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Table Of Content
May 2025
The U.S. Dental Services market size is evaluated at USD 174.91 billion in 2025 and is forecasted to hit around USD 270.57 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 5.30% from 2025 to 2034. The market sizing and forecasts are revenue-based (USD Million/Billion), with 2024 as the base year.
The US dental services market size was estimated at USD 164.76 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach over USD 270.57 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 5.30% between 2025 and 2034. The growing pool of the aging population is the key factor driving market growth.
DSOs provide a model for dentists to focus on their dental practice and provide the greatest and most up-to-date care for their patients while not having to worry about the practice's management and operations. DSOs have not only simplified dentistry for dentists, but they have also proven to be tremendously profitable for all parties involved.
As DSOs have grown in popularity, a variety of other models and sizes have emerged that can be derived from the fundamental DSO framework, allowing nearly any dentist or investor to join a DSO and invest in the ever-growing and dynamic dentistry market.
Even though the many DSO models have grown and altered, the DSO is still here to stay. With a present market penetration of 20% to 23% of DSOs in the United States, the consolidation of solo practices is on the rise. The DSO model has spread throughout the United States, as well as to other countries like Canada. In the future years, an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 fragmented and unaffiliated practices in the marketplace will shift from solo practices to DSO affiliated practices. Because of all of its excellent features, DSOs have remained and continue to flourish. They provide dentists, investors, and patients with numerous perks and advantages.
Non-dentist investors who desire to invest in the dentistry business can also own DSOs. Non-dental investors are sometimes able to provide more profitable options than licensed dentists, resulting in higher rates of return. DSOs also enable succession planning if the owner dentists pass away, become disabled, or lose their license.
When a group of successful orthodontists decided to manage the business aspect of dentistry in the 1990s, the DSO model was born. The concept was to separate dentist management from dental practice to make things easier for dentists and patients while still being financially profitable.
Focus on clinical practice
Separating the nonclinical from the clinical minimizes overhead and boosts reimbursement rates in general. Instead of dealing with all of the management and operations of the dental office, which may become detailed and time demanding, the dentist can focus on treating patients, which enhances the grade of treatment. Dentists might also practice dentistry as they see fit and concentrate completely on their practice.
Furthermore, DSOs have superior management skills to dentists who attended dental school rather than business or management school. By entrusting the management and nonclinical aspects of the dental practice to a DSO, the dentist is delegating authority to an expert in that sector.
Allowing business specialists who specialize in hiring and maintaining staff, negotiating leases with landlords, and handling reimbursement rates and insurance contracts, for example, to do their jobs will help the practice grow. Professional nonclinical components of a dental practice can be handled by these business management experts, allowing dentists to focus on and build their expertise and practice.
DSOs also give its dentists and doctors more opportunities to network. DSOs help dentists learn and explore new things while also introducing them to new technology. Small dental practicesthat join DSOs gain access to cutting-edge technology that allows them to deliver better care to their patients. A DSO's first goal is proper patient care, and many DSOs support continuing education programs for its dentists as well as good mentoring opportunities.
DSOs do not want to be associated with practices that do not give their patients the best possible care and safety. As a result, DSOs will ensure that their dentists are well-cared for and receive the most up-to-date information and educational opportunities, including mentorships. Dentists can connect with more dentists by joining a DSO. Young dentists who are members of a DSO are frequently able to seek mentorship and guidance from other, more experienced dentists in the DSO.
Additionally, DSOs allow dentists to achieve a better work-life balance. Dentists can attain a better work-life balance than solo practitioners since they no longer have to control the managerial and nonclinical components of their practice. Dentists that work with DSOs have more time to focus on other things while still being able to practice dentistry without having to worry about the ins and outs of the dental office's operations.
Efficiency and legal compliance
Third, DSOs make dental practices more efficient and comply with the law. DSOs establish a consistent and standardized approach throughout all of their dental clinics. Regardless of the location, the patient is aware of the level of care and expectations that can be expected when visiting one of the DSO's facilities. This standardization also includes standardized regulatory compliance and the potential for practitioners to discover best practice procedures.
Regulations must be followed by all dental practices, and they must have a corporate structure that prioritizes regulatory compliance. Small practices, especially those looking to grow across state lines, may find this difficult. If a dental practice is trying to establish distinct practices across the country, a DSO can help ease some of the stress of having various laws in each state.
| Report Coverage | Details |
| Market Size by 2034 | USD 270.57 Billion |
| Market Size in 2025 | USD 174.91 Billion |
| Market Size in 2024 | USD 164.76 Billion |
| Growth Rate from 2025 to 2034 | CAGR of 5.30% |
| Base Year | 2024 |
| Forecast Period | 2025 to 2034 |
| Segments Covered | Services, Application |
The aging population drives the demand for dental services
According to statistics, the senior population in the United States increased by 15% between 2000 and 2010. By the year 2060, there are predicted to be 92 million senior people as people become older, their mouths shrink causing issues such as loose dentures, edentulism, dry mouth cavities, periodontal disease, and even oral cancer. In reality, most patients diagnosed with oral cancer are 62 years old on average.
Population changes influencing the future workforce
Dentist demand will rise in the future as the population grows, along with the possibility that people will keep their teeth and require more care later in life. Aside from population growth, population demographics will shift, with baby boomers retiring and the population skewing younger. The younger population, which has benefited from water fluoridation, preventive dental education, and improved dental insurance coverage, suggests that the number of dental visits per person will decrease in the future, as will the efficiency of appointments.
Preventive interventions that have been widely available for decades, such as fluoride, combined with rising standards for oral health have had a significant impact on oral health advancements during the last 50 years and will help shape the field's future. These gains in oral health are essential variables in reducing the amount of time it takes to maintain the average patient's oral health.
Between 2015 and 2040, large aggregate differences will result from different dental health experiences among birth cohorts. The variation in the size of the birth cohorts will accentuate these discrepancies. The baby-boom generation, those born between the end of WWII and 1964, suffered considerably higher levels of deterioration as children than any other birth group since.
The dental industry has faced enormous challenges in maintaining and repairing these massive numbers of highly repaired teeth during the last several decades. Since then, the birth groups have had significantly less damage to their dentitions as children and young adults, and as a result, they require less intense treatment per capita and in aggregate. By 2040, each dentist will be able to maintain the dental health of a greater number of these healthier people in less time.Dentists will need to spend less time per patient on the average American adult in 2040 as younger, healthier cohorts replace older cohorts with more demanding care demands.
Mandatory pediatric dental coverage in private health insurance plans is another trend affecting the future of the dentistry workforce. Although expanding pediatric dental coverage has fueled current demand for pediatric providers, that need will level off as more children are covered. Opportunities for pediatric dentists to care for at-risk and underserved groups will continue to exist, but it is unclear if an updated payer model will be beneficial in better supporting these patients.
Staffing shortages and workforce strain
Dental practices located in the U.S. often struggle to hire and maintain sufficient personnel for roles like dental assistants, hygienists, and front-desk roles. When the dental practitioners can't hire personnel, patients will either wait too long for an appointment or receive divided attention during the visit. It complicates providing quality care and organized dentistry when assistants are overworked, too. Not only do doctors invest time in paperwork and training new hires, but the staff may already be engaged in feverish visits to get everything done. This will also slow staff time for patients suffering, and delays will allow small anguish to become larger problems.
Regulatory burdens and compliance complexity
Dentists in the U.S. have a series of rules and regulations imposed on them by the federal and state governments. The requirements could include employee training, patient privacy, billing requirements, licensing requirements, and policies regarding how clinics are structured or operated. These rules and regulations can become complex and conflicting when DSOs (Dental Service Organizations) operate clinics in various states. DSOs must balance methods that deliver quality patient care with compliance with conflicting laws. This requires that employees spend time learning and studying the regulations and rules of the profession instead of focusing on their patients in the clinic. When the rules and regulations vary so much within regions, practices bear the burden of continually adjusting their systems on a constant basis. While the rules are increasingly getting more complex, dental practices are moving and doing their day-to-day, but imposing regulations significantly slows growth. For example, DSOs have to manage patient privacy and billing practices, and anticompetitive considerations while also delivering high-quality care.
With the rise of teledentistry, technology has allowed for remote dental assessments and recommendations. As AI is used for image analysis of photos or scans submitted by patients, dentists can consult on cases without the patient coming into the office. This is a tremendous benefit in rural or underserved localities. Teledentistry promotes easier access for patients to quickly understand their oral health and allows clinics to see an increased volume of patients. The use of AI provided the ability to review images, indicate issues, and highlight cases that required real visits. The ADA affirmed this premise by noting that AI tools were able to analyze oral photos remotely and communicate patient changes in health to the dental team.
The Endodontic Procedures segment dominated the U.S. dental services market because many people had decayed teeth and infected dental pulp, which resulted in needing to have a root canal treatment to save the natural teeth. This was evident from people seeking treatments to preserve their teeth as opposed to having them extracted.
U.S. Dental Services Market, By Services, 2022-2024 (USD Billion)
| By Services | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Cosmetic Dentistry | 14.71 | 15.88 | 17.10 |
| Endodontic Procedures | 39.38 | 41.09 | 42.80 |
| Periodontal Dentistry | 16.07 | 16.95 | 17.85 |
| Orthodontic and Periodontic Services | 19.77 | 20.80 | 21.85 |
| Diagnostic and Preventive Services | 26.89 | 29.39 | 32.04 |
| Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery | 20.80 | 22.39 | 24.07 |
| Others | 7.87 | 8.45 | 9.06 |
The US corrective dental service market was the largest revenue generating segment as of 2023. According to a survey, over 40% of individuals had oral pain in the last year, and over 80% people are expected to have minimum one cavity by 34 years of age. Each year, the US governmentexpends over USD 124 billion on dental treatments. Furthermore, dental crises necessitate unscheduled care, resulting in a loss of approximately 34 million school hours and over USD 45 billion in productivity each year.
Oral diseases are more common among populations disproportionately affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and dental health and oral health care inequities are more common. COVID-19 has resulted in the closure of dental practices and a reduction in their hours of operation, except emergency and urgent treatments, limiting routine care and preventive. Aerosol-generating procedures used in dentistry can promote viral transmission. The pandemic presents a chance for the dentistry profession to transition away from surgical procedures and toward nonaerosolizing, prevention-focused methods to care.If regulatory barriers to oral health care access were removed during the pandemic, it could have a positive impact in the future.
The American Dental Association (ADA), the country's biggest dental organization, suggested that dental clinics postpone elective dental operations until April 6, 2020, and provide emergency-only dental services to avoid overcrowding in hospital emergency rooms on March 16, 2020. Due to an increase in infections, the ADA modified their guideline on April 1, 2020, advising offices to close all but urgent and emergency procedures until April 30 at the earliest.As a result, dental treatment became much more difficult to obtain. According to an ADA Health Policy Institute poll conducted during the week of March 23, 2020, 76% of dental offices were closed but treating emergency patients exclusively, 19% were fully closed, and 5% were open but seeing a decreased volume of patients.
Dental anomalies that affect the position or alignment of teeth can have a significant impact on a smile's appearance and usefulness. Orthodontic treatment, which includes braces, retainers, and clear aligners, corrects crowded or crooked teeth, overbite (when top teeth extend beyond bottom teeth), underbite (when bottom teeth are too far forward or upper teeth are too far back), inappropriate jaw posture, and jaw-joint abnormalities.
When the upper and lower jaws do not connect properly, resulting in an unequal bite, orthodontic treatment may be required (malocclusion). Uneven bites can lead to a temporomandibular joint problem if they aren't treated properly (TMJ).
Teeth that protrude, are crowded or are unevenly spaced, and jaw disorders may be inherited. Accidents (dental damage), not using protective gear like mouth guards during physical activity, and premature tooth loss, as well as thumb sucking and tongue pushing, may all contribute to orthodontic issues requiring treatment.
Braces can cost anything from $2,500 to $7,000. Many dental insurance policies cover orthodontic treatments, which are typically considered restorative. Transparent aligners (e.g., Invisalign and ClearCorrect) and other types of orthodontic treatment may be covered by dental insurance; the cost of clear aligners is comparable to or higher than the cost of braces.
More than 40% of individuals say they've had oral pain in the recent year, and more than 80% of people will have had at least one cavity by the age of 34. Each year, the United States spends more than $124 billion on dental treatment. Each year, dental crises necessitate unscheduled care, resulting in the loss of nearly 34 million school hours and more than $45 billion in productivity.
U.S. Dental Services Market, By Application, 2022-2024 (USD Billion)
| By Application | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Preventive | 34.77 | 37.84 | 41.10 |
| Corrective | 79.95 | 84.29 | 88.71 |
| Therapeutic | 30.78 | 32.83 | 34.95 |
Minnesota became the first state to license dental therapists in 2009, to improve dental health for underprivileged people. A dental therapist is a trained oral health practitioner who works as part of a dental team to provide patients with educational, clinical, and therapeutic services. Under the guidance of a dentist, dental therapists perform the basic preventive and restorative treatment to children and adults, as well as extractions of primary (baby) teeth. Dental therapists primarily operate in settings that assist low-income, uninsured, and underserved populations, or in areas where there is a shortage of dental health professionals.
A licensed Dental Therapist (DT) and a certified Advanced Dental Therapist (ADT) were formed by Minnesota legislation (ADT). These two sorts of providers have relatively similar scopes; the main variation is the level of supervision.
"Reforming America's Healthcare System Through Choice and Competition" was released in 2018 by the US Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Treasury, and Labor, in partnership with the US Federal Trade Commission and White House Presidential Departments. The paper includes policy recommendations for state and federal governments to promote healthcare choice and competition. “Emerging healthcare occupations, such as dental therapy, can enhance access and bring down prices for consumers while still providing safe care,” according to the paper.Unnecessary statutory and regulatory barriers to the creation of such new occupations should be avoided at all costs." "States should review growing healthcare occupations, such as dental treatment, and identify ways in which their licensure and scope of practice can enhance access and lower consumer prices while still assuring safe, effective care," the research suggests.
Dental therapy is currently legal in the following states: Minnesota, Maine, Vermont, Arizona, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, and Connecticut. Dental therapists are also permitted to practice on tribal grounds in Washington, Idaho, and Montana. In Alaska, dental therapists also provide services on indigenous grounds. The state of Oregon has established a pilot program to allow dental therapists, and the legislature is anticipated to approve permanent authorization in 2021.
As we look ahead to the state legislative sessions of 2021, we expect nine states to consider dental therapy legislation. Florida, Kansas, Massachusetts, New York, North Dakota, Oregon (for permanent authorization), Washington (for the entire state), and Wisconsin are among these states.
Aesthetic Enhancements Increase Demand for Dental Services in California
California is a major contributor to the U.S. dental services market. The presence of a large population and a growing number of specialists and general dentists helps in the market growth. The growing preference for advanced and cosmetic dental treatments increases demand for dental services. The growing demand for aesthetic enhancements, dental implants, and veneers in the area fuels demand for dental services.
The high presence of specialty services, dental providers, and advanced facilities in major cities & suburban areas helps the market growth. The growing innovation in dental procedures & technology, and the presence of advanced treatments like clear aligners, dentistry, and same-day crown drives the market growth. The availability of dental insurance plans like PPOs supports the overall growth of the market.
New York Dental Services Market Trends:
New York is growing in the U.S. dental services market. The presence of high-concentration dental providers helps in the market growth. The presence of advanced dental technologies and efficient dental services drives market growth. The growing demand for implant dentistry and cosmetic dentistry in urban and suburban areas increases the demand for dental services. The well-established healthcare system and larger demand for various dental services drive the market growth. The presence of the Medicaid program with adult dental benefit service increases demand for dental services. Additionally, a strong focus on preventive dental care supports the overall market growth.
The Growing Population in Texas Surges Demand for Dental Services
Texas is significantly growing in the U.S. dental services market. The rapid population growth in the area increases demand for dental services. The availability of various dental services like implant dentistry and cosmetic dentistry helps in the market growth. The low-cost environment for dental services drives market growth. The growing demand for dental care in urban & suburban areas increases demand for various dental services. The growing advancements in dental technologies like laser dentistry drive the overall growth of the market.
Heartland Dental, Aspen Dental, Pacific Dental Services, and Smile Brands are the leading providers of the dental services market in the US.
These companies have been focusing on expansions and partnerships over the past few years.
By Services
By Application
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