By Dr. Joseph D. Lim
An aptly named article caught our attention recently.
The article — “Open wide: US dentists quickly rebuild after virus shutdown” — starts with the statement, “US dental offices are quickly bouncing back, but it won’t be business as usual.”
Reported by The Associated Press (AP) and carried by nbcnews.com, the article is very informative. For example, it reports that 97 percent of dental clinics in the United States will be open by the end of June and that only one percent of dentists will ultimately sell their practices, retire or file for bankruptcy.
“They seem to have weathered the storm,” says Marko Vujicic, chief economist of the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute from whom the figures come from.
That is encouraging news after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended in March that dentists should delay elective procedures like teeth cleaning and filling cavities. Dental clinics promptly locked down.
Only three percent of dental offices in America were open for non-emergency care by early April. According to Mr. Vujicic, about two-thirds were open by May.
And you know what, they have something like a “paycheck protection loan” in America. To open up a clinic in early May, one dentist availed of that loan amounting to about $250,000. The loan helped him bring back and pay his staff until the practice prospers.
According to the AP report, government loans helped some dentists survive the shutdown while “demand for their work is pushing them to reopen quickly.”
“Practices are climbing out of a big hole as they reopen,” the report says. Personal spending on dental services dropped 61 percent in April compared to the same month last year, it continues, citing statistics from the nonprofit health research firm Altarum. “That’s twice the decline experienced by the entire health care sector.”
It might take a while for all business to return, the AP report says, quoting Altarum economist Ani Turner who noted that patients can delay dental care most of which is discretionary and can be postponed. “People may tend to procrastinate on cleanings and maintenance anyway,” Ms. Ani says.
Then there is the fear of the dental clinic that is not the same as the primal fear of the dental drill. It illustrates how our world has been turned upside down in so many ways — it’s the new fear of getting infected with the corona virus.
“The thought of having to go to a dentist office really just freaked me out,” patient Nickolette Karabush says in an AP interview. The fear went away as she saw the dental staff wearing face masks, the waiting room was empty and “everything was very clean. It felt like a very safe environment,” she told the AP.
That’s because, like here in the Philippines, dental clinics are required to limit the number of patients in waiting rooms after they have been screened of symptoms for the corona virus infection.
Face masks and personal protective equipment are also part of safety protocols in the United States, in other countries and here as highly recommended by the Philippine Dental Association.
“We are bending over backwards to make sure our offices are ready and safe,” says Dr. Terri Tiersky, a dentist in Skokie, Illinois, who wears two masks when doing dental procedures.
Dr. Kirk Norbo of Purcellville, Virginia, calls it a “Star Wars look” with the protective gowns and gears such as face shields, masks and gloves and even footwear.
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Dr. Joseph D. Lim is a former Associate Dean of the UE College of Dentistry, former Dean of the College of Dentistry, National University, past president and honorary fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy, and honorary fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists. Honorary Life Member of Thai Association of Dental Implantology. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-8591515./WDJ