Organized Money Who Controls Your Dentist?
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Oct 7, 2025 Dr. Jill Tanzi, a practicing general dentist and founder of the Alliance of Independent Dentists, reveals the corporate takeover of dentistry and its implications for patient care. She discusses how dental practices have shifted from independence to corporate control, highlighting the role of giants like Delta Dental and Dental Service Organizations. Jill shares her experiences keeping her practice independent, urges patients to question excessive fees and overtreatment, and emphasizes the importance of supporting independent dentists for quality care.
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Insurers Dictate Dental Pricing
- Dentistry has shifted from locally set fees to insurers unilaterally setting and dropping reimbursements.
- Consolidation and dominant insurers like Delta Dental now dictate pricing power in many areas.
Private Capital Flooding Dentistry
- Dental service organizations (DSOs) and private equity have rapidly entered dentistry in the last decade.
- DSOs normalize outside investment and change ownership norms for retiring dentists.
Insurer-Owned Practice Example
- Delta Dental once owned a local practice via a subsidiary called DentaQuest near my office.
- They later sold it, but the episode shows insurers have owned practices before.