Brident Dental furloughs 56 in Texas

Brident Dental & Orthodontics, a dentistry chain headquartered in Orange, Calif., will furlough 56 employees in Texas “as a result of unforeseen business circumstances resulting from the sudden and unprecedented effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business,” the company told state officials.

The layoffs affect workers at 18 Brident offices in Texas, a dozen of which are located in Harris County. Furloughs are expected to last through July 31.

Company officials notified the Texas Workforce Commission of the layoffs on June 18.

Brident Dental is affiliated with Western Dental & Orthodontics, which has more than 200 offices across the Southwest.

The American Dental Association estimated in April that dental care spending could drop by up to 66 percent in 2020 due to the pandemic. More than 98 percent of dental practices surveyed in Texas were open as of late June, the association found, but 63 percent reported lower patient volumes than before.

Approximately 87 percent of Texas dental offices are paying staff at full wages, according to the ADA data. Of the offices open, 89 percent report collecting at least 50 percent of their typical revenues from patients.

The company’s corporate headquarters did not immediately return a request for comment.