Our Top Takeaways from the Dental Leadership Summit
Last week, we had the privilege of connecting with leaders from across the dental industry at the Dental Leadership Summit. No matter the practice size, location, or role, the insights we heard from executives and experts shared a common theme. Here’s a look at our top takeaways.
Rising labor costs: With hygiene wages reaching $90/hour plus benefits, practices are feeling the pressure from increasing labor costs, prompting a reevaluation of their workflows. Technology has moved from being a support function to a strategic growth driver. From automating eligibility checks to simplifying onboarding, integrated systems are helping teams do more with fewer backfills. Practices adopting modern tools that streamline workflows and connect data across locations are protecting margins while freeing staff to focus on patient care.
Creating a Valued Culture: Practices that prioritize creating a culture where staff feel valued, mentored, and motivated to refer friends or former colleagues are seeing stronger recruitment pipelines. Leveraging technology that resonates with newer generations further enhances retention and engagement and is helping teams scale confidently.
Navigating Patient Skepticism: While technology offers efficiency, many patients, especially in call center interactions, are wary of automation replacing human touch. AI offers enormous potential, but it’s also polarizing – for patients and staff. The opportunity lies in transparency: understanding where AI is used in your practice and by your vendors, and training teams to use it responsibly. Practices that create clear policies and educate staff on safe, ethical AI use will build trust and stay ahead of compliance demands.
Cybersecurity Vigilance: Cybersecurity remains a critical focus, and practices must conduct due diligence on vendors, understand where data flows, and know who covers liability in case of a breach. Sophisticated social engineering and AI-driven exploits target both cloud and server-based systems, putting patient data and operations at risk. With class-action lawsuits following nearly every reported breach, proactive policies, AI governance, cybersecurity insurance, and staff education are your best defense.
We also had the opportunity to discuss why now's the best time to scale your practice during our panel, Smarter Scaling: Your Tech Blueprint for Modern Growth. Special thanks to with our amazing panelists Evelyn Lahiji, Adam Richici, Khuzaan Screwvalla, and Jennifer Steadman, and a big yee-haw to HR for Health for letting us show how we’re moving care forward.
