As licensed physicians and, in many cases, small business owners, South Carolina dentists are facing a special set of circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
And they can be even more challenging in the event of a second economic blockade, according to a report by a local technology company.
An order from Governor Henry McMaster in March interrupted all visits to health facilities and interrupted all elective procedures. Similar orders echoed in other states.
The blow to the hospitals was immediately evident. Thousands of employees were laid off. But they were not the only health-focused businesses affected; South Carolina dental office employees formed one of the largest groups in the unemployed ranks last spring.
Now, practices are recovering, according to an analysis by Ceterus, a Charleston accounting technology company. In fact, many of the offices that used government loan programs implemented to bail out companies during the recession now have a larger cash balance than last year, the company’s research revealed.
But if the new increase in COVID-19 cases leads to another closure, the lack of additional stimulation could leave dental offices stuck.
Ceterus is marketing its software platform, which can automate financial reporting and offer predictive analytics for accountants who serve dentists.
Dentists take a special risk because they work in patients’ mouths – where the droplets that mainly spread the virus originate.
“Reality check … we are working on the airways during a respiratory pandemic,” wrote Dr. Julia Mikell, owner of Diamond Dental Studio in Columbia and president of the state dental association, in a letter to constituents in July.
In an interview, Mikell said that dental offices were better prepared than most to meet high standards of cleanliness. She said the HIV epidemic in the 1980s brought with it a great deal of awareness about sanitation in the profession, considering that patients often bleed, even during routine cleanings.
“We disinfect everything between each patient. We disinfect our surfaces, disinfect our chairs, our benches, change our masks, wash our hands, change our gloves between each patient, ”she said. “We were probably closer to being safe than anywhere, except a hospital operating room.”
Of course, dentists and their staff also had to add more protective equipment, close their waiting rooms and take many other security measures, said Mikell.
Some of the additional precautions mean that they may see fewer patients each day.
The number of people walking around the office represents a new challenge, said Dr. Vicki Tatum, of Tatum Dentistry in Charleston. Your team takes more time between each visit to disinfect. Ultimately, they may see fewer patients.
Dr. Dana Blalock, of Daniel Island Dentistry, said that, like most offices across the state, closing for weeks meant that some employees had to be unemployed as the company lost revenue.
“You just had to go into your reserves,” she said.
Blalock obtained a government-sponsored emergency loan under the federal paycheck protection program.
After reopening, she said she looked like she was fixing more broken teeth than usual.
Blalock said he had to make a special effort to ensure patients that the clinic was clean and safe. But after the tumultuous spring, she said business had returned to normal levels. She described the adjustments the office had to make to protect against the virus as “minor”.
Many dental offices have been able to use business stimulus funds. The analysis by Ceterus, which was not specific to South Carolina, revealed that three quarters of the offices participated in emergency loan programs. The average loan was $ 92,000.
The government’s stimulus programs left the average dental office with tens of thousands of dollars more in cash than last year. But without this funding, which they won’t have to pay while they spend the funds on staff, many offices would have been stranded. Other blockages with the increase in coronavirus cases can bring more lasting financial losses, Ceterus discovered.
“In our opinion, dental offices should prepare financially for long-term interruptions and not rely on government assistance, which may not be offered in the future,” said the company.
Tatum said studies have shown that the virus is not easily transmitted within a dentist’s office. Although a higher level of protective equipment has become part of the routine, she said dental offices are safe places, provided the right measures are taken. She urged the public not to postpone oral care, mainly because the mouth is a fundamental part of the body’s defense.
“A healthy mouth is definitely part of a good immune system,” she said.
Reach Mary Katherine Wildeman at 843-607-4312. Follow her on Twitter @mkwildeman.