Wisconsin's Dental Industry Goes Through Major Shift

Friday, January 24th, 2025 -- 10:01 AM

(Hope Kirwan, Wisconsin Public Radio) In the last five years, Wisconsin’s dental industry has gone through a major shift as more providers from the baby boom generation leave work.

According to Hope Kirwan with the Wisconsin Public Radio, the natural transition was accelerated even further by the COVID-19 pandemic, when many dentists chose to retire earlier than usual.

For patients, that can mean difficulties finding care amid dental shortages. According to data from the American Dental Association, in 2020, a third of the state’s dentists were baby boomers and another third were millennials.

By 2023, millennials made up nearly half of the state’s providers while baby boomers represented about a quarter of Wisconsin dentists. As more boomers reach retirement age (the youngest members of the generation are now 60), that transition will continue in the coming years.

This generational change has affected rural areas of the state the most, where there is already a shortage of dentists. Without new providers coming, rural patients are left with fewer options for care and longer wait times for an appointment.

Wis shows Wisconsin has largely the same number of dentists per capita as it did 20 years ago, after numbers fell slightly in the late 2000s.

Industry leaders say many young dentists are looking at the state’s cities, attracted by the amenities of urban life and better job opportunities for their spouses.

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