"I have spent a lot of time watching roundtable videos, reading journals on the future of dentistry, and diving into blogs related to the challenges dentists expect to face. The top issues include the aging population and the demand it will put on the dental industry, particularly for aesthetic treatments. This demand will increase the expectation to possess the newest and best technology and fully train their teams on these advancements. Still, the expenses associated with this are put primarily on the dentist. Also, with this fast and continuous change in dental tech, dentists will need to focus on continued education, again incurring significant expenses. I spoke with my dentist not long ago, and she estimates that, since becoming a dentist, she has invested at least 100,000 in continued education. In the future, I would love to see dentists gain access to more affordable options to continue educating themselves on the latest industry techniques. Further partnerships with the companies manufacturing this tech would benefit the dentist, the manufacturer, and the patient. Overall, I feel positive, knowing that our industry is ever-evolving. If we can find a way to make these changes financially sustainable for medical professionals, that would be the ideal situation."
