From groundbreaking advancements in AI to cloud-based workflows, these five trends will shape dentistry in 2026.
The significant new trend in 2026 will be the adoption of AI agents that combine the power of AI foundation models with the ability to act and create “virtual coworkers” that autonomously plan and execute multistep workflows.
Examples of this will include AI receptionists handling full patient conversations; speech recognition for clinical notes and the auto-updating of patient charts directly into the Practice Management System.
AI for diagnostics, patient engagement, treatment planning, and execution continue to accelerate rapidly. AI diagnosis of X-rays is already well established. In 2025, 3Shape launched the first AI-assistive diagnostics of IO scans, and AI for CBCT will soon follow from multiple companies.
AI CAD design is booming in use, and Smile Design has advanced to an entirely new level by using AI-generated patient videos for treatment simulation – an impressive leap forward.
Intraoral scanner (IOS) penetration is now exceeding 60% in the USA and Northern Europe and has become the standard of care for modern practices. Usage continues to grow quickly. TRIOS scanned more than 35 million patients in 2025, a 24% year-over-year increase, representing a patient scanned every 0.8 seconds.
Scanning of All-on-X cases has been enabled by elongated scan bodies such as those from TruAbutment. IOS use will expand beyond core digital impressions to diagnostic applications and will increasingly be shared with patients in the clinic and through smartphone apps such as 3Shape’s DentalHealth app.
3D printing is one of dentistry’s most dynamic areas, driven by rapid advances in printing technology and, not least, materials. By 2024, the number of 3D printers in U.S. clinics surpassed the number of mills, and adoption is now expanding globally.
The biggest drivers of deep clinical penetration will be the quality of final 3D-printed crowns and workflow improvements. SprintRay’s Midas was a major step forward, and the developments to come in 2026 will be exciting to follow.
While general technology is moving to a hyperconnected ecosystem where all devices and systems interoperate, dentistry remains far behind - compounded by a proliferation of digital offerings, AI startups, and slow-moving practice management systems.
However, meaningful progress is underway as more companies develop integrated ecosystems, publish open APIs, and recognize that integration and workflows are essential for mainstream adoption. The shift of many software solutions to the cloud is accelerating this momentum.