Dental professionals, whether you are an assistant, a hygienist, front office staff or the dentist yourself, are probably wondering what the future holds for the dental field.
And while we may not be able to predict the future, we have spoken to dentists all across the country to see what they think is going to happen. We heard a lot of things, but in this post, we gathered up what the majority of Dentists are saying into:
6 Dentist Predictions for a Post Coronavirus Future.
Prediction #1: We will have to run a skeleton crew.
The way a dental office operates will now be different. More precautions for sterilizing, treatment, and how we interact with patients will be put into place. Operating with a smaller crew will give dentists a chance to perfect these new systems and stay compliant. This also gives dentists a chance to see how their patients are going to respond to the “new” way of life without maxing out their payroll.
Prediction #2: We will be running shifts and weekends to get all our patients caught up.
A LOT of dentists predict there will be a surge of patients, and they will need to offer more hygiene and production columns. And, they will be seeing fewer patients per hour and will have to make the time to accommodate by offering nights and weekends. This will mean temps in every position will be brought in to help the offices during the initial rush.
Prediction #3: I hope my whole team can return, but we don’t know yet.
Almost every dental practice had to let their team go during the lockdown. Many are hopeful that their staff will return. However, some believe that their employees will be too fearful to return to the medical field or will have to stay home with their children because they don’t have someone to care for them. If that is the case, this means there will be many new opportunities for anyone looking for a permanent position.
Prediction #4: We don’t think patients will want to spend money on dental with all the uncertainty in the economy.
Some dentists do feel uncertain about what the future holds. These dentists believe that they will be slower and therefore not able to employ a full staff right away. But more dentists seem optimistic, as you can see in the next prediction.
Prediction #5: Patients are going to be more health conscious than ever before; they will finally put their teeth before a trip to Hawaii.
Many dentists feel that there will be a mental switch in regard to our health. Staying healthy will be at the top of everyone’s mind, and patients will finally start to understand that dental health is physical health. Meaning case acceptance will increase, meaning more practices will be productive and will need a strong team to support that.
Prediction #6: Things will get back to normal, but it will take a while, during that time staff will be cut and salaries will go down.
Don’t be surprised if you are offered less than your usual hourly rate to take work. There might be a possibility that there won’t be enough jobs for everyone, which forces pay to go down. We might see many professionals (across all industries) working for less money in the next few months.
In Summary, I would say it is a 50/50 split on dentists that think it will be busy right away vs. dentists that think there will be a slow start back to our new normal.
With that being said, you should start getting ready NOW to make sure you are back to work as soon as possible.
We put together 5 tips for dental professionals to prepare for the future for you, so you are ready to return to work as soon as possible.
We want to hear from you! What are your predictions for the future of dentistry?
