Dental Practices NAICS 621210

Feb 2, 2026 - Billing Breakdowns Have Multiple Causes

• Most dental practices don't experience a single major billing breakdown that's easy to identify and fix, according to the Dr. Bicuspid industry news website. The breakdown is instead a slow build of small issues. Common problems include claims not sent, benefit checks denied because of one missed key detail, a missing attachment that delays payment for weeks, and a denial that sits too long because the day got busy. Consistent occurrence of these errors creates something much bigger than a single claim problem: They create an unstable system that's hard to predict and manage. The issue usually isn't effort but capacity. Even great teams struggle when the system relies on memory, constant multitasking, and "We'll fix it later" follow-up cycles.
• More than 20 million people in the US face sharply higher health insurance costs as of January 1, 2026, due to the expiration of enhanced tax credits that helped enrollees in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Healthcare providers may be negatively impacted if patients refuse services because they cancelled their insurance policies due to affordability issues. The expanded credits, first introduced by the Biden-era American Rescue Plan, increased the previous subsidy amount and eliminated the eligibility income cap. The credits are commonly credited with making Obamacare plans cheaper, doubling signups, and driving the uninsured rate to record lows, according to Investopedia. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities researchers found that without the enhanced premium tax credits, an average ACA enrollee will see their out-of-pocket premiums more than double, spiking by $1,000 a year. People in their sixties with middle incomes could pay $2,500 more. A US House of Representatives vote expected in January 2026 could offer another chance to renew the tax credits.

• Balancing the increasing operational complexity of running a modern dental practice with the need to deliver high-quality, personalized patient care will be the key dentistry challenge of 2026 according to Scott Kalniz, DDS. Chief Dental Officer and Vice President of Network Development at Beam Benefits. Other challenges include rising costs, staffing shortages, administrative burdens and growing patient expectations. The key to overcoming these challenges will be the thoughtful integration of technologies that help practices make smarter, faster decisions while automating many of the administrative tasks that slow teams down, such as scheduling, patient communication and revenue cycle management.
• Dental practice employment decreased slightly and average wages for nonsupervisory employees increased slightly during the first 11 months of 2025, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Dental Practices slightly raised their prices during the first 11 months of 2025, according to the BLS. Dental practice sales are projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.98% from 2025 to 2029, faster than the growth of the overall economy, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund. The Producer Price Index for dental practices increased 2.02% year over year in May, according to the BLS.