Dentists bouncing back from virus shutdowns
U.S. dental offices are quickly bouncing back, but it won’t be business as usual. Expect social distancing, layers of protective gear and a new approach to some procedures to guard against coronavirus.
Dental offices largely closed, except for emergency care, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended in March that they should delay elective procedures like teeth cleaning and filling cavities.
By April, only 3% of dental offices were open for non-emergency care, according to Marko Vujicic, chief economist with the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute.
Polling data shows about two-thirds were back open in May and Vujicic expects that to reach 97% by the end of June. He estimates that only 1% of dentists will ultimately sell their practices, retire or file for bankruptcy.
“They seem to have weathered the storm,” Vujicic said.
Dentists say government loans helped some of them survive the shutdown, and demand for their work is pushing them to reopen quickly.
“The need for even routine dental care never went away,” said Dr. Terri Tiersky, who runs a small practice in Skokie, Illinois. “We needed to get back to our patients and our staff needed to get back to work.”
Tiersky closed her office to all but emergencies in mid-March. She then helped arrange donations of personal protective equipment from the Chicago Dental Society for health workers treating COVID-19 patients.
She opened in early June after buying air purifiers and stocking back up on protective gear.
“We are bending over backwards to make sure our offices are ready and safe,” said Tiersky, who wears two masks when she sees patients.
Nickolette Karabush was one of Tiersky’s first patients to return after she cracked a tooth while eating popcorn. The 58-yearold Highwood, Illinois, resident has an autoimmune disorder and had been hunkered down at home since COVID-19 hit.
“The thought of having to go to a dentist office really just freaked me out,” she said.
Karabush settled down after she saw everyone in Tiersky’s office wearing masks and no one else in the waiting room.
“Everything was very clean,” she said. “It felt like a very safe environment.”
Tiersky and other dentists have taken several precautions like removing waiting room magazines and asking patients about COVID-19 symptoms before they receive care.
Dr. Kirk Norbo has an employee stationed in the foyer of his Purcellville, Virginia, dental office to take visitors’ temperatures before they enter the waiting room.
It might take a while for all business to return. Altarum economist Ani Turner noted that a lot of dental care is discretionary and can be postponed, and patients will still be worried about being exposed to the virus.
“People may tend to procrastinate on cleanings and maintenance anyway,” she said.