Practice #2
Bratten Dental, Smyrna, TN
Dr. Jim Bratten grew up in Smyrna, TN and opened Bratten Dental in his hometown in 1984. He’s been chairman of two county boards and served on the state board of the Academy of General Dentistry. In ‘03 he was awarded Mastership status from the Academy, and since ‘11 his peers have consistently named him a Top Dentist in Nashville Magazine’s annual survey.
In short, Dr. Bratten is a good dentist.
Every day, >100 people move to Nashville.
I don’t blame them. I like it too.
Every day, another 20 people move to Smyrna, TN - just 23 miles southeast of Downtown Nashville.
And I get that too.
Smyrna is 30 minutes from Nashville. Green space and good schools. Still relatively affordable. About a third of Smyrna’s 55K residents moved there in the last decade.
When I launched Tailwater last summer with Dr. KB Parkes, we knew we wanted to partner* with an exceptional dental practice in Smyrna if we could find the right one.
The right dentist.
*Partnership means Tailwater buys a majority stake in a dental practice and then provides operational support like HR, accounting & finance, compliance, IT, etc.
We figured that might take a while.
But I had lunch with a young dentist last August, and she told me about a great practice in Smyrna called Bratten Dental.
Loyal patients. Exceptional reputation. And owned by Dr. Jim Bratten, a respected dentist who practices dentistry the right way.
“One of the good ones,” the young dentist said.
One problem. It wasn’t for sale.
And another problem, Dr. Bratten had never heard of me or Tailwater.
So I Googled “Jim Bratten dentist Smyrna” until I found an email address that might be his, and last September I sent Dr. Bratten a cold email.
After a few days, he responded.
Over the weeks that followed, Dr. Bratten and I talked a lot. We discussed our goals and values. What good dentistry meant. We earned each other’s trust and respect.
We eventually found mutual fit.
And I have good news. Yesterday, Bratten Dental became the second dental practice supported by and partnered with Tailwater.
What a great way to start 2022.
Dr. Jim Bratten married his wife, Elizabeth, in 1983 and opened Bratten Dental in his hometown in 1984.
Over a 40-year career, he earned the trust of his community and the admiration of his peers. And now Tailwater gets to call Bratten Dental a partner.
Tailwater practice #2, Bratten Dental. Founded by Dr. Jim Bratten in 1984. Located in Smyrna, TN just one block from the Publix Super Market at Parkway Town Centre.
Growth through acquisition and partnership can be complicated. Lots of spreadsheets.
But the two criteria that really matter are people and places.
Leadership and location.
And yesterday, Tailwater partnered with a dental practice that has both.
We’re excited about all the ways Tailwater can help Dr. Bratten and his team thrive, so Bratten Dental can continue to be an anchor of the Smyrna community for another 40 years.
And we’re still just getting started.
