The adult orthodontic market has seen a boom in growth over the last few years, largely driven by shifts in patient needs and advancements in technology.
Scott Law, DMD, co-founder of Smile Doctors, recently joined the “Becker’s Dental + DSO Review Podcast” to discuss the increased demand for orthodontic services among adults.
Note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What do you attribute the growth in the adult orthodontic market to?
Dr. Scott Law: A couple things. I think all of us being on Zoom and camera all day, we’re looking at ourselves and looking at our teeth shining right back at us, so we see that a lot. As we’re aging, we’re trying to see ways that we can stay younger and look more youthful, so orthodontics is one way where everybody wants a nice straight, white, bright smile. I think there’s also been some very positive moves in the industry. The plastics technology, that’s come along — it’s just made it easier to get your teeth straight, so you don’t have to do the bracket and wiring.
I truly think the do-it-yourself aligner movement brought a ton of attention to what’s possible, and that opened up, at least for Smile Doctors, our Smile Express offering, where it’s only two visits to the practice, they get their aligners, they’re monitored remotely, and people can get their aesthetic treatment completed in a very short time, and then they always have the option to upgrade to complete comprehensive treatment if their goals are bigger. This has been a very positive thing for us.
Q: Are there any other shifts you can predict will take place in the adult ortho market over the next two to three years?
SL: When patients win, I think we win as an industry. It’s kind of a shift away from the paternalistic treatment model, where the patients were there to serve the doctor. I think that was true of yesteryear. As we make it convenient, accessible and affordable for especially adult patients, we see that they’re happy, they get the results they want, doctors are happy because we’re able to treat at a very high level and deliver on our treatment goals, and when that’s the case, and there’s business profitability, it’s all green lights all the way around. That I think is only going to continue to grow in the adult segment.
Patients want to be overseen by an orthodontist, they want to know that if something is not going right, they can go into a brick and mortar and be taken care of. So, while they want the convenience, they also want to know, “There’s a fallback. I have a doctor who sees me. I know where they are. I know I can be seen if I need to.” I think that’s probably on the horizon a whole lot more industry wide, and Smile Doctors is the first to lead out with it.
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