Volume 7 • 2020 • Issue 5

James Armstrong BSc, MBA, DMD president@cda-adc.ca AndWe’reBack… The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or official policies of the Canadian Dental Association. I n June, The New York Times published an article about how dentistry is a good indicator of economic recovery because historically it recovers significantly faster than other sectors. “I’m obsessed with dentists because, if the only thing we’re doing is putting the economy on pause, and then going back to normal, all of them should be coming back,” Betsey Stevenson, an economics professor at the University of Michigan, told the Times . “We’re not really recovered until all the dentists are back to work.” I’ve been in contact with dentists across the country as we’ve all made the transition to offering more than just emergency services in every province and territory. I’ve heard that our patients have been waiting for us and are thrilled that they can see us again. There is pent-up demand for oral health care. I’ve seen heartening numbers regarding how many Canadian practices are open for business and providing a variety of treatments and services to patients. One poll revealed that people feel it is more important to see a dentist as COVID-19 restrictions are loosened than get a hair cut. However, the “new normal” for dental offices is still far from clear. We do know that the traditional “flow” of dental offices has become “no flow.” Patients waiting in their cars has become our new waiting rooms. We are screening patients on the phone and in our offices. Yet, despite the challenges of social distancing in our practices and enhanced PPEs, I’ve learned that we are successfully adapting to our new circumstances. Dentists have told me the new routine feels a little bit easier now than it did in the beginning. We are seeing fewer patients per day, but our interaction with patients has increased. Personally, I miss the ability to take off my mask, before or after appointments, and chat with patients about their lives. I look forward to the day when that will be possible again. I’ve been working alongside CDA staff to lobby the federal government to get dentists the support they need (p. 14). We want dentists to be recognized as critical front line health care workers with access to PPEs through provincial governments. We are asking for more emergency loans, with a larger percentage of those loans forgivable. We lobbied for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program (CEWS) to be extended another seven months and the government recently announced they were considering such an extension. We have also suggested that $3 billion of health care transfers to provinces under the Canada Health Act be dedicated to funding oral health care. In addition to being a dentist, I teach business courses at the UBC Sauder School of Business. I’ve been thinking a lot in the last few months about how dentists can create resilient businesses, even during this time of unprecedented and rapid change. In this issue of the magazine, I’ve included an article about cost leadership, a business strategy that I believe could help dentists over the next year and into the future (p. 9). Because we’re back, and we’re here to stay. Stay safe and healthy. From the President 7 Issue 5 | 2020 | CDA at W ork