One dental leader connected with Becker's via email Sept. 20 to discuss how he sees consolidation trends in the dental industry changing.
Editor's note: Response has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Question: How do you see consolidation trends evolving in the next two years?
Daniel German, DDS. Founder, CEO and Chief Orthodontist of Orthobrain: We believe that the unprecedented consolidation in dentistry will continue, including with specialty practices. One model gaining traction is offering patients the services needed through their lifecycle under one ownership umbrella.
Think of young kids seeing a pediatric dentist, followed by a hand-off to the orthodontist, a referral to the oral surgeon for wisdom teeth and then on to the general dentist. The [general practice dentist] can then refer to a periodontist and endodontist if needed.
Alternatively, many DSOs are training their [general practice dentists] to provide specialty care, powered by the digital revolution.
Dentists find the partnership with DSOs providing relief from the operational stresses of staffing, supply and insurance negotiations and regulatory compliance.
Package the above with high student debt and the high cost of purchasing technology, and one can see the strong attraction for young dentists to join DSOs.