Gen Alpha Is Coming for Your Practice

Gen Z and Orthodontics

Get ready! Just when you finally felt like you had Millennials and Gen Z somewhat figured out, here comes Gen Alpha, crashing the party with their AI fluency and side-eyeing your outdated onboarding binder like it’s a rotary phone.

And trust me, they will judge your systems.

Gen Alpha is made up of kids born after 2010. That means many of them are already your patients (hello, Phase I expanders!) and soon, they’ll be applying to work at your front desk, assisting chairside, and managing your TikTok.

So what do we do? We evolve. And fast.

Here’s what a future-ready orthodontic practice looks like (and what will keep Gen Alpha from running for the hills):

๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธ Digital Systems or Bust

No more paper forms or scavenger hunts for lost training materials. Your systems should live online. Organized. Searchable. Shareable. Whether it’s treatment protocols, HR policies, or how to run your in-office retainer program, it needs to be digital. If a 12-year-old can build an iMovie trailer in 10 minutes, your team can handle Trainual and Asana.

๐Ÿ‘‹ Onboarding That Feels Like 2025, Not 2005

“Shadow someone for a week and you’ll figure it out” is not onboarding. It’s chaos. Today’s workforce, especially the digital-native crowd, needs structure, clarity, and a roadmap. You have one shot to make them feel excited, welcome, and prepared. Otherwise, they’ll ghost you and take that ortho assistant job at the practice down the street with the snack wall and spa days.

๐Ÿง  Training = Ongoing, Not One-and-Done

Gen Alpha doesn’t want to do things just because “that’s how we’ve always done it.” They’ll ask why. And honestly, we should too. Having regular team check-ins, skill refreshers, and culture coaching is how you retain talent and actually grow leaders, not just fill roles because we are desperate. And when your team grows, so does your practice.

โœจ Bulletproof Culture > Fancy Equipment

You can have the fanciest 3D printer, the sleekest aligner lab, and the most aesthetically pleasing office you’ve ever seen, but if your culture is toxic or outdated, no one will stay.

Not patients. Not team members. Not even your own peace of mind.

Build a place where people feel respected, valued, and clear on their purpose. That’s how you attract the right people and keep them thriving.

Gen Alpha is Coming...

Gen Alpha is going to elevate the game. They’ll expect more, more clarity, more purpose, more efficiency. And that’s a good thing. But it’s on us to rise to the occasion.

So let’s stop duct-taping systems together and calling it “fine.”

Let’s stop throwing new hires into the deep end and hoping they can swim.

Let’s stop making the team culture “optional.”

Let’s build practices that are ready for the future, on purpose.

Because ready or not… Gen Alpha is coming. And they don’t do analog.