Dental trend: Pediatric Dentists Working Increasingly with Orthodontists

At Viper, our business development team speaks with hundreds of dentists and dental specialists every year. These valuable conversations with dentists and dental specialists give us a unique vantage point of industry trends. One such trend that has become clear is that of the collaboration between pediatric dentists and orthodontists.

This is an unsurprising trend. The pediatric dentist and orthodontist market largely overlaps, with many children who regularly attend a pediatric dentist eventually also needing to see an orthodontist. Even as the number of adults choosing to undergo an orthodontic treatment increases, data show the majority of orthodontic patients are not yet adults. The trend of increased collaboration between pediatric dentists and orthodontists reveals the growing opportunity for these dental practitioners to further work together.

Collaborating to serve young patients

As mentioned above, this trend is a natural result in the life of a young dental patient. Pediatric dentistry and orthodontics are in many cases complementary practices, something practice owners of pediatric and orthodontic practices alike are moving to take advantage of.

One manifestation of this trend is in dual pediatric and orthodontic practices that comprise the two dentists choosing to come together to open a practice together in the same building. More common than this, however, is the trend of a family venture into creating a joint practice. In families where dentistry is a shared profession, especially when someone is a pediatric dentist or orthodontist, the addition of a complementary practice is a logical development. In these cases, the dental practitioners increase their client pool by accessing each other’s patients, allowing both businesses to grow while providing quality, comprehensive care to their patients.

Future trends for orthodontics

Orthodontics market data from Allied Market Research shows that the orthodontics market is projected to grow in both children and adults. The trend of pediatric dentists and orthodontists will only strengthen this projection, as more pediatric patients (and their parents) become increasingly more exposed to orthodontics.

At Viper, we speak with orthodontists and pediatric dentists every day, getting to know them and their practices to provide the best service. Viper Equity Partners is the leading transition adviser in the U.S. working with dentists and dental specialists in their journey to partnership with a DSO. For a free valuation of your practice and to see how transitioning to a DSO could benefit you, contact Viper today.