23% of dentists have dropped insurers so far in 2026
By Ariana Portalatin
Originally at beckersdental.com
Summary & scoring by The Bell Brief (Dr. Jennifer Bell) using the Drill-Down Protocol (Drill-Down Score) — not the original publisher.
Why it matters for dental
Practice owners and DSOs face immediate revenue and patient-volume risk as nearly one-quarter of dentists are exiting insurer networks in 2026, accelerating the shift toward fee-for-service or cash-pay models.
Key points
- ADA Q2 2026 economic report shows 23% of dentists have already terminated at least one network contract this calendar year.
- Network exits directly affect in-network patient flow, payer mix, and accounts-receivable days for remaining practices.
- Dentists still contracted must anticipate possible referral leakage or competitive pressure from out-of-network competitors.
- DSOs evaluating roll-ups should model de-participation scenarios when forecasting EBITDA and patient-acquisition costs.
Who should care
Read the original on Becker's Dental + DSO Review
Full reporting and any paywall content live on beckersdental.com. We summarize and score; we do not republish.
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