4 years ago this week I sold my dental practice. I am happy to be no longer dentisting – but frankly, never so happy as now. Dental practices the country (and likely the world) – over are closed. Dentistry is a stressful occupation – but I’m thinking this recent and current period must be the most stressful ever.
Dental practices should have closed down many weeks before they did, I think; as dentists, their staff and their patients must have been in the front-line for possible virus transmission for the weeks leading up to lockdown.
Dentists are often seen as slightly on the outside of the NHS, frequently ignored or sidelined when it comes to overall NHS policy and seen by the public in an unsympathetic light. It’s still unclear how they are to deal with the dental pains and other emergencies which will inevitable arise over the lockdown period – and how this dilemma will be greeted by the sufferers and at some point in the future by the lawyers and dental claims companies.
I hope when all this is over that not too many practice owners loose their businesses, that not too many dental personal are already infected – and that the public will finally have some appreciation of dentists. No more the ‘I hate dentists’ comments please.
My 2020 Story 