A multi-pronged approach is needed to alleviate the growing dental assistant shortage before it gets worse, according to several dental professionals.
Dentalpost’s 2026 Dental Salary Survey Report pointed to future challenges with recruiting and retaining dental assistants, showing that improvements in compensation, culture and workload are needed for stable retention.
According to the report, dental assistants are the likeliest dental professionals to be seeking new opportunities, with 47% considering changing jobs within the next two years. Among those considering changing jobs, 84% cite higher pay as a primary motivation, followed by better benefits and seeking a more appreciative employer. Only 54% of dental assistants said they are “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their current work, compared to 57% last year.
Five dental professionals recently spoke with Becker’s to discuss how practices can best navigate the shortage of dental assistants:
Note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Sandy Drexler. CEO and Executive Director of Tri-County Dental (Appleton, Wis.): As a nonprofit dental clinic that does a lot of fillings, root canals and extractions, our dental assistants are a vital part of our team. We pay our dental assistants at or above market rate and have a robust benefit program that includes a generous PTO package and health, dental, short- and long-term life and [accidental death and dismemberment] insurance. Team members have generous uniform, shoe and orthodontic reimbursement packages for their families.
Our dental assistants are experienced and want to keep growing their skills. We keep introducing new technologies and are looking at how we can get each team member working to the top of their scope of practice. Several team members have earned their [expanded functions dental assistant] certification and we have integrated them into our care model.
Supporting new dental professionals is important to us. Tri-County Dental has a strong partnership with the local technical college and has dental assistant students in our office. Their time here functions like an interview, and we have hired several students months before they graduate.
Finally, for the last three years, we have had dental assistant apprenticeships. High school students who are interested in the dental profession work in our clinic 12-15 hours a week during their senior year. They work as a dental assistant for that year, and all have gone on to school in the dental world.
Artin Gorjian, DDS (Arcata, Calif.): It is my belief that empathy as a leader is the foundation to reliably recruiting and retaining passionate personnel. Look outside of the dental field for individuals who provide wholehearted care in their work and toward others when you are out within the community, and offer recruitment and training on the job. “Enthusiasm is more important than experience. Hire for aptitude and attitude, then train for skills.” (Great bits of leadership advice from Kevin Kelly’s Excellent Advice for Living.)
Skills can always be built up but character and morale can not as easily. Giving your team members your wholehearted empathy and providing them room for growth and responsibility helps build trust and belonging, which in the long run helps to retain and maintain practice vitality.
Doug Gray. Owner of Dental Business Solutions: I’ve been in dentistry for over 30 years, working with private practices, specialty practices and DSOs. Dental assistant supply and demand varies by region and by specific location. One constant to attracting, retaining and improving the assistant pool is investing in your people — not just money but time as well. It’s a graduated process:
1. Use a recruiting system that prioritizes “cultural fit” and soft skills as much as clinical experience and does so in the most efficient way possible.
2. Make sure your employee classification system is current with market wage ranges.
3. Offer benefits that provide genuine value to their lives.
4. Use a proven HR process that reviews employees on a cadence that reflects their growth and development, rewards them appropriately, guides them to improve or offboards them if it’s not a fit. “Career pathing,” or career progression is important to assistants. Showing them the possibilities, such as expanded functions and/or licensures, avoids the emotion of feeling “stuck” in their position.
Most offices neglect the final step: a relentless dedication to ongoing education. If you aren’t training them to grow, you are training them to leave.
Lee Harris, DDS. Harris Dental Solutions (Los Angeles): The dental assistant shortage is real and shows no signs of letting up. My best advice is to take excellent care of your current staff so you don’t risk losing them. Second, reach out to potential candidates within your patient base or friends. Offer these people an opportunity to become a dental assistant; you can train them yourself. Lastly, continue to search available resources in the chance that your profile may be attractive to a candidate looking for a change in position.
Robert Trager, DDS. Dentist at JFK Airport (New York City): According to the latest government employment statistics, the healthcare industry is the largest sector for employing new jobs. It is true that DAs are in shortage, but there is a large potential pool of possible individuals who would be suited for this position. The pragmatic scenario would be to formulate a job prescription of what DAs are expected to know and how to navigate in the dental profession.
The pool of potential DAs should be sought and looked at in areas where they have experience in serving the public, [including] flight attendants, service help from restaurants, seasonal workers, graduates from trade or high schools who aren’t going to go to college and part-time vendor helpers at sporting events. These are people who work in the public. Apprise them of a job description where they could be trained on the job without having to pay additional fees. The way to attract these potential DAs would be to post job descriptions at supermarkets, places of worship, trade schools, online and local penny saver newspapers. Even trusted family members who are sitting around looking for something to do. My longest dental assistant/office manager is a former flight attendant who the patients absolutely adore.
The most important aspect of being a dental assistant is that you can always find a job since your position is in demand. Seek person to person and you will be rewarded. If you interact with people, you will be rewarded. You could also have a local sponsored job fair perhaps through the dental society.
