Your dentist’s commitment to disease prevention goes beyond just sterilizing their instruments after each patient. They know that providing a safe and clean treatment environment prevents germs from spreading through their community. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, you dentist has been adding new policies to ensure that the virus doesn’t pose a threat to anyone who steps into their office. Keep reading to find out more about the specific steps they are taking to preserve dental safety during the COVID-19 crisis.
New Screenings For Patients And Staff
One of the best ways to keep patients safe from the virus is to minimize the risk of it coming inside the office. To do this, everyone will be screened for symptoms of infection prior to entering. Some of the questions you may be asked include:
- Have you felt ill or struggled to breathe during the last fourteen days?
- Have you recently lost your sense of smell or taste?
- Have you been in contact with anyone who has a respiratory disease?
- Have you visited a nursing home or health care facility during the last two weeks?
- Has anyone in your household tested positive for COVID-19?
Individuals will also have their temperature taken to ensure that they don’t have a fever. If a patient does demonstrate signs of infection, they may be asked to delay their appointment until a later date. Staff members with symptoms of the virus will also not be allowed to see patients.
Social Distancing In The Office
Reducing close contact and enforcing social distancing is going to be an important policy at every dental office moving forward. Many practices are reducing the number of seats in the waiting room or closing them off entirely. They are also limiting the number of patients they see at once in order to make sure the office isn’t crowded.
Additional Cleaning Times
Because COVID-19 can collect on surfaces, your dental team is allocating more time for disinfection procedures. Once a patient’s appointment ends, someone will thoroughly clean their treatment area. After the last one leaves for the day, the team will disinfect the entire office to make sure no viral particles are still present.
New Protective Equipment
In addition to the face masks they have used in the past, dental team members are also wearing N95 masks to prevent the transfer of germs. Face shields and full body plastic coverings are also being worn by some dentists to keep viral particles from landing on them during procedures.
These are just some of the new ways dentists are trying to preserve your health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. With them, they hope to continue providing you with the high-quality care you’ve come to expect from them.
About The Author
Dr. Gus Bal went to dental school at the Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine. He has been voted as the “Best Dentist in Scarborough” by the Readers Choice Awards multiple times over the last few years. If you would like to learn about how he is protecting patients from COVID-19, you can reach him through his practice’s website or at +1-416-267-6789.
