‘Building a system that works better for your team and your patients’

A shorter version of this Q&A was originally published in the Dental Bite newsletter. To receive this newsletter once a week in your inbox for free, subscribe here.

By Carrie Pallardy | for Dental Bite

What are the biggest trends shaping the dental industry in 2025? Dental software company Planet DDS sets out to answer that question in a new report that gathers insight from clinicians, DSO leaders, M&A experts and more. 

Eric Giesecke, CEO of Planet DDS, gave Dental Bite a taste of the findings on practice efficiencies and technology.

What are some of the biggest trends that stood out to you among the findings in the 2025 Dental Industry Outlook? Were you surprised by any of the findings?

One of the biggest takeaways from this year’s report is just how wide the performance gap can be across key operational metrics, especially in case acceptance, patient volume and hygiene reappointment rates. That kind of variability signals both a challenge and an opportunity.

For instance, the average case acceptance rate across practices is 57%, but the distribution tells a more nuanced story. Nearly one in four practices are seeing case acceptance rates below 40%, which raises important questions about patient communication and financial accessibility. 

On the flip side, there are practices achieving well above-average rates, which suggests that with the right tools, like AI-supported diagnostics or clearer treatment planning workflows, there’s real room for improvement industry-wide.

Another stat that stood out: the average practice brings in 43 new patients per month, but again, there’s a significant spread. Over 40% of practices are seeing fewer than 20 new patients per month. That’s a stark contrast to the 16.6% of practices welcoming more than 80. It reinforces the importance of operational efficiency and access to care. Factors like appointment availability, scheduling automation and digital engagement make a huge difference here.

What do you think this report reveals as some of the biggest challenges facing the field of dentistry?

The report highlights several ongoing challenges, but one of the biggest is the operational complexity that many practices continue to face, especially when it comes to workflow inefficiencies, patient engagement and care completion.

Take case acceptance and completion rates as an example. While the average case acceptance rate is 57%, only 42% of patients actually follow through with completing their treatment. That gap between what’s planned and what’s delivered points to challenges in patient education, affordability and scheduling logistics. It’s not just about presenting the treatment plan, it’s about helping patients understand the value and feel confident moving forward. That’s where technology like AI-assisted imaging and smarter communication tools can make a meaningful difference.

In addition, too many practices are also held back by outdated, disconnected systems that make it harder to deliver high-quality care or scale effectively. At Planet DDS, we believe that dental software is broken, and we aim to fix it. That means moving beyond legacy technology and embracing open ecosystems powered by AI and connected through open APIs.

When systems can communicate seamlessly, it unlocks everything from smarter workflows to better patient engagement. AI becomes more than a buzzword and, instead, becomes a tool for reducing administrative burden, improving diagnostic confidence and ultimately enhancing both care quality and business performance. The challenge now is adoption: helping practices move from siloed and manual to modern and connected.

On the other hand, what are some of the promising prospects for dentistry? What excites you the most about the future of dentistry?

What excites me most about the future of dentistry is that we’re finally seeing some real progress in the industry moving away from outdated legacy systems. There’s still a long road ahead in terms of broad acceptance and adoption of more modern, connected platforms, but the momentum is building, and that’s encouraging.

We’re starting to see more practices embrace open, interoperable systems that allow them to customize their tech stack, integrate AI tools and streamline workflows. These innovations aren’t just about efficiency. They’re enabling better patient care, stronger team collaboration and more scalable growth for DSOs. I believe this kind of openness and flexibility is exactly what the future of dental care depends on.

And finally, I’m also inspired by the changing face of the industry. With 57% of new dentists now women and increased diversity among recent graduating classes, we’re entering an era of broader perspectives, new ideas and a shift toward more inclusive and patient-centered care. That kind of transformation, when paired with the right technology foundation, is exactly what dentistry needs to meet the demands of the next decade and beyond.

What advice do you have for practice leaders who are looking for ways to take benchmarking and translate it into actionable improvement in their practices?

Benchmarking is only valuable if it leads to action. My advice to practice leaders is to start by identifying one or two key metrics from the report that resonate with your current challenges, whether that’s case acceptance, hygiene reappointment rates or new patient volume and use those as your baseline.

From there, look for the underlying drivers behind those numbers. For example, if your case acceptance is lower than the industry average, ask whether patients fully understand their treatment plan. Could visual aids or AI-supported imaging help build trust? If your new patient numbers are flat, is it a capacity issue or is it time to revisit your scheduling strategy or marketing approach?

The report also highlights tools and tactics that are working, like digital workflows to reduce cancellations, automated RCM to improve cash flow or leveraging AI for diagnostics. Practices that perform well tend to be the ones that iterate continuously, not the ones that do everything at once. So, focus on achievable steps and measure your progress as you go.

Ultimately, benchmarking isn’t about chasing averages. It’s about identifying gaps, making informed changes and building a system that works better for your team and your patients.

Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.