‘Fiscal squeeze’ on dental practices continues

Health Policy Institute releases third quarter analysis

Dental practices are continuing to experience a “fiscal squeeze” brought on by rising prices and lower demand for care, according to an update from the ADA Health Policy Institute on the state of the dental economy for the third quarter of 2025.  according to a new report from the ADA Health Policy Institute.

Dentist panel results show dentists’ economic confidence is stable but still down from a high point in late 2024. Dental practice prices are rising faster than inflation, and two-thirds of dentists reported that they have increased their fees since the beginning of the year. Challenges in filling open positions, especially dental hygienists, continue to impact dental practices.

On the consumer side, dental spending continues to increase modestly, but this does not necessarily translate to higher demand for care.

“What’s interesting is even though we see slight modest growth in dental spending among U.S. households, when we look inside dental practice economics, we’re seeing continued declines in appointment wait times. Capacity is opening up and dentists are less busy,” said HPI’s Dr. Marko Vujicic, Ph.D., chief economist and vice president of HPI.

HPI will continue to monitor these key indicators, compiling quarterly results of dentist panel results and government data to provide a comprehensive overview of the dental economic landscape.

View the full report along with a recording by Dr. Vujicic going over the latest results on ADA.org/HPI.