Dental fiscal squeeze continues into 2026

Rising costs and underfilled appointment schedules could be instilling financial pressure on dental practices.

Survey and economic data from the fourth quarter of 2025 revealed trends in dentists’ outlook on the profession, according to a news report from OralHealth. Dentists responding to a panel by the ADA Health Policy Institute indicated that looking ahead to 2026, they are concerned about insurance, staffing and overhead costs. Only one-third of dentists were confident in the U.S. economy in the fourth quarter, citing broad economic uncertainties as equipment- and supply-related expenses have risen 5% since the beginning of 2025.

While spending has increased by 22% and 24% for overall health care and physician services, respectively, spending on dental services has increased by just 9%. One-third of dentists have reported insufficient patient volume. Despite dentists earning more per hour, the number of hours worked per week decreased slightly, reimbursement rates plateaued and hiring challenges persisted for dental hygienists, reflecting greater changes to the U.S. labor market.

Looking ahead to 2026, more than one-third of dentists stated they plan to drop some dental insurance networks. Even with the ongoing fiscal squeeze on dental practices, about 40% of dentists say they plan to add staff and about 25% of them plan to make major equipment purchases.

Read more: OralHealth

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