focus on building the leading practice network and clinical support in UK dentistry.
Bridgepoint will support mydentist in growing its clinical team and expanding access to high-quality affordable dental care. This will be underpinned by continued investment in digital transformation and state-of-the-art equipment, including the roll-out of more intra-oral scanners and other tools to improve patient care and journey, and clinical efficiency.
Bridgepoint brings deep experience in healthcare services and dental businesses, with its investment in Oris Dental, one of Scandinavia’s leading dental groups, and previous investment in Oasis Dental Care, which Bridgepoint transformed into a UK market leader before its successful sale to Bupa in 2017.
Palamon acquired a majority stake in mydentist in 2021 and subsequently sold subsidiary DD Group (formerly Dental Directory), the UK and Ireland’s leading supplier of specialist dental and medical aesthetics products, to accelerate investment in the core dental services business.
Nilesh Pandya, CEO of mydentist, said: “Today marks an exciting new chapter for mydentist, for our clinicians and practice teams, and - most importantly - for our patients. We are deeply proud of the business we have built to date, and I would like to thank Palamon for their support over the last few years. Our new partnership with Bridgepoint will provide the deep market knowledge and expert resources to help us accelerate the next stage of our growth, ensuring we can provide high-quality, affordable oral care to more patients than ever before.
“We will achieve this by driving digital innovation to optimise our clinical outcomes and patient journey, investing further and faster in our state-of-the-art practice network to transform how dentistry is delivered and bring it into accessible consumer settings, and continue expanding our industry-leading support team so that we can truly be the best place to work anywhere in UK dentistry.”
Tom Riall, Executive Chairman of mydentist, said: “We are delighted to welcome Bridgepoint as our new investment partner. This unlocks an exciting new future for mydentist with a significant opportunity for us to further invest in NHS dentistry and cement our position as the undisputed market champion of affordable dentistry across the UK.”
Jamie Wyatt, Partner at Bridgepoint, said: “We are delighted to invest in the UK dental sector again and to partner with the mydentist management team, whom we have known for many years, to support the next chapter of their growth. With strong foundations, a compelling model, and clear opportunities for expansion, from clinician recruitment to digitisation and M&A, the business is well positioned to scale its impact even further and continue to support more patients to access high-quality, affordable dental care.”
Fabio Massimo Giuseppetti, Partner at Palamon, said: “In 2021, we took the opportunity to re-invest with the mydentist leadership team in their pioneering vision to transform UK dentistry with a high-quality, affordable dental offering that delivers best-in-class care, greater choice for patients, and freedom, flexibility and support for clinicians. We are proud to have supported mydentist’s stellar management team to shape the company’s strategic direction, including the successful divestment of its subsidiary DD Group in 2022, which allowed us to accelerate investment across digitisation, estate transformation and modernisation, and operational excellence. I thank the entire mydentist team for their commitment and look forward to seeing the next phase of growth.”
The transaction is subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals and is expected to close in Q3 2025.
mydentist was advised by Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc (Financial Advisor) and Slaughter and May (Legal Advisor).
Bridgepoint was advised by Rothschild & Co (Financial Advisor), EY-Parthenon (Financial, Tech & Cyber DD), and Latham & Watkins (Legal Advisor).
Palamon Capital Partners was advised by Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc (Financial Advisor) and Slaughter and May (Legal Advisor).