Signs of the Times — the future shortage of dentists.

Posted By Cliff Tuttle | April 21, 2020

No. 1,640

I talked to my dentist yesterday.  Due to Chronovirus, he hasn’t seen a patient in five weeks.  He has a book full of appointments, which he  keeps moving forward on a daily basis.  But he freely admits that he doesn’t know when he will eventually be able to resume the schedule.  The only kind of dentistry permitted at the moment is in an emergency.  That means the patient is in serious pain.

Most of us are hopeful we will be able to go back to work in a few weeks, subject to a few well-known spacing rules.  But dentistry isn’t one of those jobs.  The dentist and the patient are too close for comfort. As others start to go back to work, some dentists may close their practices and do something else, creating a future shortage.  The dental school class of 2020 and the succeeding years may be first.  After all, they may have the best chance to change professions.  Maybe some are already becoming COVID-19 lab technicians and testers.

CLT

Welcome

CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

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