Artificial intelligence has quickly become one of the most notable innovations in technology, changing how dental leaders deliver care and run practices.
Nine dental leaders recently connected with Becker’s to discuss the future of AI and how practices and DSOs can make the most of this technology.
Editor’s note: These responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: How will AI shape dentistry in 2026? Also, what changes do you hope to see with AI technology this year?
Dalton Albertin. Marketing and Business Development Manager at LADD Dental Group (Kokomo, Ind.): Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important role in dentistry, and we’ve been intentional about how we incorporate it into our practices. We chose to implement Overjet AI for radiographic insights because it enhances our ability to identify concerns like bone loss and cavities with greater consistency and clarity. Overjet analyzes dental X-rays alongside our doctors, helping highlight areas that may need closer attention. This added layer of insight supports earlier detection, more accurate diagnoses and clearer visual explanations for our patients, while clinical decisions always remain in the hands of our experienced dentists.
We also utilize AI for insurance verification and eligibility, allowing us to reduce administrative delays and provide patients with clearer, more accurate information before treatment begins. By automating time-consuming back-office tasks, our team can spend less time on paperwork and more time focused on patient care. At the same time, we understand that dentistry is deeply personal. Patients don’t just want technology — they want trust, relationships and a team that knows them. That’s why AI at our dental group is used to support, not replace, the human connection. Technology helps us be more efficient and precise, while our people deliver the compassion, communication, and personalized care that truly define the patient experience.
I am also hoping over time that these technologies become more cost effective, as our profession is currently going through an operating margin compression.
Corey Anderson, DDS. Affordable Dentures & Implants (Bridgeport, W.V.): AI can make some processes faster and less painful for clinicians. However, AI still has largely failed to deliver transformative products for dentistry. AI can automate appointment making. AI can automate phone, text and email responses. AI can help with claims denials. Every three years, AI can provide secondary consideration to a panoramic image or a full mouth series. Once a year, AI can consider bitewings. AI can help with implant planning and surgical guides. AI and robotic assist can help with implant placement. However, clinically, all of the decision-making and clinical effort is still provided by a human with human effort. The entirety of the decision-making and consequences of decision-making and treatment provided rests solely on the dentist and hygienist. This has not changed with the advent of AI. A finger pointing at the moon is not the moon. To the extent AI can function as a dentist’s Dr. Google for decision-making and to bring attention to things for deliberation, AI is valuable but at present not much more valuable than an OpenAI subscription.
Just how cost effective AI is for clinical decision-making in the future remains to be seen. AI for claims assistance for dental offices seems as if it has equal and opposite AI for claims processing for insurers. Ultimately, human intervention is needed to resolve just as many insurance claims as before AI assistance. AI patient contact can spike no-shows and appointments for scheduled blocks that do not match patient needs or expectations. When this happens, it is a waste of resources and human effort. As such, human-to-human contact is still necessary prior to patient arrival in the clinic. AI for patient contact seems as if it is still not a mature technology as most of the contact is fed off of a decision tree that can make the interaction feel dehumanized and uncaring on the patient’s side. This is the healthcare industry. To the extent that patients feel uncared for, we fail.
Gary Corless. Founder of Leading Growth Ventures: I believe AI in dentistry is moving from being a power tool to being power steering. When it works, you don’t think about it. You just notice the work feels smoother.
In 2026, the real impact will come from AI that quietly improves consistency in imaging, reduces administrative drag and helps teams spend more time with patients rather than screens.
What I hope to see this year:
- AI that integrates cleanly instead of creating another layer of complexity.
- Clear lines of accountability, with humans firmly in charge.
- Fewer promises about “transformation” and more evidence that everyday work simply gets easier.
I believe all of this because I’ve watched powerful tools fail and simpler, quieter ones scale. In a world of complex, regulated workflows, technology wins when it reduces friction without changing how people think about their jobs.
Greig Davis. CEO of QX Management: Generative AI is rapidly reshaping how DSOs diagnose problems, make decisions and improve performance.
As the CEO of QX Management, a turnaround-focused advisory group, we work with underperforming DSOs and multi-site dental groups to stabilize margins, reassess workflows and restore operational discipline across complex organizations.
Many DSOs experience margin erosion and operational friction as they scale — particularly following acquisitions or periods of rapid growth. To address these challenges, QX Management is leveraging generative AI to create advanced data simulations and financial forecasts tailored specifically to DSO operating models.
Historically, this level of DSO analysis required hundreds of man-hours and tens of thousands of dollars in professional fees. By implementing generative AI solutions, we can significantly reduce those costs while dramatically accelerating the time required to analyze DSO performance, identify workflow inefficiencies and implement improvements — compressing timelines from months to weeks.
In practical terms, AI is transforming dentistry by enabling near real-time data analysis to identify workflow issues, rapidly evaluate financial performance and implement corrective controls that improve both clinical and financial outcomes.
Daniel Fenton, DMD. Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Right Healthcare Solutions: In 2026, AI in dentistry is moving from “cool demos” to quietly becoming infrastructure embedded in imaging, treatment planning and the day-to-day systems that run practices. Clinically, we’ll see more consistent radiographic interpretation support, earlier identification of caries and periodontal risk patterns, smarter triage and more predictable workflows around digital impressions, CAD/CAM and implant planning/placement. The best versions of these tools won’t replace clinical judgment; they’ll standardize the starting point, reducing variability, catching what busy humans can miss and helping teams communicate findings and options to patients with clearer visuals and language.
At the same time, DSOs will feel AI’s impact just as strongly on the operational side. Expect major gains in revenue cycle management: faster insurance verification, cleaner claims, fewer denials and better forecasting, paired with more reliable scheduling, call-center support and patient communications that reduce no-shows without feeling robotic. We’ll also see AI used to optimize staffing and chair utilization, surface supply and lab-cost inefficiencies and create “practice co-pilots” that help teams navigate protocols and documentation in real time. The strategic shift for DSOs is that AI becomes a quality and efficiency lever at scale, but only if it’s integrated into core systems, monitored like any other clinical program and governed with clear accountability.
What I hope we see this year is a more mature, responsible adoption curve: fewer standalone point solutions, more interoperability and more tools evaluated on measurable outcomes — diagnostic consistency, treatment acceptance, cycle time, case completion and patient experience — not just marketing claims. We should demand transparent validation, strong HIPAA-grade security and human-in-the-loop safeguards to manage bias and prevent over-reliance, especially as generative AI begins drafting notes, patient messaging and clinical summaries. If we get this right, AI in 2026 won’t be about replacing the dentist, rather it’ll be about giving clinicians and teams more time for judgment, empathy and high-value care while reducing the administrative friction that has burned out too many great providers.
Chip Fichtner. Principal at Large Practice Sales: While our clients are eager to access lower costs and higher reimbursement rates possible in an IDSO partnership, one of the recent drivers has been AI adoption. Virtually all of the IDSOs and DSOs have already implemented AI in their diagnostic procedures after testing multiple systems over the last two years. Patient interaction AI is in process.
Independent practices are behind the curve on AI adoption as they are unsure as to which vendor to choose and the distraction of the implementation process. In an IDSO partnership, doctors are assured they have chosen the right AI vendor and get experienced support in the implementation [of AI] into their practice. Obviously, this will be a growing issue in 2026 and beyond. AI has proven to provide more accurate diagnosis and increased case acceptance across the IDSO landscape. It is now proven, not just a marketing promise or theory.
Brant Herman. Founder and CEO of MouthWatch: In 2026, AI will help dentistry reach people earlier and make it easier for them to prioritize their oral health. While a great deal of AI in dentistry is focused on supporting the provider and enhancing diagnostics, we see a great opportunity for impact coming from giving people simple, convenient tools that help them better understand their oral health, risks and recognize when an in-person dental visit may be needed.
At Dentistry.One, SmileScan is designed to do exactly that. Using AI, SmileScan analyzes user-submitted photos and delivers an easy-to-understand report that flags potential signs of common dental concerns, such as plaque, inflammation, and areas of concern. With roughly 100 million Americans not seeing a dentist each year, this creates a more approachable starting point and helps reduce the uncertainty that often delays care.
This year, I hope to see AI used in ways that help people become aware of potential oral health issues earlier and take action sooner. Tools like SmileScan make it easier to stay informed, build healthier habits, and know when it may be time to visit a dentist outside of routine biannual visits. That is where AI can have the greatest impact, supporting prevention and creating a more people-first approach to oral health.
Bob Russell. Dental Public Health Consultant: How truly reliable is AI when most disclaimers warn not to consider AI data or responses as accurate? AI is still subject to “hallucinations” and making up information.
What redundancies will be added to double check AI-generated information for accuracy? If there is a need for redundant checking outside AI, does this really improve efficiencies and lower workflow timelines? Also, what about data security?
Depending on adequate responses to those questions I do not see a successful AI transition.
Robert Trager, DDS. Dentist at JFK Airport (New York City): AI will help many if not all large multidisciplinary practices throughout the various cities and states where they exist. Judicial and skilled usage of AI will help many practices in growth and management. Proper usage and filing and coordinating dental insurances, as well as marketing, hiring, treatment planning, advertising, X-ray interpretation, collections and purchasing and any other disciplines that may be utilized will establish a solid and unified foundation. But be aware that AI may not always be looked at as a panacea where one must have a good business background and be able to establish good interpersonal relationships with their patients, staff and the neighborhood they are located in.
AI can be a useful tool, but one must be able to still make certain decisions based on their own background and previous experiences. Many patients come from different cultural and educational backgrounds and may not feel comfortable having a computer determine their course of treatment. I have been in private practice for 56 years and at one time worked and managed my three dental offices without the use of AI and have been very successful because of my business background and the ability to exist without having a computer giving me advice. I firmly believe hands-on dentistry in establishing an honest and ethical rapport with the patients is the pathway to success. AI should only be used now and in the future for those large practices that are scattered around the country being owned by large DSO services to coordinate all disciplines that are necessary to establish a well-run organization.
