How’s the Economy Doing? Watch the Dentists

How's the Economy Doing? Watch the Dentists
By Sarah Kliff

If not for coronavirus, you'd expect your local dentist office to be doing just fine.

be doing just fine 生意一定会很不错

Dentist offices tend to be stable businesses that stick around for decades, unlike restaurants that open and close frequently. Dentists earn a healthy salary — a median of $159,000 — and offer services with no clear substitute.

stable businesses that stick around for decades  持续几十年的稳定的生意
a healthy salary  可观的薪水
a median of 中位数

This makes them, in the eyes of some economists, the perfect barometer for gauging the country’s recovery from the shock of the pandemic.

the perfect barometer for gauging

测量……的最佳晴雨表

The dental industry has weathered an exaggerated version of the pandemic's economic impact, experiencing both a steeper decline and a faster recovery than other sectors.

weathered an exaggerated version

经受了放大版本的……

As dentists head back to work, it's unclear whether patients will follow. While most states have given dentist offices the go-ahead to reopen, patient volumes remain half of what they were before the pandemic.

the go-ahead

意指州批准

That suggests it isn't just stay-at-home orders that have caused patients to cancel appointments. Some may have lost the dental insurance they used to get at work. Others may fear contracting the virus; they may feel safer putting off preventive care that has already waited months. Or they may question the value of regular cleanings altogether.

Others may fear contracting the virus; they may feel safer// putting off preventive care that has already waited months. Or they may question the value of regular cleanings altogether.

有的人可能害怕感染病毒，推迟已经等了好几个月的预防性护理会让他们更有安全感；有的人或许开始质疑牙齿日常清洁的价值了。