The dental industry was one of the hardest hit in the healthcare industry. There were procedures that were thought to be unessential during the height of the pandemic. Only emergency procedures could be handled at this time with many dental offices closing to save money. There were mass job losses although a number of these jobs were regained after dental offices were able to open at full capacity again. The delayed income is different than other industries where the income was just lost completely. The following are things you should know about COVID-19 in regards to patients and dental practices.
Employee Temperature Checks
The importance of testing employees before they enter the office cannot be stressed enough. A dentist does not want their practices to be known as a hotbed for the virus. This can lead to issues with seeing enough patients if multiple employees had a temperature or tested positive recently. The administration has less contact with patients as the waiting rooms have all but been eliminated in many places.
No Waiting Rooms
Seeing a Fuquay Varina dentist or one in the area is going to be far different than the last time you visited the dentist. You are going to see the different safety measures that are taken as a patient due to the pandemic. No waiting rooms is a big change as this could lead to the spread of the virus among patients. Most patients sit in their cars and wait to be called on their phones before entering the office. The goal of the dentist is for a patient only to have contact with staff and no other patients.
There could be temperature checks for you at the door which could lead you to need to set another appointment. This can be frustrating to a patient but they will understand this practice is common in today’s world.
Fewer Patients Seen Daily
There is likely to be fewer patients able to be seen daily due to the extra tasks that have to do with cleaning areas after patients leave. This can impact revenue as there is a prediction that money spent on dental care will dip in 2021. The importance of patient experience has never been higher with fewer people spending money on dental care. Practices will dedicate more time to patient retention due to the overall amount of revenue available lowering throughout the country.
Emergency Procedures Increased
Dental issues like cavities that weren’t taken care of could have worsened. Dental health problems tend to compound when they are not immediately addressed. Infections can worsen and a cavity could require a crown if the decay spread around the tooth. Cracked teeth have increased immensely which could be due to the increased amount of stress the average person is under. Management of stress can help your dental health as it will reduce the grinding of teeth during the day and when you sleep.
COVID-19 ravaged the world’s economy with the dental industry recovering from this in a resilient manner. Practice patience whether you work or are a patient as these changes are tough for everyone involved.
