In the fast-paced world of modern dentistry, you can’t stay on top of your game without knowledge sharing and community support. In dental school, you’ve got other students, professors, and mentors to learn from and share ideas. But once you hit the working world, whether working in a dental clinic or running your private practice, finding the space and time to connect with other dentists can be challenging.
That’s where online dental forums come in. These platforms offer opportunities for dental professionals to exchange ideas, discuss innovative techniques, and build connections.
Why Be Active On Dental Forums?
Whether you’re looking for advice on launching a new practice, researching new suppliers or technology, or looking for a dental accountant, you can turn to an online forum to help get you the advice, recommendations, or even moral support you need.
In this review, we’ll look at the top dental forums for dentists at each stage of their careers. There’s sure to be one or more of these online communities where you can find discussions that interest you, connect with like-minded people, and get answers to the questions you’ve been afraid to ask.
Top Dental Forums For Professional Dentists
When practicing dentistry, it’s easy to feel like you’re supposed to have all the answers. But thanks to these dental forums, you no longer have to keep your questions to yourself. You’ll find all the answers on these message boards that discuss dental issues. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to show off your expertise by answering others’ questions about dental procedures, dental hygiene, cosmetic treatments, oral surgery, and more.
Dentaltown
Dentaltown is a wide-ranging online community providing support and resources for dentists, orthodontists, hygienists, and all dental professionals. They boast over 250,000 members and offer online continuing education (CE) courses, discussion forums, product reviews, articles, dental podcasts, and many more dental training resources.
The site covers a wide range of in-depth topics, including message board-style forums from practice management to restorative dentistry, implantology, oral & maxillofacial surgery, endodontics, cosmetic dentistry, pediatric dentistry, and more!
The wealth of information on the Dentaltown website is impressive, bordering on overwhelming. But the private message boards are where Dentaltown truly shines. Dentists, specialists, dental assistants, dental technicians, and even front desk staff will find a discussion forum that shares information critical to boosting performance.
WHAT WE LIKE: The site features a broad range of topics and a large, active member base for diverse perspectives.
KEEP IN MIND: Its broad scope and breadth of resources can be overwhelming at times.
Dentistry-Forums.com
Dentistry-Forums.com is an interactive message board platform dedicated to dental professionals and students. (There is a separate forum for dental patients as well, but we’re focused primarily on the professional applications for this article)
It serves as a space where practicing dentists can discuss all things dentistry, share experiences, seek advice, and engage in peer-to-peer learning. You’ll find it a great resource on various topics, from clinical questions and patient management to dental equipment and practice management. This platform benefits both seasoned professionals and those new to the field, looking for practical advice or sharing their own insights.
WHAT WE LIKE: The platform is well-organized by specialty to create a focused environment for dentists to engage in detailed discussions on a wide array of dental topics relevant to dental practices.
KEEP IN MIND: While there are many active users, with only ~10,000 members, the user base is smaller than some other dental communities, limiting the diversity of perspectives and responses.
Dental Lab Network
Dental Lab Network is the place for you if you’re a dental geek regarding technology. This forum focuses specifically on dental lab work.
Inside, you’ll find discussion threads dedicated to CAD/CAM, 3D printing, and specific materials, making it an invaluable resource for dental technicians and dentists looking to experiment or problem-solve.
WHAT WE LIKE: It has a specialized focus on dental lab technology and techniques.
KEEP IN MIND: This forum is less comprehensive for general dental practice issues.
r/dentistry Subreddit
Reddit is a social media platform where registered users submit content, such as text posts, images, and links, which the community then upvotes or downvotes. Posts are organized into user-created categories called “subreddits.”
The dentistry subreddit (r/reddit) is a message board for dentists and dentists to discuss various aspects of dentistry. Because it’s user-driven, it offers endless discussions, from clinical advice to practice management.
Recent popular posts cover topics like “When to address PARL for previously-treated endo teeth,” “Patient swallowed the crown,” and “So Smile Direct club has closed down, this has made my day!”
WHAT WE LIKE: This platform offers diverse topics with a casual, community-driven approach.
KEEP IN MIND: User-generated content creates a variable quality of information, and its messages are not organized or sorted by topic/specialty.
Top Dental Forums & Communities For Dental Students
Student Doctor Network — Dental Communities
Within its wide range of communities for medical students, Student Doctor Network has a group of 5 different dental communities to support dental students from undergrad through dental school and residence.
These forums are active (the Pre-Dental sub-forum features over 92,000 message threads with a total of 1.2 million messages!) and provide guidance on everything from choosing classes to preparing for DATs to transitioning from postgraduate residence to practicing dentistry.
WHAT WE LIKE: It has extensive coverage of topics relevant to every stage of dental education.
KEEP IN MIND: The broad focus might be overwhelming for those seeking specific advice.
r/predental & r/DentalSchool Subreddits
These two Reddit communities, or “subreddits,” are specifically for predental and dental students. It’s an excellent platform for discussing DAT prep, dental school applications, and academic life. It’s like an online support group for dental med students. Reading about the experiences of others, how they’ve overcome their challenges, and getting the encouragement of your peers is what a dental forum like this is all about.
Of course, it’s Reddit, so the moderation isn’t always on point, and you will have to deal with some irrelevant or overly negative comments from time to time. But overall, it can be a tremendous resource for information and support.
WHAT WE LIKE: It offers a supportive community focused on pre-dental and dental school education.
KEEP IN MIND: The quality of information can vary, and advice is often anecdotal and sometimes overly negative.
Dentaltown (Student Section)
We talked about Dentaltown above, which has the largest and most active online dental community. While Dentaltown is primarily for practicing dentists, it also offers resources and discussion forums for dental students.
In addition to student-focused message boards, Dentaltown has a section for Dental Job Postings to help soon-to-be dentists keep an eye on the job market. They publish a free monthly magazine filled with case studies, news from the dental industry, and more.
In addition to the student message boards, students can visit the main message boards to learn more about dental specialties or what to expect when transitioning from student to practicing dentist.
WHAT WE LIKE: It offers access to student-focused message boards and a broad professional community with diverse experiences.
KEEP IN MIND: The content and conversations may be more helpful for students near the end of their dental school journey than predental students.
Top Forums For Dental Specialists
If you want to build community and network in your dental specialty, several of the forum sites mentioned above, like Dental Forums and Dentaltown, offer separate message boards for many specialties. However, a few standalone community forums for dental specialists are worth considering.
OrthoTown
Welcome to OrthoTown, a specialized forum for orthodontists from the creators of Dentaltown. Unsurprisingly, it provides a platform for discussing excelling as a practicing orthodontist. It offers orthodontic professionals a space to exchange ideas, share case studies, learn new techniques and technologies, and discuss practice management strategies.
OrthoTown hosts ongoing message board conversations about clinical orthodontics, practice management, ethical/legal issues, and more. If you’re an orthodontist looking to grow, this is the space for you!
WHAT WE LIKE: It is dedicated to orthodontic professionals, offering specialized content and sophisticated discussions.
KEEP IN MIND: OrthoTown is not designed for general dentists.
HygieneTown
HygieneTown is a dedicated online community for dental hygienists, once again from the creators of Dentaltown. It uses the same structure as Dentaltown and OrthoTown to provide continuing education and resources for hygienists.
The forums on HygieneTown give dental professionals a comfortable online space to discuss things like etiology, dental hygiene, and more. The forum facilitates sharing experiences, advice, and resources among dental hygiene professionals.
WHAT WE LIKE: It specifically caters to dental hygienists, offering targeted discussions and resources relevant to their profession.
KEEP IN MIND: The community size and engagement fall far from what you’ll see on the best dentistry-oriented forums.
Go Find Your Community!
Of course, you can still travel to dental conferences, conventions, and meetings to build your network and meet other dental professionals in real life. And you should! But dental forums offer a great way to continue building that network and finding support and encouragement on demand.
All the forums, online dental communities, and message boards in this article give you a place to start building your network. Don’t hesitate to check them out today and get the support you need to navigate the evolving landscape of dental care.
