16 Dental Industry Trends to Watch in 2026: Insights for Providers

Dentistry trends are constantly evolving, so keeping up with emerging practices and innovations can be essential for supporting your team, your patients and the longevity of your practice. It may not be possible to spend time or resources on every dental trend, but there may be an innovation, option or transformation that can make a difference in the efficiency of your dental office and the happiness of your patients.

Adopting some of the emerging dental trends and innovations of 2026 may help elevate and streamline your practice by enhancing patient care, optimizing operations and supporting smart, sustainable dental office growth.

Technology Innovations Shaping Dental Care

Technology innovations often play a prominent role in dental industry trends. With CEREC® machines, Invisalign®, palatal expanders, Angel Aligners™ and other notable dental innovations, emerging tech may help expand expertise, accessibility, office communication and patient retention.

• Artificial intelligence (AI) diagnostics. Artificial intelligence can help dentists augment their expertise. For example, AI diagnostics can show the degree and location of tooth decay for earlier diagnoses. Even the climate is being studied by AI researchers to monitor the effect of extreme heat waves, reduced air quality and frequent wildfires on dry mouth, cavities and teeth grinding. Many dental offices are using AI technologies to analyze imaging, automate scheduling, enhance patient engagement and tend to time-consuming dental office tasks.¹
• Teledentistry. Dental work needs to occur in a physical office, but online diagnostics and consultations have helped put patients at ease and given teledentistry a home in modern dental care. Remote consultations can empower patients to move forward with oral healthcare, facilitate early disease detection, reduce wait times and minimize unnecessary visits. Better treatment planning can occur through teledentistry, and its integration with other technologies can help improve accessibility and efficiency in oral healthcare.²
• 3D printing. 3D printing can create digital prosthetics that fit comfortably without the need for lengthy wait times, which normally exist when an outside dental lab is used to craft materials. 3D printing presents an in-office opportunity for dental teams to get appliances and restorations right the first time. Dentures, aligners, dental crowns and more can be created with precise efficiency, allowing patients to get dental care quickly.³
• Digital workflow. Practice management software offers a comprehensive platform that can make your entire dental team privy to the same information, so it’s clear who is responsible for each office task, from sending appointment reminders to ordering supplies. Digital tools can help streamline office workflow for efficiency and productivity, which can work toward improving communication.⁴

Evolving Patient Expectations

Trends in dentistry are leaning toward improving patient care and patients’ changing wants and needs. Streamlining operations to honor evolving expectations hits patients in the areas that interest them most — technology, efficiency and quality of care.⁵

• Put patient care first. Patients may feel vulnerable when they have a toothache or be embarrassed by the appearance of their teeth. A better patient experience may involve shorter wait times, manageable follow-up care, solid results, consistency and positive interactions between patients and the dental team.
• Lead with knowledge. It can pay to invest in your dental team, so they are clear on their roles, whether it’s to focus on present challenges or spend time planning for what’s ahead. Greater communication and transparency can be beneficial for dental teams and can support them in engaging effectively with patients. When you create and maintain a well-trained, knowledgeable team, they are more likely to confidently pass relevant information on to patients.
• Focus on holistic health. Having healthier, stronger teeth can be part of the equation that enhances the quality of life. With decades of life added to longevity, that means teeth need to last longer, too. Focusing on overall well-being as well as basic and acute dental care and how the two affect each other can be an important component in holistic dental health.

Prepare for Regulatory and Compliance Updates

Adding new products or devices to your dental practice or making major equipment or technological changes requires careful observation of regulations and compliance with relevant FDA and ADA standards. Manufacturers are responsible for classifying and labeling devices and products properly, but you can keep your dental practice operations moving smoothly by staying up-to-date on mandates and delivering clear communication to your team and patients.⁶

• Explain high-risk devices. Teeth whitening products and custom mouthguards are two dental items that have been recently reclassified as higher-risk devices that require manufacturers to do comprehensive, rigorous testing before these materials reach your practice. Though reclassification as a high-risk device may seem surprising for certain treatments or appliances, these efforts are done out of concern for patient safety.
• Minimize amalgam use. Many dentists have adopted composite, flattering, tooth-colored fillings and retired the silver fillings made of noticeable, potentially toxic dental amalgam. Dental trends show this choice is likely to continue — the FDA has mandated warnings on amalgam products that contain mercury, particularly for pregnant women, children and patients with sensitivities.
• Follow biocompatibility requirements. There will be an increased monitoring of materials for dental restorations like crowns, dental implants, bridges and veneers. These strict biocompatibility requirements involve comprehensive testing to rule out toxicity and minimize long-term health concerns. These strict biocompatibility requirements involve comprehensive testing to rule out toxicity, minimize long-term health concerns and can contribute to patient satisfaction over time.

Choices in Dental Payments

The way patients pay for dental care is evolving as well. Dental insurance and cash are no longer the only viable options. There are more payment methods available, making dentistry accessible to patients who may otherwise forgo dental care, no matter their budget or other concerns.⁷

• Dental insurance. Patients who have dental benefits are more than twice as likely to visit their dentist, which implies that dental insurance isn’t going anywhere. Nevertheless, patients are paying a larger chunk of their premiums, which may translate to dental plans with low premiums and lower reimbursement rates for dentists.
• Cost transparency. Since dental patients are taking on a higher amount of total dental costs, patients are seeking demanding more cost transparency and cost breakdowns from your dental team. They are also willing to shop around for dental care.
• Financing options. Offering patient financing can help you facilitate growth within your dental practice. Dental marketing efforts can promote financing options with the CareCredit credit card*, which may appeal to patients and help dental offices get paid faster.

Sustainability and Ethical Practices in Dentistry

Many providers are becoming more invested in eco-friendly initiatives and ethical business practices. Making your dental practice green can help you reduce waste and conserve energy in large and small ways and you can market your eco-friendly choices to the community.⁸

• Go paperless. Send appointment notices and billing reminders via email or text. Go digital for all charting and radiology, too.
• Be energy efficient. Add a dimmer lighting system, maximize natural light, use a programmable thermostat or choose an environmentally friendly sterilization system.
• Opt for careful disposal of materials. Contract with a hazardous waste hauler to tend to the removal of amalgam silver fillings so that water sources are not contaminated.

The Future of Dentistry Is Always Evolving

For dental practices to thrive, it may be important to anticipate shifts in your field and adopt dental trends and innovations proactively where they make sense to help stay with the curve in dental health and wellness. Through simple but impactful additions like offering financing options to patients and prioritizing the needs of your staff, your practice can remain relevant and become known as a reliable destination for modern dental care.

A Dental Patient Financing Solution for Your Practice

Want to help more patients move forward with the dental care they want or need? Consider offering the CareCredit credit card as a financing solution. CareCredit allows patients to pay for out-of-pocket dental care costs over time while helping enhance the payments process for your practice.

When you accept CareCredit, patients can see if they prequalify with no impact to their credit score, and those who apply, if approved, can take advantage of special financing on qualifying purchases.* Additionally, you will be paid directly within two business days.

Learn more about the CareCredit credit card as a dental patient financing solution or start the provider enrollment process by filling out this form.

Author bio

Elizabeth Weiss is a freelance writer and editor with more than 20 years of experience in content development for dentistry, orthodontics and cosmetic dermatology. She focuses on making healthcare topics accessible to readers and contributes to many fields, from family and estate law to industrial services and landscape design.

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