Is independent dentistry better for patients?

Modern dentistry has evolved to include different practice models, but there are many dentists who remain independent.  

Jill A. Tanzi, DDS, president of the Alliance of Independent Dentists and founder of The Dentist at Hopkinton in Massachusetts, spoke to Dental Bite about her path to independent practice and how the nonprofit she leads advocates for the future of independent dentistry.  

—Interview by Carrie Pallardy, edited by Bianca Prieto

What made you want to build a career as an independent dentist?

I'm a general dentist, and I've been practicing for over 25 years. I was instantly drawn to the practice model in dental school. Our dental clinic was set up like a dental office. I really like that way of practicing.  

I liked the idea of being my own boss and doing dentistry the way I wanted to do it, not necessarily dictated by someone else. I did work for a DSO really early on.

Did that experience shape how you wanted the rest of your career to go? 

Not only the DSO, but working for other private practices. Maybe they weren't buying the best materials, or being very efficient or managing their employees properly. I wanted to have control over everything.

How do organizations like the Alliance of Independent Dentists advocate for independent dentistry? 

There are different ways we advocate. The primary thing we want to do now is to educate the public and other dentists on why seeing an independent dentist is better than seeing a corporate dentist or anybody that's owned by private equity.

We have learned the lessons from physicians, hospitals and medical systems that sometimes when business people get involved, it's not great for patients. 

We're also advocating within different states. Dentists call us from different states like Wisconsin, Montana, Maryland, Virginia and Massachusetts, where we started. We're involved in helping them with legislation or reporting to the federal government about different problems they're having. We're also working with the American Economic Liberties Project on model legislation against the corporate practice of dentistry. It is a model we can send to the different states that are interested in stopping the problems with corporate dentistry.

What is your outlook on independent dentistry in 2026? Challenges? Opportunities?

We'll probably see more DSO buyouts, but I'm thinking that over time, with more education and especially because of the medical model, you're hearing a lot more in the press about private equity ownership and problems in medicine, where maybe outcomes aren't as great when things are not run by physicians. I think this trickles down into dentistry, and it teaches us a lesson. 

Patients are more informed now as well. We have people who seek us out because we're not corporate. I think that's good news for dentistry.

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Dental Bite is curated and written by Carrie Pallardy and edited by Bianca Prieto