The dental landscape is evolving fast, and if you’re not keeping up, you’re falling behind. Here’s your no-BS guide to the top 10 skills every dentist needs to dominate 2025.
Prep the tooth, don’t tickle it.
A quality and efficient crown prep can be done in under 20 minutes. If you’re taking longer, you’re wasting time looking at the tooth, not prepping it. Focus on mastering a dual-cord retraction system for crisp margins and using high-speed diamond burs for even occlusal reduction.
Actionable Tip: Practice with a timer during your next prep session. Cut out unnecessary steps and refine your tool sequence. Start using a burr block setup to save seconds and eliminate fumbling.
Quick Resource: You can learn how to crown prep efficiently in my lecture: Tips & Tricks: Efficient Anterior Crown Preps with Dr Lincoln Harris.
Digital is no longer a luxury - it’s a necessity. Whether it’s mastering intraoral scanning or using CAD/CAM systems like CEREC to create same-day restorations, you need to step up your tech game. Digital occlusal analysis? That’s the future of perfecting bites.
Imagine this: A patient comes in with a fractured cusp at 9 AM, and they leave by lunchtime with a finished restoration. Be the dentist they rave about.
Actionable Tip: Schedule a demo for the latest scanners and CAD/CAM tools. Practice digital impressions on every patient to boost confidence and eliminate errors.
Bonus: Patients will rave about the “no more goop” experience.
Patients don’t care about your jargon - they care about the SOLUTIONS. Stop overcomplicating your explanations. Show them intraoral photos of their cracked teeth and explain in simple, relatable terms.
Actionable Tip: Role-play with your team to refine your pitch. Use phrases like, “This tooth is broken. If you can afford it, fix it with ceramic.” Giving patients a ton of options makes them confused and axious. Recommend the treatment you think is best.
Not every tooth needs a crown, and not every crack can be saved with an onlay. Your job is to know when to choose one over the other, and why.
Actionable Tip: Review cases where restorations failed and study patterns. For cusp fractures or compromised teeth, understand when a crownlay preserves more structure. Schedule a hands-on course for these nuanced restorations.
Quick Resource: Read this blog by Dr Michael Frazis to learn more on choosing the right restoration
Plan your schedule to prioritize high-value procedures while leaving a buffer time for emergencies.
Your partner goes into labor and you are the only dentist in the office. Do you cancel patients and risk upsetting them? Or are you ready to handle the chaos? Block scheduling and cross-training are your lifelines.
Actionable Tip: Train your team to manage reschedules with professionalism and empathy. Chaos-proof your practice, before it’s too late.
Full-arch implant solutions like All-on-4/6 are booming. If you’re not offering these, someone else is. Master ridge preservation, flapless implant placement, and advanced sinus lifts to stay ahead. Implants are the shortest procedure times of all productive procedures.
Actionable Tip: Shadow an experienced implant dentist or enroll in the Fellowship of Modern Implantology. Start with smaller cases, like single implants, and work your way up to full-arch restorations. The payoff? Premium services that patients will pay for. RipeGlobal even offers a Live Patient Internship in Brazil where you can place up to 25 implants within 5 days!
Stop ignoring the gums. Great implant and restorative outcomes depend on healthy soft tissue. Perfect techniques like connective tissue grafting, tension-free suturing, and flap designs that optimize healing.
Actionable Tip: Practice suturing on models until you can do it blindfolded. Invest in a soft tissue management course to refine skills and start delivering more aesthetic and predictable results.
AI can spot what you miss, from hairline fractures to early-stage caries. It’s also a game-changer for ortho planning and automating treatment proposals.
Actionable Tip: Start with AI diagnostic tools for your radiographs. Use them to highlight findings during patient consultations. Pair it with digital smile design software to blow patients’ minds with their potential results.
Burnout is real and common. You’re no good to anyone, patients or yourself, if you’re constantly exhausted. Learn to delegate effectively and set boundaries with your schedule.
Actionable Tip: Identify 3 tasks you can delegate today, like taking impressions or patient education. Set non-negotiable time off in your calendar for yourself and your family. Remember, a happy dentist equals happy patients.
Hone your leadership skills to foster trust and accountability within your team. Learn to conduct effective team meetings, provide constructive feedback, and implement training that aligns with your practice vision.
Being “the boss” isn’t enough. You need to lead. Inspire your team with a clear vision, celebrate wins, and hold everyone accountable. A motivated team means better results for everyone.
Actionable Tip: Hold weekly team huddles to align on goals. Recognize team members for going above and beyond, and give constructive feedback regularly. Leadership isn’t a title, it’s how you show up every day.
2025 isn’t waiting for you to catch up. Master these skills now, and you’ll dominate your field while others are still scrambling to keep up. Start with one or two and build from there. You’ve got this.
Ready to level up? Which skill are you tackling first? Head to the @ripeglobal Instagram and let us know.
By Dr Lincoln Harris