You’re probably already aware of the fantastic potential of orthodontics as a specialty. Despite the extra years of schooling, higher salaries and a great work environment make orthodontics a gratifying career. Most importantly, you’ll have the opportunity to change lives for the better! However, any career should come with longevity and growth built in. So, what does job growth for orthodontists look like?
Overall, Job Growth for Orthodontists Looks Sunny!
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for dentists is projected at about 8.1% nationally for the next several years, and orthodontists should enjoy a similar trajectory. However, this job growth is distributed unevenly across the country. There will be more growth in rural and underserved areas, as potential markets are expected to grow in the coming years. Specifically, Texas rates high across several metrics for job growth in the dental and orthodontic industries. Check out why Texas is one of the best states for your orthodontic career!
The question of job growth for orthodontists is not always clear-cut or linear. Partially, this has to do with limited data. However, the question of the market for orthodontic services is also more complicated than other dental specialties because so much of the demand for ortho services has to do with public understanding and perception of the value of orthodontia.
The Double-Edged Sword of Online Ortho
Social media marketing has directly impacted orthodontics more than any other dental specialty. Sure, any dentist can advertise on Instagram. But unlike fillings or root canals, patients can purchase orthodontic aligners online. This practice is a hot debate in the dental world, and many doctors are working to have it outlawed. With limited oversight from trained professionals, online ortho services have done damage to some patients.
However, there may be a few silver linings to this trend. Online orthodontia has brought tooth alignment to the conversation for many patients who may never have considered it. The attention is already benefiting many patients. Ortho is becoming more prolific in our communities with the awareness generated in the marketing world. The demand for orthodontic services is expanding increasingly into rural communities and demographics previously priced out of care.
Additionally, the same types of digital technology used by those online ortho companies can create a more accessible modality for CDP patients as well! With digital technology, we can monitor patient progress remotely and deliver more efficient care by not having the patients come into the office for as many regular appointments. This change is essential for patients living rurally, as many CDP patients do. One of the significant obstacles to care for rural patients is the need to travel long distances to appointments. By integrating more digital services, orthodontic practices can now make care accessible to patients who otherwise couldn’t make it work.
How the CDP Model Ensures Job Growth for Orthodontists
Community Dental Partners has built our business on the principle of improving access to care for underserved communities. We see oral healthcare as an essential piece of the public health puzzle. Establishing practices in areas where patients have historically struggled to find quality dental care helps to improve patients’ lives and dental health.
This philosophy not only benefits our patients. It also helps us ensure profitability and continued growth for our practices, especially for ortho! In the past few years, there has been a considerable increase in demand for orthodontic services, especially in rural areas. As discussed above, better technology and public understanding of orthodontic treatment have put ortho on the table for many rural patients. However, the number of providers has yet to increase proportionately to address that increased demand.
CDP’s model noted the disconnect between demand and supply to help ensure job growth for orthodontists in our practices. At CDP, we use aligner therapy and braces with Dental Monitoring to reduce face-to-face patient interactions. This answers the problem of serving the underserved and allows us to accommodate busy lifestyles.
Part of the Team Means Plenty of Patients
When doctors join the CDP family, they get the full benefit of our support system. That means administrative support, mentorship in the clinical and business worlds, and access to a roster of patients that helps guarantee a full schedule. Many orthodontists spend their first years of practice courting referrals from other dentists in their area. By partnering with CDP, on the other hand, our orthodontists hit the ground running and don’t have to fight to stay afloat in the same way as their competitors.
The other massive benefit of working within the CDP family is that your patients and their parents will come into your practice already primed for your services. One of the significant complaints orthodontists have that impacts their career satisfaction is the need to constantly convince patients of their work’s value. Too often, parents need reassurance of how ortho will benefit their child. It’s even more work to persuade adults how they can benefit from orthodontics themselves! Repeatedly “selling” healthcare services every day can be frustrating and exhausting.
When you’re part of the CDP family of practices, your teammates in the family dental world will already have spent some time explaining the need for orthodontics to your patients. While they won’t do your job for you, planting the seed in advance can only benefit your day and your patients. This will help increase case acceptance and patient compliance across the board. Talk about taking some of the burden off your shoulders!
Better Job Growth Means Better Career Longevity for Orthodontists
Career longevity depends on two factors: how the doctor is doing and how the business is doing. Orthodontists report more burnout due to pressure than many other specialties. Maintaining a healthy business means keeping patients coming in the door. Whereas family dentists can predictably work with the same patients long term, potentially for decades, orthodontic work has a finite timeline. That means orthodontists need more new patients coming in the door than general dentists. But finding those patients is a source of stress and pressure that can wear you down.
CDP’s business model benefits orthodontists’ job growth by limiting burnout due to pressure and keeps the business healthy with access to marketing resources and a healthy patient roster. If you’re concerned about job growth as an orthodontist, partnering with an outstanding DSO may be the perfect solution. Schedule a call with a Hiring Manager to find out how CDP can help you build a satisfying orthodontic career!
