The slow economic recovery has been troublesome for Americans on a number of levels, not the least of which is in relation to healthcare. But as the financial landscape in the United States continues to gain momentum and people gradually shed their fear of spending, they are becoming more willing to drop their hard earned dollars at the dentist. Most of the country has shown relatively strong growth over the last 18 months and with that comes a return by Americans to the dentist’s chair.
According to data collected recently by the American Dental Association, visits to the dentist were among the top activities that people in the US were willing to sacrifice as they adjusted their budgets and cut out things they felt they did not need.
However, the data also shows that the trend has begun to turn around. When compared to the summer of 2009 when the country was ensconced in the depths of the recession, dental visits in 2014 are up fully 13 percent. Until this year, it was an extraordinary challenge for many American families to fit dental visits into their budgets because jobs were hard to come by. Even those who were already employed had the experience of seeing their health and dental benefits shrink or be eradicated altogether. The ADA has stated that 75 percent of American adults expressed fear or anxiety about visiting the dentist even without the monetary conflict.
With the economy beginning to pick up momentum, however, that fear is subsiding as evidenced by the increase in dental visits nationwide. Companies are returning benefits to their employees as profits increase, which means healthier teeth and gums are well on their way in the United States.