Stop Waiting for a Comeback Where Orthodontics Is Really Headed w/Chris Bentson
In this episode, I sit down with longtime orthodontic industry strategist Chris Bentson to take a hard look at where our profession is headed. We talk about four consecutive years of relatively flat or declining growth, changing birth rates, increasing competition from GPs and large groups, and why the traditional model of building a practice primarily around adolescent patients may need to evolve. But this isn’t a doom-and-gloom conversation. Chris and I dig into where the opportunities are—from adult orthodontics and minor tooth movement to digital workflows, remote monitoring, custom braces, outsourcing, AI, and creating a truly differentiated patient experience. We also talk about why simply buying technology isn’t enough. If you don’t implement it at scale, build your practice around it, and communicate its value to patients, you’ve added cost without creating an advantage. We finish by looking at where AI and robotics could take orthodontics, what may happen next in the OSO/DSO world, and why the orthodontists who are willing to take calculated risks and think more like business owners will have enormous opportunities ahead of them. The profession isn’t disappearing. But the way we practice it is changing—and the sooner we embrace that, the better positioned we’ll be. 💬Quotes “You just gotta be smarter and you gotta do it differently.” — Chris Bentson “You gotta quit arguing about it as a doctor and you gotta decide what you want to look like and then just go.” — Chris Bentson 🎯 Key Takeaways Intro + Chris Bentson’s 37 Years in Orthodontics (00:00) Is Flat Growth the New Normal? (04:39) Five Forces Changing Orthodontics (08:10) The Demographic Problem Orthodontists Can See Coming (10:26) “No Whining”: There’s Still Enormous Opportunity (10:51) Why I Built My Practice Around Adults (11:36) The Future Practice Could Have Far Fewer Employees (15:03) Technology Isn’t Expensive If You Actually Use It (17:32) Specialize Within the Specialty (18:02) The Three Pillars of Digital Differentiation (21:41) AI, Robotics & the Future of Clinical Orthodontics (24:00) Your Future AI CFO or COO (28:27) What AI Still Can’t Replace (31:47) Where OSOs and DSOs Go From Here (36:17) Stop Treating OSOs Like a Moral Question (46:35) Stop Arguing With the Future (47:54) 🟦 Additional Resources Take a hard look at your practice and ask yourself: Am I building for the orthodontic market that existed ten years ago—or the one that will exist ten years from now? Look at your patient mix. Look at how many visits your treatment requires. Look at your staffing model, your technology adoption, your use of monitoring and outsourcing, and—most importantly—whether patients can clearly explain why your practice is different from the orthodontist down the street. You don’t have to chase every new idea. But you do have to decide what you want your practice to look like and start moving toward it. As Chris says, the opportunities are still there for the taking. The orthodontists willing to take a little more calculated risk may ultimately be the ones who enjoy this profession the most. 👉 BCP Advirsors: https://bcp-advisors.com 📞 800-621-4664 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 👉 Airway Meeting: https://web.orthopreneurs.com/arizonasleepandairway2026 👉 For more information about Orthopreneurs, visit: https://orthopreneurs.com/ 👉 Become an OrthoPreneur and join the free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OrthoPreneurs


