Noticia

Technology and Aesthetic Treatments Drive Change in Healthcare Over Health Insurance

Bogotá, July 2026. From July 28 to 31, a new edition of Odontotech, the specialized trade show for the dental sector organized by the Colombian Dental Federation and Corferias, will take place. The fair comes at a time when the behavior of Colombian patients is changing: more and more people are opting for private consultations to access aesthetic treatments, complex rehabilitations, and clinical technology that the traditional healthcare system does not cover.

While Health Insurance Companies (EPS) maintain their coverage limited to basic and preventive care, a growing number of patients are willing to pay out of pocket for invisible orthodontics, implantology, digital smile design, and laser teeth whitening. This shift toward private consultations demands accelerated modernization from the profession: private patients compare, research, and choose the professional who guarantees technology, aesthetics, and comfort.

This phenomenon is not unique to Colombia. The World Dental Federation (FDI), an organization representing more than one million dentists in 134 countries, identified the increasing demand for cosmetic dental services and the growth of private spending as key trends driving innovation in the sector in its 2025 annual report. In Colombia, where the Colombian Dental Federation is part of this global network, this same process is reflected in growing competition among private practices that must offer a clinical experience qualitatively different from that of the public system.

“Today’s patients understand that the EPS (Health Promoting Entity) covers the functional and basic needs, but they are willing to invest in the private sector if they are guaranteed excellence, aesthetics, and comfort. The shift towards private practice is forcing clinics to raise their clinical standards, and that can only be achieved by investing in cutting-edge technology,” explains María Fernanda Atuesta, President of the Colombian Dental Federation.

For a private practice to justify this investment and build patient loyalty, the clinical experience must be radically different from that of the public system. Intraoral scanners eliminate the need for traditional impressions; CAD/CAM systems allow for the production of crowns and veneers in a single session; digital smile design software allows dentists to show patients the results before starting treatment. These tools are no longer exclusive to large clinics: at the previous edition of Odontotech, 61 exhibitors and more than 5,300 professional visitors gathered to explore precisely these types of offerings, according to the CNC satisfaction survey.

“Odontotech has established itself as the key business partner for entrepreneurial dentists and private practice managers. They come here not only to find inspiration; they come to close deals and acquire the equipment that will allow them to compete in a market where patients demand a fast and highly aesthetic experience,” explains Ana Garibello, Corferias Project Manager for Odontotech.

For the sector, the challenge is no longer simply opening a practice, but modernizing it at the pace demanded by the evolving profile of the Colombian patient. And in this transition, access to cutting-edge clinical technology becomes the key differentiator.

This will be one of the central themes of Odontotech 2026, which will bring together manufacturers, distributors, prosthodontists, and dental technicians to analyze how technological modernization is redefining the private oral healthcare business in Colombia and Latin America. Those interested in participating in this edition can register through the official website of the fair, feriaodontotech.com.

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