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Dentists may be currently looking at significant leading indicators without recognizing they are the real Four Pinocchio’s. There is nothing false about them. Virgil’s epic poem of The Trojan horse may have already entered into the courtyard. However me thinks the shrinking of the world wide GDP; the $ 1.4 trillion housing bubble and the lack luster of the U.S. economy are permanent impressions. These indicators are the final cast. From here they go directly to disposable income. Disneyland is the name of the four theme parks around the world. (Anaheim, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Is there room for more Pinocchio’s? How about adding the following for good grace? President Bush’s statement that the economy is strong, Mc Cain’s belief that we can drill from sea to sea, Bill Clinton drifted around Harlem mixing with black folk, and Barack Obama’s determination to visit all 57 States in the Union. Finally to be current, Sarah Palin’s unobstructed view of Moscow from her bedroom. In the board room of today’s large conglomerates, the term “leading indicators” is probably on the title of each power point slide presentation. This term is as profound as the evidence of green gases now embracing our planet, or to be more precise, a dentists’ ability to deliver a bull’s eye shot to freeze the main nerve in a patient’s mouth with local anesthetic. Today’s financial tight rope that CEO’s must balance is probably more taxing than“Black Monday” of 1987 which took a 34% free fall over a three week period before the parachute finally opened. In a democracy we do have the right to free speech so long as one does not cry “fire” in a crowded theatre. However; in the same voice there is no way of predicting with infinite accuracy, whether there will be a domino effect after the recent bailout bill for Wall Street was signed into legislation by President Bush. This new bailout includes earmarks for wooden arrows et al to the tune of $ 800 billion. Unfortunately most of the now unemployed will loose their dental benefits among others. In such uncertain times, one’s dental discretionary income is on the front line. The cruises, the exotic vacations; even the car replacement, are all put on hold. It is therefore understandable that certain types of personal care will be under a hierarchy list. The tummy- tuck or the botox treatment may have to take second place to an acute root canal, a broken filling or a painful ache when one is having their morning coffee. And finally, the whitening, the bonding, the porcelain veneer, the crowns and implants will unfortunately be excluded until Wall Street is out of I.C.U and overall economy improves. There is no foreseeable light in the tunnel as Republicans and Democrats fight to inherit occupancy of the White House with all the problems and pleasures that come with it. The loss of approximately 100,000 jobs per month, over-powers the questionable “surge” and the reduction in loss of life of our men and women in Iraq. Does the “surge” qualify as a fifth Pinocchio? A year ago it all seemed within easy reach. We were told our economy was strong and the streets around Tiananmen Square were celebrating the countdown to the Republic’s first ever Olympic Games with choreography and fireworks, the likes of which no other nation could match the harmless beauty of such awe. As trivial as the opening paragraphs appear to be, there is a serious side and a suggested prescription for the “R” word. In the recession of 1987, dentists and their suppliers were fortunate to dodge the full force of the bullet, quite ironically due to the transition of the marketplace and the converging technologies of certain cosmetic procedures, the very high end and expensive reconstruction procedures are recession proof simply because there will always be the filthy rich who can afford what they want in spite of a shrinking worldwide GDP. The question therefore is; what should the average GP dentist do during the months or few weeks before the eye of the hurricane arrives. Should they move to higher ground which is insulated from recession? Or should they become mavericks and stay open to treat and serve those patients who refuse to move into safe shelters? My empathy is with them as they arrive at the horns of this dilemma. From all indications this recession looks to be in the classification of category five. The following synopsis can be used as a matrix to pinpoint the status of any GP dental clinic. In order to understand the putative relationships between excellent oral education and a lack there of, is to understand the inverse square law. As preventative care of both deciduous and permanent teeth increases, there is a corresponding decrease in overall dental imperfections and the need to treat simple caries. Dentistry has gone through many changes away from “drill ’n fill”. Thanks to fluoride and years of community education and training directed to the public at large. Practices have moved on to cosmetics and other converging technologies This unfortunately is the quid pro for general dentistry until the economy turns around. Back In 1987, revenues for general dentistry were less geared to cosmetic procedures. They were in a totally different clinical situation where the emphasis was on acute procedures and treatment. After year 2000 there was a massive swing to cosmetic dentistry. The following is my prescription to ride through the “Perfect Storm” of the “R” word. - Stay liquid (cash).
- Pay with cash or debit Card.
- One credit card with zero balance each statement.
- Retire 8 cylinder vehicles.
- Caution in stocks other than bargain blue chip.
- Avoid purchases of expensive equipment.
Comments to localanesthetics@yahoo.ca M.Sc. PharmD. CCPE
Please visit WWW.AnestheticNews.com Author: M.Sc. PharmD.
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