Test Lead, Author at The Lead Magazine

Female Dentists Are More Optimistic.

By Rachel W. Morrissey and Dr. Marko Vujicic

The economic landscape is in a state of flux as of early 2025. From lingering inflation to uncertainty around tariffs and interest rates, the effects are being felt across the health care industry, including dentistry. Since 2022, the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute (HPI) has conducted a regular survey of dentists in private practice to gauge their economic outlook for their practices, the dental sector, and the U.S. economy. This ongoing pulse check offers insight into how external economic pressures translate into real-time confidence—or caution—within the profession.

Since HPI began collecting these data, dentists’ confidence in the six-month outlook for their practices and the dental care sector has remained relatively stable. Between half and two-thirds of dentists reported feeling somewhat or very confident in these two sectors since early 2022. Confidence in the outlook for the U.S. economy, while rising steadily over the years, has consistently been lower than the dentistry-related measures.

Reverses in Confidence

At the end of 2024, dentists appeared optimistic about the U.S. economy. Confidence reached its highest level since the poll began, with a majority of dentists (56%) reporting a very or somewhat confident outlook for the coming six months. However, this trend reversed sharply by the end of March 2025, with just over one-third of dentists (35%) expressing the same level of confidence in the near-term economic outlook.

*American Dental Association Health Policy Institute’s* *Economic Outlook and Emerging Issues in Dentistry survey.*

Dentists’ confidence in their own practices and in the broader dental sector remains higher than their confidence in the U.S. economy. Since early 2022, a majority of dentists have reported a positive economic outlook for the dental sector. However, this confidence dipped in the first quarter of 2025, with only 45% of dentists feeling somewhat or very confident in the outlook for their practices—a decline of about 17 percentage points from the previous quarter.

The Gender Gap

Among female dentists, the decline in dentistry-related confidence was less pronounced. Female dentists have consistently reported higher confidence levels in the dental sector and slightly higher confidence in their individual practices compared to male dentists.

Additionally, when comparing female dentists and male dentists, confidence patterns differed. From early 2022 through the end of 2024, female dentists consistently reported higher confidence in the U.S. economy than their male counterparts. In December 2024, while both groups saw an increase in optimism, the rise among male dentists was steeper.

By early 2025, confidence among women dentists had dropped to 34%, with men only marginally higher at 35%.

Falling Consumer Confidence

The decline in dentists’ economic confidence mirrors broader national sentiment and rising consumer pessimism. According to April 2025 data from The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index, consumer confidence has fallen for five consecutive months. Short-term expectations—based on perceptions of business conditions, employment opportunities, and income—have reached their lowest levels since 2011.

Patient Demand: Perception vs. Reality

Consumer caution may already be affecting patient behavior. HPI’s survey tracks dentists’ ability to meet patient demand by monitoring their perceived busyness over the previous three months. In the first quarter of 2025, there was a slight increase in the percentage of dentists who reported being “not busy enough,” rising from 24% to 28% compared to the previous quarter. Dentists working in DSO-affiliated practices were more likely to be busier.

However, other data tell a slightly different story on patient demand. The Bureau of Economic Analysis tracks consumer dental spending. The latest data show that spending on dental services has been trending up slightly through March of 2025. Accordingly, it is still unclear how much the downturn in dentist economic confidence in early 2025 is being driven by a drop in patient demand.

HPI will continue to monitor these trends and share insights as more data become available. In the meantime, tune into the ADA Chief Economist’s take on future trends in the dental care market at the ADA’s Dental Sound Bite podcast.

Why Emerging DSOs Are Turning to Asprodental.

Outdated PMS software is holding DSOs back. This makes selecting the right practice management software (PMS) essential to a successful scale strategy. Enter Asprodental, a cloud-based, dentist-backed PMS solution built to streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and put decision-making back where it belongs: in the hands of dental professionals.

Co-founders Dr. Kimberly Nguyen and Tiffany Nguyen never set out to build a PMS. Busy running their own successful dental offices, they found themselves dealing with clunky software that made every step of managing their practices more complicated and cumbersome than necessary.

Everything required multiple logins. Training was a total nightmare. Servers crashed. We knew there had to be a better way.

This frustration sparked a solution. So, alongside a best-in-class technology team, Tiffany and Dr. Kimberly designed a new PMS for modern dental groups from the ground up.

Asprodental is funded by the people who use it — practicing dentists. In fact, Backed by Dentists — a group of over 100 clinicians and practice owners — has invested in Asprodental. These investors understand the day-to-day realities of running a practice because they live them. It’s a PMS built by dentists, for dentists, with dental teams at the center.

“Every decision we make is about what helps dental teams run more efficiently. Our investors are also our end users. They know exactly what works and what does not,” shares Kimberly, Asprodental’s Co-Founder and Chief Dental Officer.

Server-based systems require extensive IT support and leave practices susceptible to cyber attacks. They also make it challenging to manage multiple locations seamlessly.

Asprodental’s cloud-based model mitigates these issues. Data is automatically backed up, and cybersecurity is built in. Practices can access everything in real-time from anywhere.

Lakeside Dentistry, a former Eaglesoft office, learned the hard way why cloud-based security matters. A ransomware attack took down their entire system, locking them out of everything and making them unable to operate. With no access to schedules, treatment plans, or billing, Lakeside Dentistry needed a solution, and they needed it fast.

“We never thought a cyberattack would happen to us or take down our entire system. When it did, we were completely locked out. Asprodental had us back up and running with a cloud-based system that ensures we’ll never be in that position again. The peace of mind alone is worth the switch,” shares Dr. Traci Leon, of Lakeside Dentistry.

Security is just one reason DSOs are shifting to cloud-based solutions. The platform opens up possibilities for AI-powered insights. Integrations using live data allow dentists to make the most informed choices possible. The result? Busy practices make smarter decisions in real-time.

“Switching to cloud-based software is inevitable. It’s like when X-rays moved from film to digital. Practices that make the shift now will have a serious advantage in the future,” says Tiffany.

A PMS is only as good as its usability, so Asprodental’s white-glove service extends beyond emergencies. Their design philosophy is simple. If you can use a smartphone, you can learn Asprodental. For example, the platform’s one-page chart keeps all patient information — clinical notes, treatment plans, scheduling — in one place. No endless clicks. No jumping between tabs. Just everything you need, exactly where you expect it to be.

Our goal was to make Asprodental so intuitive that new hires could start using it without extensive training.

While most PMS providers rely on email claims and call centers, Asprodental does it differently. They offer live support via Zoom during the first two days of onboarding. This helps offices have immediate assistance as they transition to a new system. Then, teams can message support directly within the platform to receive an instant response, eliminating inefficient ticket-based systems and frustrating wait times. Furthermore, there’s no need to explain workflows to someone who doesn’t understand them because every support team member has a dental background. Asprodental provides fast, practical solutions when DSOs need them most.

“Our team – who is resistant to change – has become experts and is bought in on Asprodental. Everything is integrated into one platform which will help us transition to paperless. It’s also helped our workflow in the office and how we communicate better with patients,” remarks Dr. Craig Ball of Ball Dentistry, a growing multi-location practice in Indianapolis, IN.

In a crowded PMS market, Asprodental is quickly becoming a top choice for emerging DSOs that prioritize dentist efficiency and scalable workflows. Here’s how it compares to traditional players:

As DSOs expand, they need a PMS that isn’t just keeping up. They need one that helps them grow. Asprodental delivers a seamless, dentist-first solution that eliminates inefficiencies and simplifies operations.

Ready to see how Asprodental can transform your practice or your portfolio? Request a demo today to experience the future of PMS.

SCHEDULE A DEMO

A Strategic Investment in the Future of Dental Tech

Asprodental offers a rare early-stage opportunity in a sector ripe for disruption. Designed by dentists and backed by a powerful network of clinician investors, it’s a purpose-built disruptor with momentum, mission, and a model designed for scale. For investors looking to support a defining brand at exactly the right moment — this is that moment.

Dr. David Galler, president of American Academy of Clear Aligners and the Backed By Dentists investment fund, saw the opportunity early.

“This isn’t just another PMS, it’s a smarter, better way to run a dental business. That’s why we backed it. We want to invest in dental products/services that we understand and can influence the market on,” shares Dr. Galler.

Schedule a call with Dr. Kimberly and Tiffany to learn how to partner and invest in the company’s growth.

SCHEDULE AN INVESTMENT CALL

Kimberly Nguyen

Co-founder | Chief Dental Officer of Asprodental

Kimberly graduated with distinction from USC Ostrow School of Dentistry. Kimberly practiced dentistry for 20+ years during which time she built and sold two dental offices and founded an annual free healthcare day with Rotary International. Recognizing the lack of streamlined and intuitive practice management software options, she co-founded Asprodental to create a faster, easier, and better workflow for dental teams.

Tiffany Nguyen

Co-founder | CEO of Asprodental

Tiffany graduated from USC with a biology degree at age 19 and managed dental practices with Dr. Kimberly. While training her team at the dental office, Tiffany recognized the opportunity for a dentist-centric practice management software. Asprodental was launched through Tiffany’s MBA program in Technology Commercialization where she achieved Entrepreneur of the Year and the Athena Summit pitch prize.