There’s a lot of art and passion, even in a convenient field like dentistry. Many dentists know this because by the end of the day, what’s helping you build your business is passion. However, for many successful dentists in the world, passion isn’t just enough. You need to be more innovative and keep up with the changing trends to succeed in this field.
Dentistry is a $150 billion industry, and it’s growing fast. About a hundred years ago, such a service was considered to be a luxury. In the early 1800s, dentistry was regarded primarily as a cosmetic option for the rich. That was also a time when people barely got their teeth checked. But nowadays, the service is for everyone, hence its billion-dollar valuation.
This is one of the growing trends in dentistry, and that it’s becoming much cheaper.
Dental Services for Everybody
The main goal of dentistry now is to become more affordable than ever. For many years, dental services used to be expensive. They are still now, especially if you add the low perceived need for it. These are the two main reasons why people don’t visit the dentist. However, dental services are becoming more affordable ever than before.
Let’s take a look at one of the most expensive operations to understand the more affordable value of the service: dental implants. Dental implants have been expensive throughout the years, but tooth replacement options such as dentures, teeth bridges, and flippers have made them available to everybody.
Moreover, many medical insurance options in the market now provide dental options for its clients. So you can technically visit the dentists’ office without paying for anything. Even low-cost medical insurance has these offerings as well.
The main goal of dentistry is to make itself more affordable to everybody, and this trend has been growing reasonably well throughout the years.
3D Printing
To reduce costs and make implants much cheaper, orthodontists and some dentists have started to print teeth. Yes, you’ve read that right. We are starting to print teeth through 3D printers to make such an operation more affordable.
3D printers have taken the world by storm, and the dental industry is taking full advantage of them. We are now exploring customized dentures and implants. We are now making these things more available and affordable through 3D printing.
There are still a couple of hurdles along the way, but eventually, maybe even by next year, 3D printed teeth could be as strong as the very teeth we have in our mouths.
Natural Products
Many industries are adopting more natural ingredients into their products. One of the newer industries to follow this trend is the dental industry.
Interestingly enough, the dental industry is filled with artificial products, such as artificial fillings. However, that’s about to change in the coming years. Nowadays, toothpaste has started to use more natural ingredients such as green tea extract, citric acid, and xylitol. Moreover, there are now toothbrushes made from bamboo trees.
More natural ingredients are popping up every day, and it’s contributing to the overall growth of the industry, which is good for anyone practicing dentistry in the US.
Sedation Dentistry
One of the greatest problems that the industry is facing is dental anxiety. Thirty-six percent of the overall US population fear the dentist, with about 10% of these people having severe symptoms of dental anxiety. This is a serious problem in dental health because all of these people don’t have access to the dental care they need. One of the primary solutions to this problem is sedation dentistry.
Sedation dentistry utilizes all sorts of medicinal innovations to keep a patient relaxed while sitting on a dentist’s chair. There are many forms of sedation dentistry. There is minimal sedation, in where the patient is still conscious but feels a lot lighter and relaxed. This can ease people who have a fear of the dentist. For those who have extreme fear, deep sedation or general anesthesia is recommended.
In deep sedation, the patient is on the brink of losing consciousness but is still awake. While under general anesthesia, the patient is fully unconscious and cannot be awakened.
It’s pretty common for dental professionals to use sedation when doing major dental operations, but not for minor ones. However, because of the growing fear of the dentist in the US, many are using sedation dentistry even in the simplest of operations.
So here are the growing trends in the dentistry market right now. Leveraging these trends can undoubtedly help you grow your practice and gain more clients. Furthermore, it will give you the edge you need to become more competitive in the industry.