How has dental prevention reshaped generational demand for dental work?
Substantially, and in a way that has permanently changed the demand curve. Fluoride in public water supplies, fluoride toothpaste, electric toothbrushes, accessible dental flossing, regular preventive visits during childhood, and the orthodontic intervention rates of recent generations have produced cohorts of adults with dramatically better baseline dental health than their parents or grandparents had at the same age. Statins, prescribed for cardiovascular reasons, have an unintended side effect of reducing periodontal inflammation, which further reduces dental disease in older patients. The effect is generational and cumulative. Adults under 45 today typically need cleanings, occasional whitening, and a nightguard. They rarely need the extensive restorative work that defined the older generation’s dental life. Generalists serving patient populations with strong prevention histories are working with a smaller per-patient need. Specialists like oral surgeons and orthodontists retain natural advantages but face their own shrinking pie pressures as more cases stay in the generalist office. The prevention success is good for patients and complicated for the profession’s economic model.
If the answers you are finding here resonate with you, my team and I work with a small group of clients each year. The next step is a complimentary Discovery Consultation and Practice Review with Dr. McAnally.