By Rania Saleh, DDS, MSD
When it comes to software, dentistry has been an under-innovated space for decades. When I was starting my own private cosmetic practice in the mid-2010s, I was shocked by how basic the traditional technology was: on-premise, clunky, and with no real clinical component. It was no wonder so many dental practices still used pen-and-paper or manual processes for taking notes, filling out charts, or communicating information to front office team members.
Thankfully, times are changing.
While dentistry was largely left out of the software as a service (SaaS) revolution that transformed so many other verticals in the 2000s, there are finally purpose-built options for dental practices. For example, Vyne provides RCM tools specific to dentistry’s quirks; Overjet and Pearl use the latest in cloud and AI for imaging; and my own company, Oryx Dental, offers an all-in-one practice management system (PMS) built only and specifically for dentists.
As a result, we’ve seen a growing number of dentistry practices moving to the cloud. In fact, at Oryx, we doubled our annual recurring revenue in just 12 months. We don’t see that trend slowing any time soon, either. There are broader market forces at play that will push dental practices of all shapes, sizes, and specialties towards the cloud.
1. A New Wave of Dentists Is Entering the Workforce
The Boomer generation, commonly defined as people born between 1946 and 1964, are retiring in waves. Right now, we’re in the center of the generation, which means in the next 10 years, we can expect more Boomer dentists to exit the workforce.
As they do so, new opportunities arise for newer dentists in several ways:
- For younger dentists who are working for these soon-to-be-retirees, they may purchase the practice from their mentor or colleague.
- For those who have already established their own practice, they may want to open new locations by acquiring a well-established practice.
- Or, for those looking to start their own practice, they’ll find ample patients seeking a new dental practice once their old one shuts down.
In all 3 of these situations, a younger, more tech-savvy generation will be making major decisions about how to run a business, including the patient experience, communication, workflows, and technology.
So, whether they’re starting from scratch and want a firm, tech-forward foundation or need to integrate patient data, processes, and teams from multiple locations, a younger wave of dental decision-makers will drive more practices onto modern, cloud-first platforms.
2. The Staffing Crunch Continues
Since the pandemic, hiring has been a major challenge for dental practices across the US. It’s harder than ever to find great front- or back-office team members. Practice managers are being asked to do more than ever. And with costs rising across the board—from medical school tuition to materials—dentists can’t afford to spend less time in the chair while doing administrative work.
Cloud-based technology can significantly shorten workflows by reducing friction. For example:
- Patients can provide health, insurance, and other information ahead of time via online forms that automatically integrate with the PMS.
- With clinical notes entered into charts via ambient AI voice technology, dentists don’t need to bring information to the front desk for the patient’s next appointment or procedure—the information is there by the time the patient checks out.
- AI imaging providers like Overjet, Pearl, and others can quickly give dentists information to assess, diagnose, and determine treatment plans for patients.
- Automation tools can append information to insurance submissions, reducing the amount of back-and-forth with carriers and leading to more timely reimbursements.
These are just a few, high-level examples of ways that SaaS and AI solutions can drive efficiency in dental practices—a need that will only accelerate as costs rise and pressures mount.
3. Dental Care Will Become More Integrated with Healthcare
When I was running my cosmetic dentistry practice outside DC, I used a thorough, Kois Center-inspired process for assessing patients. I often saw issues in the mouth that pointed to broader health issues like early cancers and would refer patients to medical specialists.
In fact, I remember getting calls from doctors thanking me for a referral, as they were able to catch early cancers. They were amazed that a dentist would be able to spot the warning signs.
But those of us who sit in the chair know it’s not unusual at all: dental care is healthcare. Oral health is increasingly shown to be tied to major conditions like cardiac disease, diabetes, and more. Organizations like the ADA and the FDI are already calling for dental information to be integrated into EHRs.
Given the technological and insurance differences between dentistry and general healthcare, there’s a long road ahead to make dental/healthcare integration a reality. But by having their patient data digitized, in the cloud, and accessible, dental practices—especially large groups or DSOs—will be better positioned for an industry-wide shift towards integrated health.
Dentistry’s Future Has Arrived
There’s a famous quote that’s often used in some version or another by the tech industry, widely attributed to the science fiction writer William Gibson: “The future is already here—it’s just not evenly distributed.”
When it comes to dentistry, that’s certainly true. We have incredible leaps in technology not just poised to transform but already available to dental practices all over the world. If a dental practice wants to seamlessly communicate between locations, integrate patient data, automate patient scheduling and the patient experience, and use AI to speed practice workflows, opportunities to do so exist.
But not all dental practices are there yet—in fact, most dental practices still use old-fashioned, on-prem technology. That will change rapidly as purpose-built SaaS and AI technologies prove their worth and as word spreads. The future of dentistry is, indeed, already here.
Rania Saleh, DDS, MSD, is the founder and CEO of Oryx Dental Software. Prior to starting the company, she was the founder and owner of a multi-site dental practice in the DC area. Dr. Rania attended McGill University, where she received both her DDS and MSD.
