AAPD 2025 In Reflection

I’m not going to lie, I was really looking forward to AAPD’s conference in Denver this year. I grew up in Colorado before Colorado became Denver. I have fond memories of going to the National Western Stock Show every year, and I was hoping that the conference would showcase a piece of what made Colorado so unique.  Unfortunately the rodeo that never was, never happened. In a rare miss for AAPD conference parties, this one was a dud, in my humble opinion. You’ll just have to trust me when I tell you how cool Colorado used to be.

Mashed potato and vegan chili gruel aside, AAPD 2025 was a great conference overall. Attendance was not as high as I had expected, with only 200 more registrants than the Toronto conference last year. Looks like pedodontists are saving up for Vegas in 2026.

The exhibitor hall was excellent and always serves as a bellwether for trends in the industry. I figure I can add the most value to the followers of this newsletter by recapping trends that were present, and those that were conspicuously absent.

Disclaimer – I’m not advocating for or against any of these trends.  Even if I was, I’m not a clinician, so my opinion would be worth exactly $Nothing.

Trends on the rise

Interim treatment options

The evolution of this trend has been fascinating to watch over the years. What started as a niche market with a limited number of products has evolved into the mainstream of pediatric dentistry. I don’t think it has hit its zenith by any means, rather I think that we are at the beginning of a curve with an accelerating rate of change.  Make sure you are paying attention to products such as Curodont, SDF, SDF alternatives, and remineralization agents. The current political discourse will only serve to enhance the visibility of these products in the market. Even if you don’t offer them in your practice, you need to be ready to discuss the pros and cons of these options with inquisitive and “well-informed” (they read the internet) parents.

Lasers

‍These have obviously been around for a while, but it seems as though the rate of adoption and overall opinion of laser dentistry is gaining more traction, particularly on the hard tissue side of things. Lasers are a huge investment and you should have a solid game plan in place before you deploy one in your practice.

Airway and myofunctional therapy

‍There were noticeably more exhibitors in this space than there were even 3 years ago. Not only were there a higher number of exhibitors, there were a higher number of symptoms that could be treated. Obviously there’s a place for these therapies in pediatric dentistry, I would just urge caution when deploying these in a dental practice. The psychological effect that typically takes effect with treatment modalities like this is the man with a hammer tendency, in which everything starts to look like a nail to the man with the new hammer.

* I heard more than a few sales pitches that reminded me of the carpet-bagger selling the mystery oil that cures everything.

Skin rejuvenation light therapy and Purification magnets

‍Just kidding. Please don’t buy these at trade shows. Or anywhere. Ever.  

Trends that were absent

AI agents

‍Or AI anything for that matter. Yes, there were a few exhibitors that were touting AI, but compared to what is going on in that sector literally everywhere else on planet earth, I was shocked at the dearth of AI companies being represented.

Most (read all) AI agents right now are terrible, but they are getting better, and conservatively will field between 50-70% of all incoming calls to the dental office within the next 2-4 years. Pediatric dental practice owners need to start thinking about this now, not next year or when the technology is “ready.”  I can promise you that all the major DSOs are evaluating these technologies on a regular basis, for every aspect of their business. Once the inflection point happens and AI agents become useful, the technological knowledge gap will blow the chasm between independent practice owners and corporate-supported practices wide open. Start educating yourself about these technologies and how they can be deployed in your practice TODAY.

‍Orthodontic services for pediatric practices

‍Yes, Invisalign was there, but overall I feel this sector was underrepresented given the speed at which it is set to grow over the next 5 years. There are several models out there that are making it possible to offer moderately complex orthodontic intervention to patients without the need for an in-house orthodontist. I expect this sector to have a significant impact on the industry as more pediatric dentists will be forced to seek additional sources of revenue due to increased competition, declining insurance reimbursement rates, and increasing costs.

My final thoughts

At the end of the day it was great to catch up with old acquaintances, meet new friends, and scowl at my rivals in the booth across from us. Looking forward to a calm, quiet, and understated AAPD conference in Vegas next year. . .

*I deliberately used the male pronoun for this example because in my experience, women are significantly smarter than men, especially when in possession of a hammer.