A Global Pandemic Presents Unprecedented Challenges

midst the rapid spread of COVID-19 and schools and businesses shutting down all over the country, the ADA announced on March 16, 2020, that it was advising dentists to limit procedures to emergencies only. As a result, laboratory workloads ground to a halt and layoffs and furloughs were rampant.

Because government directives varied throughout the country, some laboratories closed down temporarily while others continued with limited staff and enacted various social distancing strategies. Most notably, in the face of a desperate shortage of PPE and medical equipment, some laboratories even pivoted manufacturing efforts to print headbands for face shields, face masks, nasal swabs and ventilator parts.

While most dental practices reopened by June, patients were wary about going back to the dentist and laboratories had mixed reports about the health of their businesses. Still, the majority of them remained confident they could ride out the storm and, eventually, saw burgeoning...