The Best US Dental Conferences to Attend in 2023

As a clinician dedicated to providing the best possible care for your patients, meeting people in the same field and encountering fresh ideas will help you stay at the top of your game. And that’s exactly what dental conferences are designed to do. When making it to these events becomes a priority for you and your team, you’ll help your practice stay on the cutting edge. 

Benefits of Attending Dental Conferences

Odds are, you have a genuine curiosity about what dentists from around the country are doing and what the latest developments in dentistry are. But the advantages of making it to dental conferences on a routine basis extend beyond gaining knowledge. 

Networking: Expanding your circle of professional connections always has its advantages. For one, if you’re meeting dentists at conferences you travel to, odds are you won’t be meeting many direct competitors. You can create genuine friendships with other dentists who will be happy to share inside information about how they make their practice better, and how you can improve yours. 

And if you ever decide to expand your practice into a network of offices with the same brand, you may find that someone you met at a dental conference would be interested in selling their practice to you. You’ll also have opportunities to meet other industry insiders with helpful new technology solutions you can apply to your practice or dental tool specialists willing to cut you a deal to get their tools into reputable offices. These types of helpful business connections often happen at dental conferences. 

Stay Up to Date: As a dentist, your practice needs to stay on top of the latest best practices and the most modern insights for it to truly stand out. Dental conferences bring all of the latest ideas together in one neatly structured setting, allowing you to absorb all of the best information to prime you for success. By keeping a regular pulse on the latest developments in dental healthcare, you’ll create a better experience for your patients. 

Continuing Education (CE) Credits: Knowledge for knowledge’s sake is always great, but you can also use what you learn at dental conferences to earn CE credits. This helps you maintain your license while allowing you to expand your practice and advance your career. 

Types of Dental Conferences

While dental conferences all share many similarities, not all are the exact same. You can generally break down dental conferences into four different types: Career Advancement Conferences, Dental Innovation Conferences, Practice Management Conferences, and General Dentistry Conferences. 

Best Career Advancement Conferences

If you’re hoping to earn CE credits or help your whole team advance in their dental careers, then you need to consider putting these conferences on your calendar.

The Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting | Atlanta, GA | March 16-18, 2023: Hosted by the Hinman Dental Society, this CE event is known for its hospitality and inclusivity. Offering a comprehensive educational experience for dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, laboratory technicians, and other dental professions, everyone in your dental office can benefit from attending this conference. 

In addition to an engaging exhibitor floor, you’ll be able to meet new people at social events, listen to renowned speakers, and attend specialized workshops for different dental jobs. 

Charter Oak Dental Meeting | Sky Convention Center, CT | May 10-12,2023: Tailored towards personal development, this dental conference specializes in hands-on participation courses along with an assortment of educational lectures from reputable speakers. Sponsored by Connecticut State Dental Association, this event is a great career advancement conference to attend if you’re trying to stay on a budget as well. 

Dental Innovation Conferences

Exploring these conferences is a great way to discover the latest technology helping dental practices provide better treatment for patients. By attending dental innovation conferences, you can often see new technology solutions that have yet to even reach the market. And at the very least, you’ll encounter innovative ideas that will help you expand your thinking of what’s possible in dentistry. 

CDA Presents the of Science and Dentistry |Anaheim, CA | May 18-20, 2023 |San Jose, CA | September 7-9, 2023: CDA Presents The Art and Science of Dentistry is usually held twice each year, in Southern California in the spring and Northern California in the fall. Organized by the California Dental Association, the three-day showcase of innovative technology solutions in dentistry includes hundreds of speakers and exhibitors along with community-building opportunities. CDA introduces new lectures and workshops at every event. You get to earn live C.E. credits while learning cutting edge skills. You will get to be inspired by leading speakers across dentistry topics while networking with other professionals in the industry. You can also access educational resources during the event or for up to 30 days afterward. 

104th Annual Meeting of Scientific Sessions and Exhibitions | New Orleans, LA |  Sept. 12-17, 2023: Sponsored by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), this event is geared towards dentists and orthodontists who specialize in oral surgery. The conference is all about getting up to speed with the latest best practices for various kinds of procedures while learning about the latest tools and innovations in oral and maxillofacial surgeries. 

Over the course of the conference, you’ll participate in didactic presentations and skill-building workshops, and network with peers in your field to find mentorship and guidance. By the end of the event, you’ll gain deep insights into the latest trends in oral surgery and knowledge that will help improve outcomes for your patients. It’s an essential conference to attend if you want your clinic to be the go-to option that dental and orthodontic offices to continue referring patients to. 

This years’ conference will be held in New Orleans, which offers plenty of fun activities to do outside of the conference as well. 

Kios Symposium | Seattle, WA | July 27-29, 2023: Hosted by the Kios Center, a dental innovation and research center, this annual conference serves two main purposes. On one hand, the conference provides an update on the past year’s findings from the research center while showcasing the latest dental products and protocols. The symposium also provides Kios Center members and their families to meet each other, share ideas, and build meaningful connections over the passion of dentistry. 

Practice Management Conferences

While dental practices wouldn’t exist without the scientific and medical expertise of practicing doctors, successful offices depend on efficient management of staff, positive interactions with patients, and creative marketing to spur growth. Practice management conferences help dentists strengthen their brands while creating comprehensive patient experiences through effective team leadership. 

Crown Council Annual Event | Salt Lake City, UT | January 26-28, 2023: What makes this conference stand out is that it’s equally focused on promoting the personal wellbeing of dentists and helping them manage their offices. The general philosophy of Crown Council is that dentists become better when they are in community and when they can learn from each other. The conference features speakers and workshops designed to help dentists foster better work cultures in their offices. The event will be held at the Grand America Hotel which offers a five-star spa, dining and luxurious rooms. You can also bring your skis and snowboard for some fun in the snow after the conference.

Academy of Dental Management Consultants Annual Meeting | San Antonio, TX |Date TBD: Organized by the Academy of Dental Management Consultants (ADMC), this conference provides a comprehensive overview of best practices for efficient office operations, effective dental marketing, and profitability management. ADMC is all about empowering dentists to adapt to new challenges and to implement effective leadership strategies within their offices. This annual event is a great opportunity to learn new strategies for success and to meet other forward-thinking dentists. 

General Dentistry Conferences

If you’re not looking to isolate any particular aspect of dentistry with the conferences you attend, then there are lots of general dentistry conferences hosted across the nation to check out. During these events, you’ll get to meet dental healthcare specialists across a wide range of expertise levels and specialties while exploring technical exhibits, attending educational workshops, and earning CE credits along the way. 

Southwest Dental Conference | Dallas, TX | August 25-26, 2023: Presented by the Dallas County Dental Society, this conference provides plenty of education opportunities along with speaking events from premier voices in dental healthcare. The vast exhibit hall presents a unique opportunity to view some of the latest developments in dental tools and technology while getting to meet like-minded professionals. 

AGD 2022 | Las Vegas, NV | July 19-23, 2023: This “one-stop-shop” dental conference in Florida covers everything practicing dentists need to know to ensure they’re up to speed with the latest trends in practice management, treatment planning, and patient retention. The event also offers educational lectures, hands-on educational workshops, and networking opportunities. Of course, you’ll get filled in on emerging dental technology solutions to help make the patient experience at your practice better. 

Hosted by the Academy of General Dentistry, this conference welcomes dentists, students, and all dental team members, giving anyone involved in dentistry a chance to learn and grow. 

Greater New York Dental Meeting | New York, NY | November 24–29, 2023: Regularly drawing crowds well over 50,000 during their annual events, the New York County and Second District Dental Societies are putting together this impressive conference for the 97th time this year. 

Hosting over 1,600 technical exhibits demonstrating the latest in dental technology along with dozens of industry-leading speakers, this conference presents a rare opportunity to absorb an abundance of valuable information in a short amount of time. That being said, the conference runs for six days, providing plenty of time to accumulate lots of CE credits. Given that this is one of the largest dental conferences in the world with some of the most forward-thinking speakers in attendance, this is a conference worth traveling for. 

Smiles at Sea Land Event | Los Angeles to Catalina Island & Ensenada, Mexico | May 8-12, 2023: This four-night dental cruise at sea offers a fun and educational experience for your family and practice! This fun and education filled adventure features educational lectures, exciting exhibits and workshops, along with community service events. Each day of the conference is capped off with a social event, including a karaoke night, a pool bash, and a costume party. There are also opportunities to win prizes with fun competitions like a talent show, a costume contest at the aforementioned costume party, and raffles. 

Pacific Northwest Dental Conference | Seattle, WA | June 15-17, 2023: Organized by volunteers from the Washington State Dental Association, this conference is great for dentists from the Pacific Northwest and Western U.S. The three-day event will feature two days of a technical exhibit hall along with continuous dental education opportunities during speaking events and interactive workshops. 

If you can’t find a dental conference near you, find one that stands out to you and consider making the trip with a few colleagues or members of your own staff. It could be a great opportunity for your team to bond while you travel and learn together. You’ll likely find that between the educational resources, networking opportunities, and technical insights you gain from making it to the event, it will be well worth it.