COVID-19 has had a profound effect on dental practices across the U.S. In the early days of the pandemic, practices like my own were forced to shut down due to government mandates. Clinic closures and patient concerns about contracting the virus meant that important procedures (such as dental implants) were no longer on the table. My clinic and many others have seen implant work slow to a crawl, but I am optimistic that the implant market will rebound as the pandemic subsides.
The biggest reason the implant work is struggling right now is that patients are currently delaying dental care. Sadly, many patients we had scheduled for implant work felt that oral care was something that could be delayed.
Dr. Edward Harsini.These delays are the reason I think the implant market will rebound. Patients across the board are seeing how the immune system and our oral health are very related.
While more implant work is positive for the industry, the fact that patients are delaying implant work is a negative for patients' oral health and finances. Delaying necessary treatment will always make things more expensive and complicated down the road, not only because the cost of material and labs always increases but also because procedures become more complicated. For example, a simple extraction bone graft might turn into a large infection and a larger bone graft, possibly a block graft, or more extensive regrafting.
I fully expect implant work to increase as the pandemic subsides, but I worry about my patients neglecting their oral health and making treatment costlier.
My practice is starting to see a slight uptick in implant work as our country learns to better deal with the virus. However, my office is still not close to prepandemic numbers of implant patients. Before the pandemic, implant work accounted for close to 25% of our business and now it is less than 10%.
The shipping of some materials has been delayed. However, bone grafts, membranes, and dental implants have arrived in a reasonable amount of time.
Implant dentistry will see a comeback after the pandemic. However, in the meantime, it is important that we try to reach out to patients to tell them to be proactive about their oral health. One thing this pandemic has shown is that a strong immune system is very important, and a healthy oral cavity plays a role in strengthening that immune system. It is imperative that we ensure our clinics are safe for patients and tell them that delaying important dental work can have disastrous effects.
Dr. Edward Harsini is the owner of Smile Dental Clinics in Phoenix.
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