The Best Dental Conferences, Shows, and Summits to Attend in Winter 2026

Winter is one of the best times of year to step away from the day-to-day demands of running a dental practice and invest in what comes next.

From major dental conventions and technology expos to continuing education events and practice leadership summits, the Winter 2026 dental conference calendar offers plenty of opportunities to learn, connect, and discover what's changing across the industry. And trust us, there is a lot changing.

AI is reshaping dental operations. New technology continues to enter the operatory and front office. Patient expectations are evolving. Practice owners are looking for new ways to improve efficiency, strengthen their teams, and create better patient experiences. The right dental conference can help you make sense of it all.

To help you plan your calendar, we've rounded up some of the best dental conferences, shows, and summits taking place from late November 2026 through February 2027. Many of which we'll be attending as well!

Dental Conferences to Watch in Winter 2026–2027

Now, let's take a closer look at which dental conferences deserve a spot on your calendar.

1. ADF Annual Dental Congress

Dates: November 24–28, 2026
Location: Palais des Congrès de Paris, Paris, France

For dental professionals interested in an international perspective, the ADF Annual Dental Congress is worth considering.

Organized by the French Dental Association, the annual event combines a scientific conference with an international exhibition showcasing dental technologies and products.

The educational program is designed for members across the dental team and focuses on practical challenges encountered in everyday dentistry.

Why attend:

• International perspective on dentistry

• Scientific and clinical education

• Large dental technology exhibition

• Opportunity to connect with dental professionals outside the U.S.

• Great option for anyone combining professional development with international travel

2. Greater New York Dental Meeting

Dates: November 27–December 1, 2026
Exhibit Dates: November 29–December 1, 2026
Location: Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City

If you only attend one major dental trade show this winter, the Greater New York Dental Meeting should be high on your list.

The 102nd annual meeting will bring dental professionals from around the world to New York City for education, networking, and one of the industry's largest exhibit floors.

More than 30,000 healthcare professionals attended the 2025 meeting, which featured over 450 technical exhibits. The 2026 program includes seminars, hands-on workshops, specialty programming, and an expansive exhibition showcasing new dental equipment and technology.

Even better, pre-registration for the congress is free through November 26, although individual educational courses may carry separate tuition.

Why attend:

• Massive dental technology exhibit floor

• Hundreds of educational opportunities

• Hands-on workshops

• Strong international attendance

• Excellent opportunity to evaluate new dental technology

• Programming for dentists and dental teams

• Free pre-registration for general attendance

Best for: Practice owners, technology-minded dentists, office leaders, and teams that want to see a large number of vendors and emerging solutions in one place.

3. Aruba Dental Conference

Dates: January 14–16, 2027
Location: Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa & Casino, Aruba

Continuing education doesn't necessarily have to feel like work.

The Aruba Dental Conference combines professional education with a destination experience in the Caribbean.

The 2027 conference offers 12 CE hours and brings together dental experts, innovators, and industry leaders to discuss advancements in dentistry.

For practice owners who want to combine continuing education with a winter getaway, this is one of the more interesting options on the calendar.

Why attend:

• 12 CE hours

• Smaller conference environment

• Networking with other dental professionals

• Destination setting

• Opportunity to combine CE with a vacation

Best for: Dentists looking for a more intimate educational experience or anyone who prefers palm trees to February snow.

4. Rocky Mountain Dental Convention

Dates: January 21–23, 2027
Location: Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colorado

The Rocky Mountain Dental Convention returns to downtown Denver in January 2027.

Presented by the Metro Denver Dental Society, RMDC is the largest gathering of dental professionals in the Rocky Mountain region.

The event features more than 100 lectures and hands-on workshops along with a large Expo Hall, networking opportunities, and programming designed for multiple members of the dental team.

The Expo Hall includes more than 250 booths, making RMDC particularly useful for practices interested in comparing technology, products, and services.

Why attend:

• 100+ lectures and hands-on workshops

• 250+ booth Expo Hall

• Education for the entire dental team

• Networking and social events

• Strong mix of clinical and practice-focused content

• Opportunity to discover new dental technology

Best for: Dentists, hygienists, practice managers, team members, and practices in the western U.S.

5. Crown Council Annual Event

Dates: January 28–30, 2027
Location: Omni Nashville Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee

Not every great dental event needs to revolve around clinical dentistry. The Crown Council Annual Event puts a strong emphasis on leadership, culture, team building, practice growth, and professional development.

The organization describes its annual gathering as a team-building and learning experience designed to help practices create a stronger culture of success.

The 2027 event also offers 15 hours of AGD-approved continuing education credit.

Why attend:

• Strong leadership focus

• Practice culture and team development

• Practice growth ideas

• Networking with other growth-minded dental professionals

• 15 hours of AGD-approved CE

• Great opportunity to attend with your team

Best for: Practice owners, office leaders, and teams focused on building a stronger organization, not just improving clinical skills.

6. Yankee Dental Congress

Dates: January 28–30, 2027
Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Yankee Dental Congress is another major winter dental meeting worth watching.

The 2027 theme is "Connecting for Oral Health," and the conference brings dental professionals together for continuing education, networking, industry speakers, and access to emerging dental products and ideas.

One of Yankee's strengths is its broad appeal. Dentists can attend alongside hygienists, assistants, office staff, and other members of the dental team.

Why attend:

• Continuing education from industry experts

• Strong professional networking

• Exposure to emerging dental products

• Education for multiple roles within the practice

• Large, established dental community

• Great option for Northeast practices

Best for: Dental teams looking for a combination of CE, networking, and industry innovation.

7. Sleep Education Consortium Dental Sleep Conference

Dates: February 4–6, 2027

For dentists interested in expanding into dental sleep medicine, the Sleep Education Consortium's annual conference offers a much more focused experience than a general dental convention.

The three-day program centers on sleep-related dentistry and includes education relevant to oral appliance therapy and the business and billing considerations surrounding sleep services.

Because this is a specialty-focused conference, it won't be right for every practice. But for the right dentist, that focus is exactly what makes it valuable.

Why attend:

• Focused dental sleep medicine education

• Three-day educational program

• Oral appliance therapy topics

• Dental and medical billing education

• Opportunity to connect with others working in sleep dentistry

Best for: Dentists currently offering or considering adding dental sleep medicine services.

8. Pacific/UCSF Island Dental Colloquium

Dates: February 22–26, 2027
Location: Royal Sonesta Kauaʻi Resort, Kauaʻi, Hawaii

If Aruba wasn't enough sunshine for your winter CE calendar, there's always Kauaʻi.

The 32nd Annual Pacific/UCSF Island Dental Colloquium is co-hosted by University of the Pacific's Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry and the UCSF School of Dentistry.

The program brings together expert speakers across multiple dental disciplines while giving attendees an opportunity to combine continuing education with a Hawaiian getaway.

Educational topics at the Island Dental Colloquium span disciplines including restorative dentistry, oral surgery, endodontics, and pediatric dentistry.

Why attend:

• University-backed continuing education

• Broad clinical subject matter

• Expert dental speakers

• Smaller destination setting

• Networking opportunities

• Kauaʻi in February

Best for: Dentists and teams looking to combine high-quality clinical CE with a destination experience.

9. Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting

Dates: February 25–27, 2027
Location: McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois

Few events embody "winter dental conference" quite like the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting.

The longstanding Midwinter Meeting returns February 25–27, 2027, bringing dental professionals together in Chicago for education, networking, and exposure to the broader dental industry.

For practices interested in seeing what's new across dentistry as the year gets underway, Midwinter is an excellent way to close out the winter conference season.

Why attend:

• Major established dental meeting

• Continuing education

• Dental industry networking

• Opportunity to discover new products and technology

• Convenient option for Midwest practices

• Programming relevant to the broader dental team

Best for: Dentists and teams looking for a large, traditional dental meeting with broad industry exposure.

Which Winter Dental Conference Should You Attend?

With so many dental conferences on the calendar, the best event depends on what you want to accomplish.

If your priority is discovering new technology and vendors, consider a large exhibition-focused meeting like the Greater New York Dental Meeting, Rocky Mountain Dental Convention, or Chicago Midwinter Meeting.

If you're focused on team culture and practice leadership, Crown Council's Annual Event may be a better fit.

If you're looking for focused education, a specialty event like the Sleep Education Consortium Conference can provide deeper subject-matter expertise.

And if you'd like your continuing education to come with some sunshine, Aruba and the Island Dental Colloquium in Kauaʻi are hard to beat.

Before registering, ask yourself:

• What do I want to learn?

• What problems am I trying to solve in my practice?

• Should I bring members of my team?

• Are there specific technologies I want to evaluate?

• How much CE do I need?

• Who would I like to meet?

• What would make the trip worth the investment?

Answering those questions makes choosing the right conference much easier.

How to Get More Value From a Dental Conference

Simply attending a dental conference doesn't guarantee that it will improve your practice. Go in with a plan.

Choose Three Priorities

Before you arrive, identify three things you'd like to improve when you return home.

• Maybe it's patient communication.

• Maybe it's clinical technology.

• Maybe it's case acceptance, scheduling, team culture, or practice efficiency.

Use those priorities to choose your sessions and vendors.

Don't Spend the Entire Conference in Lectures

Education matters, but some of the most valuable conversations happen between sessions.

• Talk to other practice owners.

• Ask what technology they're using.

• Find out what's working.

• Meet vendors.

• Attend networking events.

The dental professionals around you can be as valuable as the speakers on stage.

Bring the Right Team Members

Some conferences are particularly valuable for office managers, hygienists, assistants, and front desk teams.

If you're evaluating a change that will affect your entire practice, bringing the people who will actually use the new system can make implementation much easier.

Leave With an Action List

The real value of a conference starts after you get home.

Before leaving, write down:

1. One thing you'll implement immediately.

2. One technology or vendor you'll evaluate.

3. One process you'll improve.

4. One idea you'll share with your team.

A conference should change something about the way you practice. Otherwise, it was just a trip.

The Dental Industry Is Moving Fast

The conversations happening at dental conferences are changing. Clinical education will always matter.

But increasingly, practice owners are also thinking about:

• Artificial intelligence

• Automation

• Patient communication

• Staffing

• Practice efficiency

• Digital workflows

• Patient expectations

• Technology integration

The modern dental practice is evolving on both sides of the operatory door. That's part of what makes attending the right dental conference so valuable.

You get a chance to step away from the everyday rhythm of the practice, see what others are doing, and decide what the next version of your own practice should look like.

And if one of the things you're thinking about is how AI can help your front desk answer more calls, schedule more patients, and create a better patient experience, that's exactly the kind of problem Annie was built to solve.

Start Planning Your Winter 2026 Dental Conference Calendar

Whether you're looking for cutting-edge dental technology in New York, practice leadership in Nashville, CE in Hawaii, or one of the industry's classic winter meetings in Chicago, there's no shortage of worthwhile dental conferences to choose from.

The best event isn't necessarily the biggest. It's the one that sends you back to your practice with better ideas, stronger relationships, and something you're genuinely excited to implement.

We'll continue updating this guide as additional Winter 2026–2027 dental conferences announce their dates, speakers, and educational programs.

We can't wait to see you out there!