How is your dental practice doing in the recession?

Lets face it 2009 was a tough year even for dentists!

This has been the most severe recession I have ever experienced. Somewhere around ten percent of my patients have lost jobs in the last 18 months. Not surprisingly,
patients have been procrastinating about scheduling appointments and have been coming in for cleanings less frequently.

Their reticence about scheduling appointments is understandable, since people have become increasingly concerned with conserving money. When I ask in passing about what they have done during their vacations, many comment that they 'stayed close to home'.

My practice has been holding its own. In 2009 our billings were only off about 2% from the previous year, which is positive news, considering the economic slump
New York and the rest of the country has suffered.

This steadiness in my practice is particularly surprising since it is my impression that patients have been putting off committing to expensive treatment plans(understandably) and most of the procedures I have been doing for patients have been based on patients immediate dental needs(repairing broken and decayed teeth) and not elective cosmetic dentistry.

If I was asked to account for how well my practice is doing under the circumstances, I would have to answer that it is probably due in part to the loyalty of my patients and their perceived value of the dental services that our office provides them. Also my website and my blog continue to attract new patients and these help in part to offset some of effects of our economic downturn.