The Future of the Dental Industry Post COVID-19
Choosing your career path can seem like a big decision and that is because it is. After all, you must learn new material, gain the skills needed, and then use those skills in a new work setting. If you have always wanted to work in the dental field, now is a great time to start training at a vocational school and learn the skills needed to become a dental assistant.
If you’re interested in becoming a dental assistant, you should consider enrolling in UEI’s Dental Assistant Training Program. The program can be completed, and you can graduate in as little as 10 months.
Why is now a good time to start? Because there will be a need for dental assistants once we see this pandemic end. Even before the coronavirus, dental assisting was an in-demand career choice.
The dental industry is considered essential, but routine procedures are not taking place during the current pandemic, which has caused an interruption and slowdown in business for many dental offices. While the coronavirus pandemic has caused a lot of disruption, there are some benefits that will come from it. Below, we will talk about some of the future demands in the dental field after the coronavirus.
Management of Patients
Since patients are not able to just stroll into the dental office and many offices are closed for business during this uncertainty, patients have found that they are being notified in different ways. Dental offices have adapted and have reached out to their patients in many ways, including voicemail, texts, websites, mail, and even social media.
In addition, offices have created additional screening protocols for those patients who do need immediate or emergency care. These screening protocols help the dentist better understand what is going on with the patient and how to provide the best care.
These new ways to manage patients will continue to last into the future and help to improve communication between patients and the office, streamlining everything.
Supplies and Shortages
One of the most important things we have learned through this coronavirus pandemic is that there are not enough personal protective equipment for essential workers. This means that goggles, facemasks, gloves, and cleaning supplies were – and still are – sparse. According to MarketWatch , the personal protective equipment market will experience a considerable rise between 2020 and 2024. This will increase the availability of personal protective equipment for those working in the dental field and will bring more awareness around the importance of healthcare safety, as well as preparedness for the future.
Mobile Dentistry
Have you heard of mobile dentistry? It is a relatively new concept and one that has really started to flourish since the coronavirus pandemic, and you can almost bet that it will stick around too. To put it simply, mobile dentistry is a form of mobile care that involves dental assistants, hygienists, and dentists who move from place to place to provide care to patients. Instead of going to a dental office, the dental office comes to you, which makes receiving care much more convenient.
Even when the pandemic is over, many people may be too worried to congregate in dental offices where others are, so mobile dentistry will be a great option for them. And guess what? They will need to hire dental assistants to help too.
Tele-Dentistry
Tele-dentistry is another form of dentistry that has spawned out of this pandemic and will continue to remain. Instead of going into the dental office for small problems, you can simply video chat with the dentist. Your dentist can then tell you how to care for the problem you are experiencing, prescribe medication, if needed, or recommend that you come into the office. Tele-dentistry is convenient as you can speak with your dental team from anywhere!
Check Out Our Dental Assistant Training Program Today
If you want to be prepared for the demand for dental assistants the team at UEI College can help you train! Give one of our advisors a call today.
