Dentistry may be a profession of precision, but we’ve never taken that to mean Yankee Dental Congress has to be predictable. Every year brings new learning opportunities, music acts, and ways to bring your team together and have fun while developing as professionals.
The packed 2026 event brought dental professionals to Boston for three days of continuing education and industry discussion, with an exhibit floor that occasionally wandered well outside the boundaries of a traditional trade show. Some attendees took professional headshots and worked their way through our Early Career Center. Others sported custom conference trucker hats, played ping pong, took a brewery tour and, by Saturday, smiled their way through a petting zoo.
The combination of serious education and deliberate fun has become part of Yankee’s annual identity. With the 2027 meeting approaching, it is worth looking at what attendees experienced last year and what they can expect next.
Yankee Dental Congress 2026 Put Education First
Continuing education remained at the center of the 2026 meeting.
Courses and focused programs addressed a wide range of topics at every level of the profession — leadership development, marketing strategy, digital workflows, practice growth, and more. Dental leaders and industry experts came together to discuss the operational side of dentistry alongside clinical education, and attendees had the chance to consider how new ideas might translate into patient care and practice performance.
The meeting also created space for professionals at different career stages. The Early Career Center gave newer dentists a place to meet colleagues and expand their professional networks. Elsewhere, attendees moved between courses, exhibitors, and conversations with peers from throughout the region.
For our loyal, longtime attendees, those relationships are a significant part of the draw. We’re proud that Yankee has been described as having that “Old Home Week” feeling. People reconnect after a year apart and pick up conversations right where they left them.
Browse our 2026 photo gallery for a look back at the meeting and all the people you met.
The Exhibit Floor Had a Personality of Its Own
The Yankee Dental Congress 2026 show floor mixed product discovery and networking with a rotating schedule of activities.
Complimentary coffee greeted attendees each morning. Ping pong and cornhole remained available throughout the meeting. Thursday brought fruit pops and a kickoff reception. Friday added custom trucker hats and walking waffle bites. Saturday wrapped up a busy week with customizable donuts and baby farm animals at the popular petting zoo attraction.
The evening calendar — always a highlight — continued in much the same spirit. Always Abba opened our 2026 entertainment schedule as attendees sang along to classic hits, while Mike Posner and DJ Brody Jenner headlined Friday night.
Attendees also had an opportunity to leave the convention center for a tour and tasting at Harpoon Brewery that booked up quickly. The exclusive tour and tasting experience allowed all comers to enjoy behind-the-scenes insights followed by time to socialize.
We honored some great professionals and volunteers at the Annual Awards Ceremony & Reception, a more formal moment to recognize the biggest contributors to dentistry and the Yankee community, including 2026 Award Recipients:
- Dental Speaker of the Year — Christina DiBona Pastan, DMD
- Dental Influencer Award — Janis Moriarty, DMD
- Volunteer of the Year — David Becker, DMD
- MDHA Hygienist of the Year — Aleah Diemand, RDH
- Elizabeth A. Baer Assistants Award — Beverly Rebelo, CDA
Congratulations to all winners! Join us for the upcoming 2027 show to find out who will be honored as next year’s outstanding contributors to the field.
Yankee 2027 Returns to Boston January 28–30
The next chapter begins with Yankee Dental Congress 2027: Connecting for Oral Health, scheduled for January 28–30 in Boston.
The theme reflects a broader conversation taking place in dentistry about the relationship between oral health and overall health, while the familiar Yankee mix of education and community will return.
Stay tuned, because details about 2027 show-floor activities are still on the way! Thursday and Saturday Spend & Get promotions for ADA members are already being planned, along with our regular Friday raffle. We’ve got another major music act in store for everyone that we’ll be announcing soon.
Behind the scenes, the attendee experience continues to evolve and think ahead in our digital world. Snail-mailed paper course tickets have disappeared, badge distribution has changed, and Yankee is even introducing an attendee insurance option for 2027.
Yankee Dental Congress registration and housing open Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at noon. For attendees who have made the January trip an annual tradition, another “Old Home Week” is already taking shape. Reserve your spot this October 7th!
FAQs
Yankee Dental Congress 2026 took place in Boston and featured three days of continuing education, exhibits, networking and special events.
Yankee Dental Congress is held at the Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center (MCEC), formerly known as the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC) located in Boston’s Seaport District. The venue address is 415 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210.
The meeting included continuing education, industry discussions, exhibit-floor activities, networking and entertainment. Mike Posner and DJ Brody Jenner were among the featured performers.
Yankee offers clinical education alongside courses covering technology, leadership, practice management and other areas of professional development.
Yankee Dental Congress 2027 takes place January 28–30, 2027.
The 2027 theme is Connecting for Oral Health.
Registration for Yankee Dental Congress 2027 opens Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at noon.
Housing opens alongside registration on October 7, 2026, at noon.