Dentistry After the Pandemic:
Trends Worth Watching

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic changed the business landscape forever. The safety risks associated with the virus called for drastic measures on the part of individuals to protect themselves and their families. Throughout all of it, businesses and industries had to adapt and change on a whim to stay afloat – the dental industry being no exception. Dentistry as we know it has evolved rapidly over the last three years in every aspect, including but not limited to delivery methods, technology, and capabilities. As a dental practitioner, it is worth your time to keep track of these evolutions and watch for aspects that you can adopt in order to keep your practice at the very top of the competition in terms of service quality. Here are a few trends in the industry that might catch your eye:

1. 3D Printing
   An emergent technology, 3D printing is proving useful for all kinds of industries and is going to be a major part of the future of dentistry. Edward Shellard, DMD writes that 3D printing allows a dentist to construct retainers, dentures, implants, and crowns based on exact models of a patient’s teeth and jaw structure. This revolutionary degree of precision offers a higher standard of comfort and longevity to the patient, all while lowering costs and production time for the dentist.
   
2. Teledentistry
   Teledentistry rose to prominence as people began to isolate themselves in their homes. With naturally decreased appointment volume, dental practices branched out to the internet, using calls, texts, and video chats to offer their services to people in the safety of their own homes. Shellard states that teledentistry has stuck around past the pandemic, and practices have found it useful to help patients with chronic conditions, physical disabilities, and/or reduced access to dental services, among other uses.
   
3. Emotional dentistry
   Over the course of the pandemic, for one reason or another, people became more conscious of their appearance. Dental practices have leaned into this trend by providing cosmetic services that empower patients to feel more confident with their smile. Examples include tooth re-coloring, tooth straightening, and overbite/underbite correction. Understanding the connection between a patient’s visible dental health and their confidence and providing the services necessary to help them will be critical for dental practices going forward.
   

We always recommend that dental practitioners do everything in their power to make sure they’re offering the best standard of care they possibly can to their patients. It’s what differentiates a great practice from just any other. The pandemic fundamentally changed many elements of the dental industry and what it means to deliver premium quality care, and it’s apparent that many of those changes are going to stick.

For more information on post-pandemic dental trends, please visit:
https://www.dentistryiq.com/dentistry/article/14293489/4-postpandemic-dental-industry-trends-here-to-stay

For more insights into the dental industry and advice on how you can succeed within it, please visit: https://www.anbfc.bank/dental

Shellard, Edward DMD (2023). “4 postpandemic dental industry trends: Here to stay?” [Article]. 8 May, 2023. DentistryIQ.
https://www.dentistryiq.com/dentistry/article/14293489/4-postpandemic-dental-industry-trends-here-to-stay [Accessed June 26, 2023]