Rising costs and other financial barriers are leading patients to be more cautious in their decision-making and place more emphasis on transparency and flexibility, according to Rahma Samow, president and CEO of ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers.
Ms. Samow recently spoke with Becker’s to discuss her organization’s growth and goals for this year, as well as some of the challenges facing dental practices.
Editor’s note: These responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What are the top focuses for ClearChoice in 2026?
Rahma Samow: Our top priorities are always rooted in terms of our care delivery and providing long-term solutions to patients with compromised dentition and advanced oral disease. That’s what we have been doing for the past 20 years. We continue to offer solutions that truly restore their oral function, confidence and quality of life, and [give them] peace of mind for years to come. For 2026 specifically, it’s continuing to innovate the patient and provider experience through technology innovation. What is important in this current environment is having a scalable process that allows us to deliver better care and that promise to the patient … Technology is helping us to elevate the diagnosis and treatment planning because that allows us to offer a broader set of treatment options, not only one but truly diversifying our portfolio so patients can access the right solution for their needs and budget. Ultimately, our ambition is to meet patients exactly where they are and to help them move forward with clarity and confidence.
Q: I know the company marked several achievements in terms of technology last year. What specifically can we expect to see from ClearChoice in that area this year?
RS: What we’re doing now is all the rollout. I always say technology is, one, implementing, and then the other part is driving the adoption. In 2025, we were heavily focused on 3D printing, launching AI-enabled diagnosis and smile designs to make sure patients really get the right treatment options that are fitting their clinical needs and their budget to ensure they have the quality of life. What we are now making sure is, how do we scale? Despite the fact that [we have] 106 clinics, they’re also highly specialized clinics. The main focus is, how do we double down on care coordination? That means, when patients are engaging with us at the beginning, how do they find us in the world of Open AI and ChatGPT? How do we truly streamline our AI-enabled patient acquisition? How do we make sure we have the block scheduling, intelligence scheduling and treatment planning as well as diagnosis — all of that streamlined? In the beginning, we focused on in-center technology. Now, we’re heavily focusing on patient outreach.
Q: How do you see dental implants growing this year?
RS: Growth is currently driven by increased awareness. Before, dental implants were not the standard treatment. Patients are now becoming much more informed than ever about dental implants as a long-term health decision, not just cosmetic. [They] are asking how to best replace missing teeth in a way that supports function and their overall health and quality of life. This is now shifting in the early stage of their care journey [toward] permanence, rather than a temporary walkaround.
In addition to awareness, the demographics are a significant tailwind for us … There are more than 36 million edentulous patients in the U.S., and that number will further increase as the awareness comes into place. DSOs are actually the ones driving patient education due to the economy of scale and the huge patient outreach they have. So, we are in a business where more and more people will need this treatment for years to come, and the industry is getting more elevated to really meet the demands. It’s a good place to be. We just need to make sure they have the right treatment and the right options that fits their budget.
Q: What trends are you predicting will take center stage this year?
RS: Being almost five years in the dental industry, what I’m seeing is more informed and value-driven consumers. Patients are truly evaluating their care through a long-term lens, and they’re prioritizing permanent outcomes and peace of mind over speed or the lowest price. The second part is around personalization. The one-size-fits-all approach is losing. Patients now want more customized and personalized treatment plans that reflect their clinical needs, their life circumstances and affordability. Coming to that affordability, it’s truly being reframed around value. Patients want transparency and clarity. Now what we’re seeing is more transparency on how cost connects to the outcome and long-term success. They’re going into the Facebook or Reddit communities where they’re inquiring about different costs, treatment outcomes and longevity. It’s not just about the initial treatment price anymore but how this investment will impact the rest of their lives going forward.
What we’re seeing is technology will continue to support consistency not only from a patient experience perspective but also from a provider experience [perspective.] Providers are selectively choosing the healthcare providers that are really investing in digital workflows and AI that is helping to reduce variability across the system, driving harmonization and standardization to allow clinicians to truly focus on clinical decision-making and deeper connection with their patients.
Q: What will be the biggest challenges facing dentists and/or DSOs this year?
RS: Top of mind for all of us is absolutely workforce recruitment and talent retention. That is still the biggest challenge across the board. [In order] to be able to sustain high quality care, organizations must continue to invest in training development and clinical culture. More and more, we are seeing without that foundation, patient experience will suffer.
The second part is the rising operating costs, which is continuing to be a challenge because it’s creating pressure across staffing, facilities, labs, supplies and, especially in our area, implant components. We all know what’s happening from a macroeconomic environment, the challenges around rising operating costs. So, that is the second challenge. The other one is patient access and expectations are also evolving. With the current economic pressures, patients are being highly influenced in their decision-making in terms of the ability to pay. In certain instances, they are delaying care due to uncertainty, especially for a high value, elective procedure. That is also creating more pressure on transparency, confidence and flexibility, long before they even make a commitment to begin treatment.
