They dentists aren't all back to work yet, but they are slowly climbing their way back. Employment in dental offices is 6% below July 2019.

Let's stop and think about this [1/x]

Dentists offices have been busy trying to catch up for all the missed appointments in March, April, and May. Friends tell me it can be hard to get an appointment.

Yet, employment remains down by 6%. Why? And what does the future hold? [2/x]

Some workers can't come back due to childcare issues or due to their own health.

So are dentists offices unable to hire people? I don't think that's the problem.

Instead, they know that the current backlog will ultimately end. [3/x]

So the question is once the backlog ends, will demand for dental services return to normal? Are there still people who aren't going to the dentist due to COVID concerns? Will fewer people go to the dentist until there is a vaccine? [4/x]

It's one thing to bring all your existing workers back and another to decide to hire and train someone new. If I was running a dental office, I'd be reluctant to bring on new staff & increase payroll further without a better sense of what my medium run revenue would be.