A federal judge ruled SmileDirectClub's digital scanning of patients' teeth does constitute the practice of dentistry or dental hygiene.

Between closing million-dollar funding rounds and proposing plans to influence the opioid epidemic, dental companies and practices made headlines this week.

Touro Dental Health, an 81-chair clinic, plans to slash opioid prescriptions by 80 percent, according to The Journal News.

Maryland dental clinics will be able to apply for grants later this year after Gov. Larry Hogan signed a bill on May 13 aimed to expand patients' access to care, according to the Herald-Mail Media.

Between rent, car payments, daycare expenses and phone bills, dental and medical expenses can get lost in the pile of envelopes filled with monthly and weekly statement balances.

Pearl, a dental spinoff company devoted to artificial intelligence, closed an $11 million Series A funding round and is set to launch three new products.

Virtual dentistry is disrupting the dental industry, and dentists have mixed emotions about how it will affect patient care. However, dentists can leverage various applications to improve their practices and relationships with dentists, according to Forbes.

Delta Dental of Illinois notified an unknown number of members about a phishing attack that may have exposed members' protected health information, according to DataBreaches.net.

A Virginia Beach, Va., dentist pleaded guilty in federal court May 9 to conspiracy to distribute medically unnecessary oxycodone pills, according to the South Side Daily.

Dentists made headlines in the media this week because of various alleged scandals, including illegally prescribing drugs, insurance fraud and fake credentials.