Planet DDS 2026 Dental Outlook Shows More New Patients, Fewer No-Shows Across the Industry
Annual benchmark data points to healthier dental operations in 2026.
IRVINE, Calif., March 11, 2026 — Planet DDS, a leading provider of cloud-based, enterprise-grade dental software solutions, today announced the release of its 2026 Dental Industry Outlook, an annual benchmark report designed to help dental organizations measure performance and spot operational opportunities.
The report tracks changes across core practice metrics and shows improvements in treatment follow-through, patient reliability, and daily production.
2026 Dental Industry Outlook Key Findings
The report points to three trends shaping how dental practices are performing and where the industry is headed:
- Completion rates are climbing and signaling a stronger 2026: Practices are doing a better job of converting planned care into completed care. Case completion rose from 42 percent to 47 percent year-over-year, a meaningful gain that points to healthier revenue and more predictable production heading into 2026.
- Patient engagement is becoming the biggest competitive advantage: The practices pulling ahead aren’t just seeing more patients; they’re keeping them. Cancellations dropped 17 percent, and no-show rates continued to fall, reflecting a shift toward proactive communication and scheduling systems that make it easier for patients to follow through.
- Technology is enabling a new standard for operations: Behind these gains is something less visible but equally important: repeatable, technology-driven workflows that reduce manual effort and human error. Practices that have moved away from fragmented patient data and legacy tools are seeing the results in their day-to-day numbers.
“Dental leaders are looking for signals they can trust, and the strongest ones are in the day-to-day operational metrics. The goal of the industry outlook is to give DSOs a clear baseline so they can prioritize the workflows that drive real results. By comparing their own performance against industry averages, leaders can quickly see where they’re ahead, where they’re falling behind, and where focused changes will have the biggest impact.” —Mike Huffaker, Chief Revenue Officer of Planet DDS.
Read the full 2026 Dental Industry Outlook report to explore benchmarks, comparisons, and where the industry is headed.
Resources
Methodology
Planet DDS analysis of more than 15,000 practices on Denticon includes general dentistry, specialty dentistry, emergency dental clinics, and mobile dentistry clinics. Individual practice results are influenced by their patient, provider, and payer mix. For some analyses, the sample size may differ from the total number of practices listed above, as in the YoY growth analysis.
About Planet DDS
Dental software is broken. We aim to fix it. As a partner in growth for DSOs and dental groups outgrowing legacy systems and fragmented tools, Planet DDS delivers a cloud-based AI platform designed to scale alongside growing organizations. Powered by DentalOS™ with AI, Planet DDS is built on connection—connecting people, partners, and technology across an open ecosystem that includes Denticon Practice Management, Cloud 9 Ortho Practice Management, and Apteryx Cloud Imaging. Trusted by leading DSOs and emerging dental groups nationwide, Planet DDS supports more 100+ location DSOs than any other cloud-based dental practice management provider, enabling 14,500 practices and 175,000 users to move beyond outdated legacy software with seamless integrations, optimized workflows, and scalable technology built for growth.
