According to IBIS World, the dental industry is a $119 billion market with a 1.5% growth rate.  They employ about a million people within 165,000 businesses.

This is a very large industry that is growing on pace with the overall economy.  But much like many other slow and steady spaces, there are leaders to take note of.

Here are some stocks you’ll want to watch in this space.

Sirona Dental Systems Inc

This is a publicly traded company that develops hardware and software systems for special procedures.  They have CAD/CAM and imaging systems, as well as treatment centers and special instruments.

They are currently a $3.7 billion market cap stock trading at around $67 a share.  They’ve seen steady revenue growth to over $1 billion in 2013.

Henry Schein

Then you have this company.  They provide a broad set of tools for dentists like x-ray machines and dental chairs.

This is a very innovative company that is constantly producing high quality chairs with new features all the time.  Their 19% revenue growth last quarter really shed light on their success model.

Patterson Cos.

This is the main competitor to Henry Schein.  They also build very nice dental chairs.  They also provide a nice living to many small businesses that go around servicing their equipment.  The nice thing about this stock, if you’re looking for a good investment, is that they pay a dividend.

3M

Okay, so this is not technically strictly a dental company, but they do produce a lot, and I mean a lot, of dental tools.

They design and build things like mixing units for dentures, scanners, dental implants and lots of other very consumable dental products.  They are also a gigantic corporation if you’re looking for a more conservative approach in a company that is very well-diversified.

Alliance Dentistry

This brief overview of dental stocks was provided by Alliance Dentistry.  They are located at 202 Davis Grove Circle Suite 102 Cary, NC 27519.  You can contact them at (919) 363-3100.