The passion of dentists, new standards of care and pushback against dental insurers are three aspects of the dental industry that dentists are optimistic about moving forward.
Four dental professionals connected with Becker's to share what they are hopeful about in dentistry.
Note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What are some parts of the dental industry that you are optimistic about toward the end of 2024 and into 2025?
Jennifer Bell, DDS. Dentist at Signature Family Dentistry (Holly Springs, N.C.): I continue to be optimistic about the passion and commitment dentists have toward their profession despite the many obstacles they are experiencing daily. Many are still pursuing higher levels of knowledge and education to provide the absolute best care for their patients and that commitment seems unwavering. I am also optimistic that dentistry in general is moving into a more holistic approach, and patients are the great beneficiaries of this movement. Unlike medicine which is moving to even more compartmentalized and subspecialty care, dentists are taking on larger roles in the overall health management of patients. For that reason, it continues to be an exciting time to be in dentistry.
Paul Henry, DDS. Dentist at SW Virginia TMJ Clinic (Roanoke): Avrom King, a consultant in dentistry with a master's degree in social psychology, projected in 1982 that the dental profession would divide into three distinct segments: The over-leveraged will be consumed by the well-funded, and a greater monopoly stake will be held by a smaller group of large corporations who will use economy-of-scale tactics to muscle through this difficult pivot period. Tier 3 practices will remain minority players within this rapidly changing marketplace, while Tier 1 will thrive as the government steps in to more aggressively assist those who have no capacity to pay for dental care.
Hence, we are looking at the socialization of a significant part of the marketplace. Tier 1 represents closed panel, government-run (directly or indirectly) dental clinics. Tier 2 is the “retailing” of dentistry through marketing, merchandising and a reductionistic and commodity-based philosophy. This will likely be 70% of the marketplace within 5-10 years. Tier 2 corporations will either be insurers themselves, or they will negotiate special rate packages with insurers to gain market advantage. Tier 3 is true person-centered, health-centered, relationship-based dentistry, which functions independently of insurance company agendas and payment patterns. Tier 3 will likely be about 5-8% of the market going forward, as traditional insurance-friendly family practices are driven out of the marketplace as they are sold-off or closed. The standard-of-care received will be distinctly different at each tier level, as each level will have a distinctly different philosophy of care and business model.
Bridgett Jorgensen, DMD. Dentist at North Gwinnett Dental Care (Sugar Hill, Ga.): Dentists are starting to realize being in-network may not be possible anymore because of the extreme limitations placed on them by insurance companies with offering reasonable fees. As staff and supply costs are increasing at a rapid pace, fees from insurance companies have stayed flat or even decreased. What used to be a tenable situation, is no longer and dentists are fighting back by going out of network. As more and more dentists do this, they are finding dentistry more profitable with less stress. Approximately 11% of dentists report they are completely out of network and even more have limited their insurance participation to just a few higher paying plans.
DSOs tend to take more of the PPOs, capitation plans and Medicaid or government plans. Private practice dentists have decided that they do not need to compete with DSOs on price, because they will always win on service provided. Companies are also making it easier than ever to join private practices. The future looks bright for dentistry as we continue to incorporate new methods of providing the best care instead of the most inexpensive product.
Charles Schlesinger, DDS. CEO of Comfortable Dentistry4U Rio Rancho (Albuquerque, N.M.): I am optimistic that the dental profession will continue to lobby and pushback against unfair dental insurance practices. The continued dropping reimbursements and continual hurdles thrown at private practitioners needs to stop. Dental insurance should exist for the benefit of its subscribers and the clinicians that serve them, not for the bottom line of the insurance company.