Esthetic dentistry is building momentum, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to slow down any time soon. As dental health has continued to improve worldwide, more patients are seeking out esthetic dentistry, which not only provides a great-looking smile, but also promotes overall oral health. With the continued boom in social media – and so many people all over the world showcasing their lives on-screen – we believe the demand for esthetic dentistry will only continue to grow.

Wondering how the esthetic dentistry landscape is evolving in 2022 and beyond? Let’s take a look at some of the most prevalent esthetic dentistry trends you can’t afford to miss.

Trend 1: Being “camera-ready” requires a great smile.

With the massive rise of social media, there’s an increasing demand for the average person to always be “camera-ready.” These days, it’s not uncommon for the average person to spend a large amount of time online as a content creator or influencer. But even if people aren’t trying to build an online brand, they’re still showing off their smiles on social media networks more than ever before.

A beautiful smile can help people feel ready for a picture or video at a moment’s notice. Esthetic dentistry addresses both cosmetic and oral health, helping patients feel confident in their smiles whether they’re live streaming to their audience or sitting down for a Zoom meeting with colleagues. During the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for esthetic dentistry increased because of the dramatic rise in the time spent on camera.

Trend 2: Patients are searching for the right esthetic dentist online.

Patients are searching for esthetic dentists and options online, now more than ever. In fact, some 72% of patients are studying online reviews before they select a new healthcare provider. Not only do esthetic dentists need to be ready to meet their potential new patients where they are; they also need to be establishing platforms online.

Digital marketing for dentists is now essential to building and maintaining your practice, as well as standing out from your competition. Your marketing must be up to speed if you want to bring new patients into your practice. Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest offer esthetic dentists a myriad of ways to showcase their expertise and the stunning results they achieve for their patients.

Trend 3: Dental thought leadership combats harmful and misleading esthetic dentistry myths.

Influencers have a significant impact on their audiences. Unfortunately, that also means that the wrong information about any topic can easily propagate and cause harm. Esthetic dentistry is no different. With its many filters and photo edits, social media and celebrity gives viewers an unrealistic view of beauty--as well as unrealistic expectations. We call this phenomenon “Photoshop esthetics,” and it has been on the rise in recent years. This has led to risky trends, such as young influencers attempting to self-correct their own smiles in front of wide online audiences who might feel compelled to do the same.

The volume of misinformation means esthetic dentists have to step up influencers in their own right. Dentists need to be ready to counter harmful information online. Sharing thought leadership with your online audience is not only important for your practice’s visibility; it will also build trusted expertise, enabling you to educate followers on overall oral health and safe, effective esthetic dentistry.

Trend 4: Digital workflows, 3D printing, and AI improve the patient journey.

These days, tools such as 3D printing, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital workflows in esthetic dentistry help to make the patient journey much more convenient, affordable, and accessible.

AI tools enable patients to get a real-time glimpse of the results they can expect from their esthetic dentistry treatment, which can significantly shorten the process for them. Straumann’s Virtuo Vivo™ intra-oral scanner is another component of a solid digital workflow, helping improve the patient experience in terms of comfort and efficiency.

Esthetic dentists with access to in-office 3D printing can provide patients with more immediate results, such as the ability to print and place a temporary crown right away. For example, when a patient needs implant restoration in an area of the mouth with esthetic impact, dentists can quickly alleviate emotional and cosmetic stress, improving the overall patient experience and shortening wait time.

Ultimately, esthetic dentists and patients alike benefit from digital transformation.

Trend 5: Patients are looking for a favorable esthetic dentistry experience overall.

In addition to greater convenience and easier access, patients want to know they’re going to get a positive overall experience when they invest in esthetic dentistry. While tech innovations and digital workflows are important components of this experience, today’s patients are looking for more.

While patients absolutely want greater immediacy and tools that help to shorten the treatment process, such as the Straumann® TLX Implant System, they’re also concerned about their well-being. They want to know they’re being treated as a whole patient throughout the journey. As a result, emotional care in dentistry is on the rise.

In the US alone, 50-80% of adults experience dental anxiety, leading to emotional distress, missed appointments, and delayed treatments. Caring for the patient’s emotional health as part of their esthetic dentistry journey can help them feel more at ease throughout the process.

Advice from experts echoes this sentiment. At Esthetic World Conference 2022, Austria’s Prof. Dr. Gabor Tepper said that esthetic dentists should aim to “be a little bit less aggressive and traumatic than we were in the 90s in the early 2000s.”

In a 2010 study, patients were more satisfied with the emotionally-intelligent dental students who cared for them. General Practitioner Dentist Basma Raza-ur Rahman says emotional dentistry takes the entire patient into account, including personality and overall esthetic, which leads to more natural-looking results.

“A smile comes from the soul, not from the mouth,” she says.

Final thoughts

Right now, esthetic dentistry trends are focused more on the overall patient journey than simply esthetic results. A healthy smile and a great esthetic dentistry experience are about much more than straight, white teeth. They’re also about efficiency, immediacy, convenience, and emotional support for the patient.

As a quick recap, let’s go back over our esthetic dentistry trends:

• Social media and video conferencing make patients more aware of their smiles than ever. This could have a direct impact on demand for esthetic dentistry services.
• Patients are relying on social media and online reviews to find their health providers, and esthetic dentists are no exception.
• It’s becoming increasingly important for esthetic dentists, and dental practitioners overall, to build online platforms as thought leaders and influencers in their own right.
• Esthetic dentists who incorporate AI, 3D printing, and digital workflows into their practices will help improve efficiency and reduce costs and wait time.
• Patients want an esthetic dentistry experience that addresses not only their healthy smile, but their wellbeing and emotional health, too. 

Want to learn more about esthetic dentistry? Take a look at these articles:

• Straumann Live at the Esthetic World 2022: Digital transformation and the patient journey: Renowned dental experts discuss digital transformation in the dental industry and how it could revolutionize the patient journey.
• Straumann Live at the Esthetic World 2022: Can scientific evidence still keep up?: Esthetic dentistry experts explore the question of whether esthetic dentistry practices are outpacing current scientific evidence, and how clinical results could factor in.
• Esthetic dentistry experts on the most pressing questions in the field: Top esthetic dentistry experts answer pressing questions about the industry and address the positive and negative implications of the field.