Dentsply Faces Near-Term Difficulties but Implants and Clear Aligners Business Remains Resilient

Dentsply Sirona is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of dental equipment and supplies. It has a strong presence in dental CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing) and has long reaped the benefits as a first-mover in the space. However lucrative economics and rising appetite for cosmetic procedures has attracted a large number of competitors over the last decade and put the company on a defensive footing. To adopt and compete in an increasingly fragmented market, Dentsply Sirona has invested more into its CEREC system, the firm’s flagship chairside workflow solutions. Since 2019, it has launched a new scanner, milling machine, 3D printer, as well as a new cloud solution that integrates different parts of the workflow together. The firm also recently expanded its partnership with 3Shape, an intraoral scanner and dental CAD/CAM software manufacturer, by allowing scans from 3Shape’s Trios scanner to be integrated with Dentsply Sirona’s workflow. We appreciate this strategic move because CEREC has historically been a closed system and we believe opening up its workflow could expand Dentsply Sirona’s end markets and allow doctors who use third-party equipment to adopt the firm’s offerings more easily.