Dentists and dental organizations are coming up with changing strategies to deal with tariffs as leaders predict the impact tariffs will have on the industry in the long term.
Here are five updates, as reported by Becker’s since March 6:
- Steven Wingfield, DMD, the CEO of Detroit-based Wave Dental Professionals said that he received a warning from suppliers that tariffs would drive up the costs of their products, leading his DSO to have to take on the extra financial burden. Despite increasing the costs of certain services, it still does not cover the tariffs.
- The American Dental Association joined a coalition of organizations urging the federal government to make medical and dental supplies exempt from President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
- Some dentists expressed concerns with the increased costs and supply chain challenges that could come into play under President Donald Trump’s tariff plan, while others are not as worried.
- A group of dental organizations wrote a letter to the Trump administration warning that tariffs on dental products could lead to cost increases and limit access to supplies.
- “With claims that the proposed tariffs will be good for the U.S., expect the costs of imported supplies and equipment to rise significantly and impact the bottom line of not only the individual dentist, but DSOs as well. It’s a good thing the dental market is poised to grow by 12% to help offset the impact,” Barry Lyon, DDS, a chief dental officer for the division of orthodontics and pediatric dentistry for Dental Care Alliance, told Becker’s.
