Quick Chat: What Dental Practices Really Pay in Credit Card Processing Fees
Dental Economics editor Pam Maragliano and Alex Sadusky of Dental Card Services discuss calculating the true cost of card processing, why fees vary, and how they affect profitability and practice value.
Key Takeaways
- Calculate your true processing cost instead of accepting the headline rate.
- Review why your fees vary before renewing any merchant agreement.
- Treat processing costs as both a profitability and practice-value issue.
- Ask your processor to explain every line of your statement.
ADA urges House committee to address cybersecurity concerns for dental practices
The ADA asked the House Energy and Commerce Committee to weigh small-practice needs as it reviews the Senate-passed Health Care Cybersecurity and Resiliency Act of 2026, S. 3315.
Key Takeaways
- Section 8 requirements, including multifactor authentication and encryption, would take effect 36 months after enactment.
- The ADA wants requirements tailored to practice size, complexity and resources.
- Section 10 grants generally exclude independent dental practices under the Senate bill.
- Document good-faith cybersecurity investments, since the ADA seeks credit for them in enforcement.
- Clarify vendor and business associate responsibilities in your technology contracts.
Insulin resistance and dental health: Why dentists are the first line of defense
Scott Froum, DDS, and Benjamin González, MD, describe how oral signs of insulin resistance can appear years before diabetes and how dental teams can screen and refer.
Key Takeaways
- Insulin resistance may precede diabetes by 10 to 15 years, creating a screening window.
- Chronic gingival inflammation or unexplained tooth mobility without local cause warrants metabolic referral.
- Risk factors include blood pressure of 130/80 or higher and fasting glucose above 100 mg/dL.
- Refer patients to primary care or endocrinology for fasting glucose, HOMA-IR or LP-IR testing.
- Coach patients on exercise, weight, polyphenol-rich eating, sleep and stress reduction.
From RCM Automation to Agentic AI: What Changes When AI Can Actually Work the Revenue Cycle?
Dental Economics speaks with Dalton Knoderer of Zentist about AI agents that investigate denied claims, catch coding errors, post payments and verify benefits.
Key Takeaways
- AI agents can adapt to changes in insurance portals, unlike traditional bots.
- Keep human oversight in place rather than fully delegating revenue cycle work.
- Measure ROI through lower processing costs, faster reimbursements and improved cash flow.
- Target denied claims and coding errors as the first automation priorities.
GC Dental Campus webinar: Restoring the severely worn dentition
A live GC Dental Campus webinar on 5 November 2026 features Dr Kostas Karagiannopoulos and DT João Paulo Martins Esturrado on a collaborative dentist-technician workflow for full-mouth ceramic reconstruction.
Key Takeaways
- The session covers co-diagnosis, treatment planning and occlusal control for worn dentition.
- Material selection, preparation design and intra-oral verification are included.
- One AGD PACE CE credit is available after completing the quiz.
- Register ahead to secure your place in the live session.
How to use your existing benefits to beat wage expectations
Alan Twigg and Sarah Fluharty explain how quantifying benefits, paid time off and development alongside wages makes compensation packages more competitive.
Key Takeaways
- Roughly 40% of dental clinics lack adequate hygienist coverage, per the ADA Health Policy Institute.
- Salary accounts for about 70% of total compensation on average.
- Employers pay roughly 43 cents in benefits for every dollar of wages.
- Build a three-tier compensation summary covering earnings, core benefits and perks.
- Give candidates a written benefits guide so they see the full package value.
Mectron agrees to sell dental business to HuFriedyGroup
Mectron signed a framework agreement to sell its dental business to Hu-Friedy, part of HuFriedyGroup, while keeping manufacturing in Carasco, Italy, under a supply agreement.
Key Takeaways
- Completion is expected by the end of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.
- No immediate changes are expected for customers, distributors or suppliers until then.
- Mectron’s devices will reach about 100 countries through HuFriedyGroup’s distribution network.
- The companies have collaborated since 2023 on piezoelectric scaling and air-polishing devices.
Scotland approves NHS dental pay rise
Scotland confirmed a 3.75% NHS dental pay increase for 2026/2027, effective 1 December 2026 and backdated to 1 April 2026, while the BDA questions whether it covers practice costs.
Key Takeaways
- The uplift applies to gross item-of-service fees and capitation payments.
- Retrospective payments for April to November 2026 are scheduled for February 2027.
- The maximum quarterly General Dental Practice Allowance rises to £23,738 from January 2027.
- The orthodontic prior approval threshold rises from £660 to £685 in December 2026.
- Model whether the uplift covers your operating costs before planning capacity.
SprintRay expands beyond 3D printing with new platform
SprintRay introduced the Foundation wireless intra-oral scanner, ScanOS software and the compact Nano Series chairside printing system, plus a restorative resin developed with GC.
Key Takeaways
- Nano Series shipments are expected from November in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the EU.
- Foundation launches first in the US, with EMEA availability expected in the first quarter of 2027.
- NanoWash is not part of the Canadian launch offering.
- The Nano Series occupies less than 72 cm of counter space for chairside workflows.
- GC GRADIA PREMi will initially be available only in the US.
From chairside to cyberspace: Part 6
Cybersecurity expert Anne Genge uses cases from Canada, Australia and Hong Kong to show how AI tools can expose patient data, produce errors or enable fraud in practice.
Key Takeaways
- Audit which AI tools can access microphones, calendars, email and cloud services.
- Remove departed staff from calendars, meeting invitations and connected apps, not just logins.
- Avoid entering patient information into general consumer AI tools.
- Require human review of AI-generated clinical and administrative content.
- Verify payment changes and access requests through a known contact method.
Study examines jaw osteonecrosis in breast cancer patients
A Finnish registry study of 652 breast cancer patients with bone metastases on anti-resorptive therapy found roughly one in eight developed medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw.
Key Takeaways
- MRONJ incidence was significantly higher with denosumab than with bisphosphonates.
- Tooth extraction and root canal treatment showed particularly strong associations with MRONJ.
- Identify and treat oral infection sources before anti-resorptive therapy begins.
- Monitor oral health throughout treatment in collaboration with oncology teams.
- Do not withhold necessary dental treatment based on these associations alone.
