After a long year, things are slowly starting to get back to normal for America’s dentists. “We’re starting to get calls from people we haven’t seen in a while,” Lynn said. The office manager at a Plymouth MA dental practice said, “They’re asking things like “When can I have my cleaning done?” Parents are starting to talk to us about their kids needing braces. This wasn’t happening during the pandemic.”
That being said, many dental practices report that they’re still not seeing the same volume of patients they did pre-pandemic. As a result, many practices have started reaching out to existing customers in a way they hadn’t before. “Sure, we’d send letters every so often,” Lynn said. “But now we’re doing emails. We’re texting people. We’re doing calls. All of this to say it’s safe to come in now. It’s safe to get your smile taken care of.”
COVID Tops List of Concerns Keeping Patients Home
COVID is at the top of the list for reasons patients have been reluctant to visit the dentist. To assuage this, in addition to the communication to patients assuring them everything is safe for their visit, a commitment to facility cleanliness must be in place. This transcends the clinical or treatment areas, where patients justifiably expect medical-grade cleanliness, to the entire facility, including the front door, reception area, waiting area, and bathrooms.
“Many of our patients have other health concerns that make them very vulnerable,” Lynn explained. “And these individuals are very aware of the setting they’re in. If there’s cobwebs in the windowsill, they notice. If there’s dust in the corners, they notice. If the carpet’s got dirt ground into it, they notice. And they think “If the doctor’s careless about this what else does he let go?” Having a Dental cleaning service in Plymouth MA helps keep facilities at the standard that assures peace of mind to even the most vulnerable patients.