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One key area of growth within the space has been the clear aligner business. Market Analysis Report represents a $3.1B market and is projected to see rapid growth reaching $17B by 2028.

The dental industry is constantly changing with the latest trends in technology and treatments. To stay up-to-date on the latest changes, it is essential to be aware of the Emerging Dentistry Trends and the future of healthcare. Dental implants are also becoming more popular, as they are a permanent solution for missing teeth. 

Dental care is a fast-growing industry now, with several new trends and innovations emerging in the past few years. Another trend that is expected to grow in popularity is dental tourism.

COVID-19 Pandemic 2022’s Emerging Dentistry Trends 

When predicting the latest trends, it’s important to take note of the past trends and the impact they had. During the initial stages of the pandemic, dental practices were expected to face many challenges. The Health Policy Institute predicted that dental spending would drop by 20% in 2020.

That said, the reality was much smoother, with revenue only going down by 6%. In fact, as of October 2021, the American Dental Association (ADA) reported that over 60% of practices were open and busy! Although the pandemic was a roadblock, these new trends show that the dental industry is going to enjoy a lot more growth in 2022.

Latest Dentistry Trends

As Dentistry grows more widespread and sophisticated, oral healthcare treatments are becoming more common. In recent years, there has been a rise in the number of people seeking out treatments such as dental veneers, teeth whitening, and Invisalign to improve their smiles.

The trend is expected to continue in the future as more and more people become aware of the benefits of oral care. Here are the latest dentistry trends you should be on the lookout for. 

1. Convenience 

Although not a breakthrough in technology, the rising value of convenience needs to be taken note of. There has been a significant focus on the comfort and convenience of patients in healthcare recently, and dentistry is no exception. Patients nowadays have several options when choosing healthcare providers, so it stands to reason that they will pick the easiest and most comfortable option.

For example, online portals to book appointments and fill out forms, expanded office hours, online payments, and additional services are always to improve the experience for patients. 

2. Emotional Dentistry

On a similar note to convenience is emotional dentistry one of the more interesting trends to come up of late. As the term suggests, emotional dentistry focuses on the emotional and mental aspects of dentistry, not just the physical parts. Emotional dentistry uses new techniques and technology to create virtual images of the patient’s appearance once the procedure is over. This can also help patients decide which procedure will be best for them. 

Emotional dentistry has shown remarkable effects in improving the patient experience, especially in cosmetic dentistry, emergency dentistry, and orthodontics. When used properly, it can help calm their nerves, and give them the confidence that they are making the right choice.  

3. Teledentistry

Telehealth is one of the bigger trends to come out of the pandemic, and it looks like it's here to stay. While there might be some limitations with teledentistry the lack of direct care, for example, also provides several benefits. 

Teledentistry allows ease of access for the 20% of Americans who live in rural areas and can’t easily obtain care. Teledentistry has also been found to be as effective as in-person consultations when it comes to diagnosing cavities and providing treatment plans.

4. Dental Tourism Changing Dentistry Trends

The phrase “dental tourism” was first coined in the 1970s. In the early days, dental tourism was primarily a type of travel for those with dental-related diseases. Dental tourism is on the rise. The cost of dental care continues to increase in Asia and the Pacific, and an increasing number of people are looking to save money by traveling abroad for dental care.

Dental tourism is not a new phenomenon, but it is evolving and changing as more and more people become interested in it. What is dental tourism? Dental tourism is the term used to describe the phenomenon of people traveling to foreign countries to receive dental care. Dental tourism estimated global revenue to be $105 billion.

5. 3D Printing 

The global 3D market is expected to expand by 21% from 2021 to 2028. 3D printing is on its way to becoming more mainstream, which will allow it to play a much bigger role in dental practices due to accessibility and lower costs. 3D printing uses materials like resins and greatly speeds up the process of creating custom dentures, crowns, clear teeth aligners, and more. 

More possible applications are even coming to light as 3D technology advances, with general dentistry, implantology, and prosthodontics all standing to benefit.

6. Laser Dentistry

Like 3D printing, laser dentistry is also one of the biggest trends in dentistry. Before laser dentistry, procedures like filling cavities and repairing damaged gums required invasive and often painful treatments. In some cases, laser technology can even replace dental drills to remove or reshape tissue, remove cavities, repair fillings, and more. 

Laser dentistry allows for minimally invasive oral surgery, reducing the need for sutures. It also allows for less bleeding, little to no pain, faster healing, and a reduced risk of infection. 

7. Subscription-Based Coverage

The dental industry has a high level of financial barriers, causing many people to avoid care. 69% of people who don’t receive dental care do so because they can’t afford it. Even for those with dental insurance, it can be difficult to find a practice covered by their insurance plan. 

That’s where subscription dental plans come in. Subscription services offer an annual or monthly rate that can cover cleanings, x-rays, and even fillings and surgery. Studies show that 83% of consumers prefer practices with a membership plan, making it beneficial to both patients and dental clinics.

8. Consolidated Practices 

Fewer and fewer dentists are working as solo practitioners, with only 50% currently being solo practices. One reason for this could be the amount of student loan debt carried by the average dental school graduate roughly around $300,000. 

Additionally, the costs of opening and managing a dental practice can be difficult for individual dentists to afford. Group dentistry can help solve these problems while ensuring a well-equipped dental practice. 

9. Dental Marketing Practices

Dental practices have traditionally been small operations without a huge digital marketing budget. Though slow to catch up, the pandemic underscored the necessity of online advertising for many dental practices. In a survey of dental practitioners conducted in January of 2021, 38% believed more marketing would make their practice more productive and profitable. Across all industries, digital ad spending was projected to reach $389 billion in 2021, a growth of 17%.

A survey of dental patients found that 1 in 3 say that dentists cannot go without Facebook marketing. They also found that 58% of patients prefer seeing video content from dental practices. Social media has become a popular and low-cost channel to help dental practices to get in front of new patients.

In 2013, only 86.2% of companies used social media for marketing.

In 2022? 92.1% of businesses are projected to use social media.

The healthcare marketing platform PatientPop found that providers who don’t address online reputation are 52% less likely to report having strong revenue.

Conclusion

Many of this year’s dentistry trends are focused on improving patient care. Specifically, the oral healthcare industry to focusing on improving the comfort, affordability, and ease of dental treatments.

Though the dental industry is not the first to adopt cutting-edge technologies, it is on its way to incorporating many new modern conveniences.