COVID and Your Dental Office: What to Know
The past two months have been an unprecedented time in history. Not since perhaps World War II has the entire world been so transformed by a single event, as we have by COVID-19. Our social norms, familial norms, and work norms have all been thrown out the window without warning and, as Maryland begins its slow path towards reopening, so too have the rules of dentistry changed. As Dental Designs of White Marsh reopens on May 18th, we wanted this opportunity to talk to our Perry Hall, MD and White Marsh, MD communities about the changes you are going to see not just at our office, but in dental offices across the country, as we all work to adjust to this new normal.
- More Comprehensive Screening – The best way to prevent transmission of COVID-19 is to ensure that high risk patients are accounted for and treated in a safe environment. Expect additional screening measures that may require you coming 10-15 minutes earlier than your appointment time. Some of these screening measures may include taking your temperature, answering a questionnaire of potential risk factors, social distancing friendly waiting rooms, and potentially waiting in your car until texted to come in.
- Significant PPE Upgrades – When you come back to your dental office, your dental providers will look a bit different. Although dental offices have always practiced universal precautions, COVID has changed the way in which we administer treatment for the safety of our team and our patients. When you see us next, our staff will be in much more PPE including respirators, face shields, disposable gowns, shoe covers, etc.
- Slightly Longer Appointments – All the additional measures that dentists are doing to keep you safe means taking more time between and during appointments to ensure that you are entering into a safe environment. This means that appointments may take longer, and that we may encourage you to structure your treatment plan in a way to minimize your visits to the dentist.
Along with these across the board changes, we also have HEPA medical-grade air purifiers in each room and will be elevating our sterilization and disinfecting protocols to above and beyond what is mandated by the government. Together, these changes result in a safe environment for you to get dentistry done, with the knowledge that every precaution possible is being taken to ensure the safety of everybody that enters into our practice. The COVID-19 pandemic is a continuously evolving situation, and your team at Dental Designs of White Marsh is dedicated to following all ADA and CDC recommendations to keep you safe. We are actively monitoring our professional organizations for new and additional guidance, and will be proactively instituting any recommendations issued. Even if you aren’t a patient of Dental Designs of White Marsh, we urge you to ask your dentist what they are doing to keep you safe, as we believe dentists are on the front lines of this pandemic and it is up to each and every practice to keep their team, patients, and community healthy! We want to thank our wonderful patient family in Perry Hall, MD and White Marsh, MD for their unwavering support during these challenging times, and we look forward to giving you the best and safest dental experience when we reopen on May 18th. Give us a call at 410-931-9400 to schedule your appointment, see you soon!