Ever since almost every country faced lockdown since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, every industry has been affected, and dentistry is no exception. That said, dental practices are seeing a surge in interest when it comes to cosmetic dentistry. In this context, Dr. Armand Amselem – one of the most influential cosmetic dentists in France and Spain, discusses his patient-centric and sustainable approach, and the way tech intervention has helped him steer both his clinics through this tumultuous COVID-19 period.
As a short-term impact of COVID-19, cosmetic dentistry was hampered, with a terrible economic impact on private practices and extremely poor access to dental facilities for the general populace. However, Dr. Amselem highlights the medium-term impact wherein people are squandering the money they saved by not going on a holiday on their teeth instead.
He thinks that since lockdown, the demand for tooth whitening has risen, as patients were already planning to undergo the treatment, yet were unable to, due to the pandemic-induced restrictions. Moreover, tooth whitening and, certainly, short-term orthodontics are commonplace as they are relatively fast and require minimal invasion.
Dr. Amselem believes the long-term impact of COVID-19-led lockdown will be that a few dental practices will adapt rapidly to the new normal and will be carrying out initial virtual consultations in the future too.Even though the lockdown is over, he reckons this technology is here to stay and will be used on larger scales in the years to come.
However, that will not alter the fact that the remaining of the patient’s treatment journey still has to be thoroughly conducted. In layman’s terms, initial virtual consultations will not make much difference. Dentists and practices must still prioritize the entire journey and not just on a particular piece of technology. At the end of the day, people still prefer to purchase services from those they like and trust best.
These factors may have made people realize that they do not want to be in a position where they are experiencing prolonged pain due to poor oral health and, as such, cannot afford to neglect their mouth. Backed by a highly-skilled team of 25 members, Dr. Amselem has overcome the struggles dental clinics in France and Spain have been going through amidst these tough times. His insights on the COVID-19 impact on cosmetic dentistry are truly beneficial as practices deal with new guidance and PPE requirements.
