In: Economics
A British health minister once claimed that the demand for health care is infinite because everyone is in a losing battle against death. This is not so for American dentistry, however. As aggregate U.S. income levels have risen during the last 25 years, overall spending on dental care services has declined.
It is not that fewer Americans are seeing dentists each year. They just do not require as many fillings or extractions. As incomes rose, people purchased more expensive and effective toothpastes. More towns, cities, and counties began to fluoridate their water as the relative price of this anticavity agent declined,
so changing relative prices have played a role. The higher incomes of their residents have permitted more municipalities to purchase fluoridation systems. At every age, the average American now has two more teeth than 25 years ago.
Many fledgling dentists have begun specializing in “cosmetic dentistry” desired by clients with healthy but less than beautiful teeth.
QUESTION: Compared to traditional dental-care services, is cosmetic dentistry more or less likely to be a normal good?
It is one of the most crusial treatment which is dental healthcare and when its not done properly, it then contititues to hefty share on income of an individual.Dental treatment is a costly treatment, which is tend to be heavy on one's pocket. Certain changes has occured since time and nowadays people are more aware about their dental health. Many inprovements and upgradation has occurred like different quality toothpaste for various purposes, easy access to floride water etc. are there . And similarly consumption of junk food has risen which led to more detal problems and mostly which happens in the younger age. Also cosmetic dentistry is being done to the teeth to make them healthy and to make them look beautiful. This one is pretty costly and are mainly for the people from high income group, so which means better the treatment, higher will be the cost of the dental healthcare,
A normal good is a good which is related to an individual income , if the income rises , then the demand for these good will rise aswell and vice- versa. So, cosmetic dentistry can be referred to as a normal good. The report shows that the amercian household income has risen from earlier years and which is gradually increasing each year, and as well healthier teeth on an average. Which implies to this theory, that when the income rose , people took care of their dental health, and the cosmetic dentistry which was affordable by few, rose with time and was more affordable to the American consumers. Still many prefer the traditional method of dental treatment. and for someone else the person ,who can afford the cosmetic dentistry would prefer that to get healthier and whiter teeth,