Dentistry and COVID-19 – What Your Dentist Is Doing to Keep You Safe
We are living in unprecedented times.
COVID-19 is raging through the country, causing millions to fall sick and hundreds of thousands to be lost in death.
During this time, state, federal, and local governments have provided guidelines to keep citizens safe and hopefully help prevent further illness.
What happens, though, when you have a toothache or some other dental concern? Are you supposed to avoid going to the dentist?
Read on to learn about the CDC safety guidelines that pertain to dentistry and COVID-19.
Dentistry and COVID-10: The Challenges
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, COVID-19 shut down nearly 200,000 US dental practices in 2020. The American Dental Association projected that dental care spending in the US would drop by 38% in 2020 and 20% in 2021.
Each dental practice looked to state and local guidelines regarding reopening their practices. Due to how easily the virus can spread, routine dental care was not advised. Instead, depending on the state/county in which the office was located, only emergency services were allowed.
Unfortunately, the virus is still spreading. Now, due to the holidays, we have more people getting sick than we did back in the spring when we thought the pandemic was at its worst. Some people are getting coronavirus twice, which we did not think was possible at first. We are also dealing with multiple coronavirus variants, some of which spread faster than the original virus.
And yet, we cannot completely shut down dental practices. It would not be helpful or responsible to do so. Patients need dental care, particularly during an emergency. Therefore, dentists have had to look for unique ways to keep their patients – as well as their dental teams – safe.
How Are Dentists Protecting Their Patients?
Your El Segundo dentist is not a stranger to infectious diseases. Part of their educational curriculum covered this topic and how to prevent transmission of disease while serving their patients.
It was only a few decades ago when researchers realized that medical personnel needed to wear PPE (personal protective equipment), such as gloves and masks. Medical professionals also use more disposable, one-time-use items to further protect their patients.
COVID-19 is a unique virus, though.
Coronavirus is at its most contagious when a person is displaying the most symptoms. However, evidence shows that it is easily transmissible even before a person shows symptoms of the illness. It would be easy to tell patients not to visit their dentist if they have had cold/flu-like symptoms within the past 24-48 hours. Unfortunately, some patients do not show symptoms for up to a week or more.
Dentists have had to come up with new infectious disease control standards in their practices to protect themselves, their staff, and their patients. Thankfully, the CDC has recommended guidelines that have helped.
CDC Safety Guidelines for Dentistry and COVID-19
The CDC has provided safety recommendations for all medical professionals, from doctors and hospitals to dentists and chiropractors.
The CDC safety guidelines for dental offices include the following recommendations.
- Postpone elective care: Your El Segundo dentist is urged to only provide treatment to patients once they have conducted a risk assessment. If the risk to their dental team and patients is low, they can proceed. If the risk is high, they should postpone. Risk includes which tier a California county is in, which is based on test positivity rates and adjusted case rates. Assessments are made on a weekly, sometimes bi-weekly basis, and can change at any time.
- Incorporate telephone and video conferencing appointments: When confirming appointments, your dental team may ask if you have done any traveling, been in contact with anyone with the virus, or developed any symptoms of illness. In addition to this, more practices are incorporating video conferencing for consultations. During these calls, your El Segundo dentist can evaluate your dental symptoms and make recommendations that you can implement on your own or make the decision that you need to be seen in person.
- Screen and triage patients entering dental offices: When you visit your dental office, you might notice signs in the reception area and throughout the office. These signs remind people to practice social distancing and signal where they can find handwashing or hand sanitizing stations. One of the dental team might take your temperature before taking you in for treatment.
- Implement Universal Source Control Measures: Patients will be asked to wear a facemask if they are not already wearing one. If they do not have access to a mask, they will be provided with one. The only time the mask should be removed is during the dental procedure. Doctors and assistance will wear a cloth mask while in the office and change to a respirator or surgical mask during procedures.
- Encourage social distancing: Some offices have removed chairs in their reception areas in order to allow patients to sit six feet apart. Other offices urge patients to wait in their vehicles until the doctor is ready to see them. The dental team will also practice social distancing while working and during their breaks.
- Diagnostic Testing: Some dentists will only see patients who can provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Others provide rapid testing in their offices, but this depends on the availability of such tests, their accuracy, and how speed with which they can get results.
Your Dentist Is Committed to Keeping You and Your Family Safe
Even during the best of times, your El Segundo dentist and their team take steps to keep their patients safe.
After each patient, your dental team cleans, disinfects, and sterilizes their operatories, instruments, and products. They also implement water safety practices and always wear PPE, in addition to providing PPE for their patients (bibs, masks, protective glasses, etc.).
In addition to these daily practices, your dental team regularly attends continuing education classes on infection control and life support. In fact, in the state of California, these classes are mandatory if dental professionals want to keep their licenses.
Our team is committed – during and after the coronavirus pandemic – to keep you and your family safe while visiting our practice.
Do you have pressing dental needs? Do not put them off! Contact us today to schedule an appointment.
