Healthcare Brew covers pharmaceutical developments, health startups, the latest tech, and how it impacts hospitals and providers to keep administrators and providers informed.

Healthcare Brew

Dental Care

Nicole Ortiz

Healthcare Brew delivers the latest news and trends in healthcare.

healthcare-brew.com

Occasionally, we schedule our rounds with Healthcare Brew readers. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? 

 column, where we feature experts in the healthcare industry and highlight what they do, the challenges and misconceptions they face, and the parts of their jobs that bring them the most joy.

In this edition, we’re featuring dental artificial intelligence (AI) startup Overjet’s Chief Dental Officer Teresa Dolan, who oversees real-world applications of its AI platform.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How would you describe your specific job to someone who doesn’t work in healthcare?

I oversee a team of experienced dentists who collaborate closely with our engineers, machine learning scientists, and product teams. We guide how the AI is trained and evaluated so that it can accurately detect dental disease from X-rays and data from the patient’s record. I also bring in feedback from the field. I spend a lot of time speaking with dental practices, DSOs [dental service organizations], and insurers to understand what’s working, what’s broken, and where AI can genuinely help.

So while I’m responsible for ensuring clinical accuracy, I’m equally focused on usefulness. If a feature is technically impressive but doesn’t make a dentist’s life easier or improve care, we rethink it.

What’s the best change you’ve seen at a place you’ve worked?

The shift from building tools in isolation to developing solutions alongside clinicians. That’s been a major turning point, both for Overjet and the broader industry.

Early on, a lot of health tech companies focused heavily on what was possible with technology. They weren’t always solving real problems, or they built things that didn’t fit into clinical workflows. Now, there’s a much stronger feedback loop between the people developing the product and the people using it.

What healthcare trend are you most optimistic about?

Preventive care, especially when it’s supported by personalized data. We’re getting better at identifying risk earlier, and that changes everything.

Historically, much of dentistry has been reactive. A patient comes in with a problem, and we fix it. But when we can identify risk factors early, through imaging, genomics, patient history, and now AI, we can intervene before disease progresses. That’s better for the patient and more efficient for the system.

AI plays a key role here. It can highlight subtle changes on an X-ray, flag missed diagnoses, and show patients exactly what’s happening in their mouths in a visual, understandable way. That transparency helps patients engage earlier and more actively in their care.

What healthcare trend are you least optimistic about?

The average dental student now graduates with $350,000 in debt. That limits their choices. Many feel pressured to enter private practice immediately, often in high-income areas, just to manage their loans. That’s understandable, but it makes it harder to recruit dentists into underserved communities, academia, or public health, all areas where we need more investment.

It also impacts diversity. Students from lower-income backgrounds may not even consider dentistry because of the up-front cost. And without diverse perspectives in the profession, we risk missing important cultural, linguistic, and community-specific aspects of care.

If we want to reduce disparities and expand access to oral healthcare, we need to address the financial barriers that are shaping who enters the field and what roles they pursue.

Headshot of Overjet's Chief Dental Officer Teresa Dolan

This AI platform is working with clinicians to shift dentistry toward preventative care

Chief Dental Officer Teresa Dolan talks AI and how the dental industry is evolving.

illustrated headshot of caroline catherman, healthcare brew reporter

Caroline Catherman

The CDC’s Division of Oral Health has been gone since April 1, and dentists are lining up to do what they do best: fill the cavity left in its absence.

 Healthcare Brew they hope private industry will supplement the CDC’s canceled work, and now it appears that’s happening.

The Association for Dental Safety (ADS), an international membership organization, announced Tuesday it’s starting a group called the ADS Institute for Dental Safety and Science to pick up where the CDC left off.

In the federal oral health division’s absence, the group wants to oversee industry guidelines for infection control in dental healthcare settings, according to a release. These guidelines cover everything from how to sterilize instruments to which PPE to wear. Though not inherently mandatory, some states have made these rules part of laws that govern dental professionals, Michelle Lee, who will serve as the institute’s executive director and currently serves as ADS executive director, told us.

“We stepped forward and said: There is no one to oversee this guidance now, and so we would like to step in,” Lee said.

The last major update to these guidelines was in 2003, with several new recommendations published in a 2016 supplement. Lee said a CDC workgroup was drafting new guidance on dental unit waterlines in collaboration with organizations like ADS before its efforts were shut down, and the new group hopes to continue that work.

“Guidelines don’t change all the time, but they do need to be tweaked. Things might need to be added,” Lee said.

Lee said she plans for the group to include an advisory panel of 10 healthcare professionals. She estimates the group will need about $2 million to cover its costs for three years, including administrative spending and hiring experts as paid staff, and is looking to private foundations for potential grant funding.

There are a number of other things the CDC’s division did that this new institute won’t do, though, she said. For instance, the division collected data and supported initiatives like free school sealant programs, according to the American Dental Association.

“I’m hopeful that others will step up. We’re taking the lead on this piece, and maybe it will encourage others,” Lee said.

If the CDC ever did take up this task again in the future, the organization “would welcome that,” Lee added.

Some in the federal government do not seem as enthusiastic about the effort, however.

“This self-appointed group is masquerading as oversight. This department will continue to be the statutory and regulatory authority guiding national industry standards for safe oral healthcare,” HHS Communications Director Andrew Nixon told us in an email.

Digital generated image of flat lay tooth with dental mirror on blue background.

Private group wants to take over previously CDC-led dentistry guidelines 

Tired: CDC. Wired: Private groups.

As state and federal governments turn away from longheld dental care norms, experts are arguing it’s more crucial than ever for private industry to fill the gap.

For years, dentists have contended with issues like a lack of payer 

 for routine dental services and widescale provider shortages. Medicare’s website states it doesn’t cover dental services in most cases. In 2024, Medicaid reimbursed an average per state of 66.6% of private insurance rates for kids and 49.8% for adults, according to the American Dental Association (ADA).

 in public drinking water. The CDC’s Division of Oral Health, which collected data and supported things like free school dental sealant programs, was one of several departments gutted on April 1, according to the ADA.

“We’re in a very volatile environment, let me just call it that,” ADA President Brett Kessler told Healthcare Brew. “The Trump administration is trying to decentralize a lot of the things that the US government would take care of. And so it’s cutting things…but he also knows that we’re America, and we’ll find creative ways to pick up the pieces.”

Kessler has high hopes this toothache can be addressed.

The ADA’s Forsyth Institute, the organization’s research and innovation hub, is focusing on finding funding “that can happen through the private industry, can happen through nongovernment foundations,” Kessler said. 

 in technology, driven by the private sector, that will make dental care more accessible in the coming years, he added. About 57 million in the US lived in a dental professional shortage area in 2024, according to the CDC.

“Technology—in the private sector, especially—is going to drive increases in efficacy, meaning better care and efficiency at a cheaper cost,” he said.

One example: startup digital dental care platform Grin aims to provide a private sector solution with quick virtual mouth scanning via an accessory that attaches to a smart phone. Investors include CareQuest Innovation Partners as well as venture capital companies Triventures and SpringRock Ventures.

So far, Grin has done 1.5 million+ patient scans and has about 3,000 physicians using its platform worldwide.

The scan—which doesn’t need to be done by a dentist—can be sent to a provider who can review it at their convenience, CEO and founder Adam Schulhof told Healthcare Brew.

The company even has augmented artificial intelligence trained on patient scan data that flags early signs of conditions like gingival inflammation and plaque buildup, Schulhof said. (The findings are double-checked by one of Grin’s clinically trained experts before being shared with patients, he emphasized.)

. Schulhof said technology like this can be vital in rural areas with too few dental professionals to see everyone. In 2024, about 67% of dental health professional shortage areas were in rural communities, according to the CDC.

“Think about the opportunity where every single child, for example, starting in kindergarten, gets scanned,” he said. “Now, we can at least triage the patient population.”

He’s hopeful the federal government will see value in tech like this and support it.

Case studies on Grin’s website suggest the tech helps providers see more patients quicker, increasing their revenue. One practice, Richter Orthodontics in Greely, Colorado, was reportedly able to cut down in-person visits for things like aligners from every eight weeks to every 12 weeks by using Grin, saving the office an estimated 875 visits and $174,000 a year.

Some of Grin’s services are also accessible through Medicaid.

“The private sector’s got to build the technology, but now is really when the public sector has to actually start embracing that technology,” Schulhof said.

Mechanical arm and fix teeth, 3d rendering. Digital drawing.

Dentists hope technology, private industry can fill care gaps

Can startups fill the cavity left by the government? 

Dental experts are sounding the alarm after US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said April 7 

 the CDC to stop recommending water fluoridation.

That same day, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shared plans to prepare a new assessment of fluoride’s health effects, prompted by an August review by the HHS National Toxicology Program that had found, “with moderate confidence,” an association between exposure to fluoride above 1.5 mg/L and lower IQ in children. (The NTP stressed that there was “insufficient data” to evaluate whether the US’s lower 0.7 mg/L fluoride level currently recommended by HHS is associated with low IQ or health risks.)

“Without prejudging any outcomes, when this evaluation is completed, we will have an updated foundational scientific evaluation that will inform the agency’s future steps to meet statutory obligations under the Safe Drinking Water Act,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in an April 7 release.

On April 15, a coalition of 250+ research and professional organizations signed 

 to Congress sharing “deep fear” about the prospect of ending community water fluoridation.

“The US does not have capacity in the oral health workforce to support the emergency, surgical, and restorative dental needs that would result,” read the letter, signed by groups including the American Dental Association and American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

Already, as of 2024, approximately 57 million people—primarily from lower-income households and certain minority groups—in the US live in a dental health professional shortage area, according to the CDC.

“There are groups that…have terrible problems with 

, and that is only going to get worse [without fluoride],” Margherita Fontana, professor and chair of the department of cariology and restorative sciences and endodontics at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, told Healthcare Brew.

Fluoride is a mineral that’s already naturally present in some communities’ water. Starting in 1945 with Grand Rapids, Michigan, municipalities worldwide began adding extra fluoride to their water supply to prevent cavities and tooth decay. Today, about 72% of the US population served by community water systems receives fluoridated water.

The CDC previously called community water fluoridation “one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century.”

“This is a natural element on Earth. It’s very common…and it’s very safe when used at very low levels. And those are the levels that normally we adjust fluoride [to] in the water,” Fontana said.

 It’s unclear what the future holds for fluoride. Even if the CDC does change its recommendation, communities don’t have to follow it. But many seem to be on board with ending public water fluoridation.

In March, Utah became the first state to pass a ban on the practice, and since then, large counties 

 in Florida have followed suit and a statewide ban is making its way through the Florida Legislature.

Some areas, like Calgary in Alberta, Canada, stopped adding the mineral years ago. But Calgary is now 

 to its water supply following a jump in dental decay and cavity treatments since the 2011 removal.

 that promotes the “safety and benefits” of community water fluoridation, though the White House put out a statement defending Kennedy’s stance 

. HHS did not provide additional comment.

Toothpaste in the shape of tooth coming out from toothpaste tube. Brushing teeth dental concept. 3d illustration

Dentists fight RFK Jr.’s fluoride comments

More than 250 organizations signed a letter endorsing fluoride’s safety and benefits. 

Dental industry defends fluoride

Cassie McGrath

 often circulate around the same symptoms like hot flashes and headaches. But did you know that it also affects oral health?

If you answered no, you aren’t alone: Nearly 50% of respondents in a newly published survey from insurer Delta Dental didn’t know either.

, published on September 9, found that 48% of women over 40 didn’t know there was a connection between menopause, oral health, and heart health.

A decline in estrogen levels can make salivary glands produce less saliva, which in turn can increase the risk of cavities, gum disease, and oral infections, according to Delta Dental. Lower estrogen levels can also weaken bones in the jaw and lead to tooth loss.

The study found that 35% of women over 40 reported “a decline in their oral health,” but only 18% of respondents have spoken with a dental professional about the impact menopause can have on their oral health.

Still, 93% of respondents said that it would be helpful if they received more advice on how they can manage oral health, and 83% of dentists reported that patient education “would lead to better oral health outcomes.”

“Dentists are in a prime position to help identify the broader health needs of menopausal patients, beyond just the oral conditions they diagnose,” Daniel Croley, chief dental officer at Delta Dental, said in a press release. “Integrating oral health care with a broader understanding of menopause can make a significant difference.”

Mature woman having teeth examined by a dentist at her office

About half of patients don’t know how menopause affects oral health, new research shows

Over 90% of respondents said it would be helpful if they received more advice on how they can manage oral health during menopause. 

Maia Anderson

Dental startup Tend aims to simplify the patient billing process via a partnership with health tech startup Cedar, the companies announced on April 11.

The US spends roughly $165 billion per year on dental services as of 2022, according to professional organization the American Dental Association—but the payment experience can be “opaque” and “confusing,” Matthew Fitzgerald, chief marketing officer at Tend, told Healthcare Brew.

“From the outset, Tend has sought to innovate the dental experience by leveraging technology and hospitality to build a company around the patient,” Tend CEO Troy Bage said in a statement. “By partnering with Cedar, we’ll be able to streamline and simplify the payment process for all our members—further enhancing their overall experience with Tend, while unlocking new ways for us to elevate engagement.”

Tend, which was founded in 2019, has about 25 locations across the US and roughly 200,000 patients. The startup’s goal is to make the dental experience enjoyable for patients, with offices 

, according to Fitzgerald. Everything from color, smells, and sounds in the offices are carefully curated, he said.

“We started with the patient first…and worked backwards,” Fitzgerald said. “Our observation and insight was maybe there was an opportunity to infuse the [dental] category with technology and modernity and make it a much more tech-enabled patient experience.”

Cedar is an online platform that partners with healthcare providers, including hospitals and physician groups, to digitize patient billing and make the process more transparent. The company works with roughly 25 million patients each year, according to Cedar. After a Tend office visit, patients can use Cedar’s mobile-friendly website “because nobody downloads an app just to pay a bill,” according to Florian Otto, Cedar’s co-founder and CEO.

The payment process can be personalized using patient data, like whether a bill is paid faster via text or email, Otto added.

Cedar also tracks where patients are in the payment process.

If Cedar detects that a patient is struggling to understand or pay a bill, Cedar will follow up with communication that may include connecting the patient to a company representative or offering a financing option, Otto added.

Inability to pay a bill is a common issue—roughly a quarter of US adults either have medical or dental bills that are overdue or that they cannot afford, according to a 

The average dental practice has a 95% collection rate, meaning they lose roughly 5% of annual revenue to uncollected payments, according to 2018 data from dental management consulting company Levin Group.

Simplifying the billing process benefits both patients and Tend—patients get a better payment experience, and Tend is able to successfully collect more payments, Otto said.

Both Otto and Fitzgerald said the main success metric they’ll watch to see is the net promoter score, or NPS—a widely used figure companies use to measure customer satisfaction.

Fitzgerald said the partnership will help Tend “bring transparency and certainty to payments in dental that just does not exist.”

“Anytime you can create that level of trust with the patient to give them options in how they pay—just to put it at their fingertips—that’s a sea change when it comes to payments in healthcare,” he added.

Repeated dental model on the pink background

Health tech startups Tend and Cedar partner to simplify dental patient billing

The dental payment experience is “opaque” and “confusing,” according to Tend.  

Shannon Young

Medicare enrollees could save $500+ per year in out-of-pocket spending if federal lawmakers expand parts of the program to include dental services, according to 

The Urban Institute analysis—aided by funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation—examined the implications of expanding Medicare Part B, which covers medically necessary and preventive services, to include dental care. The proposed coverage would be subject to Part B deductibles and 20% cost-sharing, and it could lower out-of-pocket expenses by 80%, or $530 per person annually, the report found.

Katherine Hempstead, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation senior policy advisor, said the proposed expansion is “an opportunity to increase equity and close long-standing gaps in access to dental services.” Low-income adults currently “bear the brunt” of Medicare’s lack of dental coverage, she added.

Anuj Gangopadhyaya, a Loyola University Chicago assistant professor of economics who previously worked as a senior research associate at the Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center, agreed that adding a dental benefit to Part B would improve Medicare enrollees’ use of those services. But “differences in dental spending by enrollee racial and ethnic background and by income group that existed before adding a dental benefit would persist under this policy,” he said in a statement.

The report estimated that dental spending under the proposal would increase by more than 70% for people with incomes below the federal poverty level (FPL), or $14,580 for individuals or $19,720 for a family of two in 2023. Enrollees with incomes 400% above the FPL would only see a 20% increase in Medicare spending.

Black and Latino/Hispanic enrollees would see the largest percentage increase in dental spending (44% and 45%, respectively), while white enrollees would see the largest increase by dollar amount (a per capita spending increase of $1,032, compared to $530 for Latino/Hispanic enrollees, and $356 for Black enrollees), the report found.

Total spending on dental care would further rise by an estimated 34%, or $19.4 billion, according to the analysis. Meanwhile, per capita dental services spending would increase to $1,129 from $841.

In March, Democratic Senators Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Ben Cardin of Maryland unveiled the proposed Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act. The bill would end an exclusion that currently prevents Medicare from covering services in those three areas, and it would also increase federal matching rates for 

The existing restrictions, the sponsors argued, have led some enrollees to rely on “stopgap, short-term” insurance plans for those medical services or face high out-of-pocket costs due to the lack of coverage.

“Congress has an opportunity to ensure that serious health conditions can be avoided or caught early enough to prevent complications or more costly treatments, regardless of where someone lives or their income,” Cardin said in a March 

. “Our legislation will make a real difference in so many lives.”

The Senate Finance Committee is reviewing the bill, which has yet to pass in either chamber.