Dentists All Other Specialists

FDA-cleared AI diagnostic platforms are being deployed at scale across DSO networks, enabling general dentists to produce radiographic analyses previously requiring specialist interpretation. Pearl (Second Opinion) is active in thousands of practices; Overjet is embedded in Aspen Dental's multi-site workflow; Carestream and Dentsply Sirona ship AI detection as bundled firmware in imaging hardware sold to general practices. Payers including Delta Dental and MetLife have piloted AI-assisted claims review, creating a parallel pressure where AI-generated diagnostics are accepted as sufficient documentation for reimbursement without specialist sign-off.

Direct-to-consumer clear aligner companies (SmileDirectClub at peak, now Byte, Candid, and international equivalents) built business models explicitly designed to eliminate the orthodontist from routine cases. While SmileDirectClub's bankruptcy in 2023 demonstrated the limits of fully unsupervised remote orthodontics, the underlying model has been absorbed by Align Technology (Invisalign Go for GP dentists), private-label aligner platforms, and hybrid models where general dentists supervise AI-monitored aligner cases. Dental Monitoring's AI remote monitoring platform is deployed by both orthodontists and general dentists, enabling asynchronous case management that reduces in-person visit frequency by 30–50%. The net effect is that the orthodontic specialist's physical presence is being decoupled from case management.