Welcome to 2025, where AI can pass the bar exam, drones deliver pizza, and dental offices... still can’t find a hygienist to show up on Monday.

If you’ve felt like you're running a three-ring circus with only two performers and a panicked clown (you) juggling front desk duties, insurance claims, and a pile of rescheduled patients—you’re not alone. The staffing shortage in dentistry has become the industry’s most persistent toothache, and the April 2025 issue of Dental Economics tackles this challenge head-on.

And let’s be clear—this isn’t just a "temporary inconvenience." This is a full-blown crisis, with ripple effects threatening to reduce production, sabotage patient experience, and age dentists faster than a 12-hour root canal without breaks.

So what’s going on? Why is your Indeed account getting more ghosted than a Tinder profile with a molar x-ray as the profile pic? And what in the name of nitrous oxide can we do about it?

Let’s dig in.

The Reality Check (Brought to You by Dental Economics)

The April 2025 Dental Economics issue doesn’t sugarcoat it: we’re still deep in the staffing shortage swamp, and the mud’s only getting thicker.

“Staffing shortages continue to wreak havoc on production, collections, and team morale,” writes Dr. Roger Levin, adding that “many practices are reporting reduced revenue because they simply don’t have the people to see more patients.”

Translation? You can have the fanciest equipment in town, but if there’s no one to hold the suction, you’re just a well-decorated operatory with background music.

And it’s not just hygienists and assistants—admin team members are vanishing too. It seems everyone either wants a remote job with a beanbag chair or has launched a mobile charcuterie business. Meanwhile, your team is holding it together with coffee, sarcasm, and expired gauze.

Why People Are Leaving (Hint: It's Not Just Money)

Yes, pay matters. But according to Dental Economics, compensation isn’t the only villain in this staffing horror film.

“People don’t leave jobs—they leave environments,” says practice management consultant Christi Bintliff. “They leave poor culture, lack of recognition, and employers who don’t adapt.”

It’s not enough to just raise wages and toss a pizza party once a year. Employees want to feel seen, supported, and safe from burnout. And no, giving them an Amazon gift card for staying an extra hour on a Tuesday doesn’t count as career development.

JoAn Majors goes even deeper, saying every dental team member has four core emotional needs: trust, hope, compassion, and stability. If your office is lacking in any (or all) of those, expect résumés to keep walking out the door—and right into the arms of a med spa that offers free Botox.

So What Are Practices Doing to Survive?

Let’s be honest: finding a unicorn employee with dental experience, a perfect attitude, and a flexible schedule feels about as likely as finding a Delta Dental claim paid in full without a downgrade.

But not all hope is lost. Smart practices are getting creative—and a little scrappy.

1. Outsourcing Like a Boss

If you can’t find someone to do the job in-office, send it out.

Administrative tasks like insurance verification, billing, and eligibility checks are prime for outsourcing—and they’re often done better and faster by companies that do it all day long.

Verusdental.com is one of the rising stars in this space. They specialize in insurance verifications (the soul-crushing kind), and their team is trained to deal with hold music, reps who don't know what a buildup is, and plans that change their rules weekly.

Best part? They’re affordable. You don’t need a six-figure contract. You just need someone who won’t panic at the sight of a PPO eligibility portal.

Outsourcing gives your in-office team some breathing room, so they can focus on patients instead of being glued to the phone, yelling “REPRESENTATIVE!” like it’s a magic spell.

2. Hiring Outside the Dental Bubble

Practices are starting to look beyond the dental field for new hires—and it’s working. Customer service reps, restaurant servers, and even baristas are being trained into amazing front office staff.

Why? Because you can teach dental. You can’t teach personality.

Give someone with hustle and heart a good training program (and maybe a copy of Coding with Confidence), and you’ve got yourself a rockstar.

3. Using Locum Tenens (A Fancy Term for Temp Workers Who Save the Day)

You know what’s better than canceling a full day of hygiene? Not canceling it.

Locum tenens providers—temp hygienists, dentists, and assistants—are popping up in more and more markets. They may cost a little more, but they keep your schedule running and your patients from fleeing to the next office with availability.

Think of them as your dental SWAT team: they show up, get the job done, and leave your practice standing strong.

4. Leaning on Technology

When bodies are in short supply, brains + tech = your best bet.

• Use automated reminders and digital forms to save your front desk time.

• Rely on practice management dashboards to streamline reporting.

• Use AI-based software to verify eligibility, batch claims, and send appeals.

Every task your software can automate is one less stressor on your already thin team.

Long-Term? Focus on Retention, Not Just Recruiting

If you’re only focused on hiring, you’re missing half the battle. Keeping the team you do have is just as important—if not more.

Create a culture where people want to stay:

• Recognize wins.

• Offer flexibility.

• Invest in training.

• Pay them fairly (yes, that still matters).

• Make your office a place where people laugh at work—and not just in despair.

It’s Okay to Be Scrappy Right Now

Let’s not pretend we’re all operating with a full bench. Many practices are in survival mode. And you know what? That’s okay.

If you’re outsourcing, training from scratch, and letting patients know you’re doing your best to maintain quality—you’re doing enough.

The perfect team may not be walking through your door today, but with the right strategy, the right partners (hi again, VerusDental.com), and a healthy dose of humor, you’ll make it through.

Final Thought: Adapt or... Be Eaten

Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic.

But this isn’t the time to wait for staffing miracles. It’s time to adapt, pivot, and build smarter systems that keep your practice strong even when the talent pool looks more like a talent puddle.

Use tools. Use tech. Use outsourced support. And above all, build a practice culture that people actually want to be part of—because the unicorns are out there. They’re just looking for a place worth staying.

Need help with insurance verification while you find your dream team?
Visit www.verusdental.com and stop losing hours (and sanity) on hold with insurance reps. Focus on what you do best—dentistry. Let the pros do the rest.

Benjamin Tuinei

Founder - Veritas Dental Resources, LLC
Phone: 888-808-4513

Services:
PPO Fee Negotiators | PPO Fee Negotiating | Insurance Fee Negotiating
Insurance Credentialing | Insurance Verifications

Websites:
www.VeritasDentalResources.com | www.VerusDental.com