A COVID-era dentist's appointment means fewer people, more layers and possibly a new tool or two.
How to push back when you’re not sure your office is ready to reopen, even with social distancing. Plus: How to ask to work from home forever.
“We’ve always wiped all these things down,” my dentist said. “But now we’re replacing the barriers as well as wiping things down, and that takes a little bit more time.”That extra between-patient, room-cleaning time is just one of the reasons your dentist’s office is going to have a lot fewer folks in it when you next darken the doorstep. Last time I was in my dentist’s waiting room, it was a beehive of activity. This time it was just me and a single worker bee .
That open-but-nowhere-near-as-busy part tracks with what’s happening in the majority of dentists’ offices across the country, said California Dental Assn. president and Santa Barbara periodontist Richard Nagy. “As of the June 15th, about 34% of dentists across the country are back to normal,” Nagy said, “while 63% are open but seeing a lower patient volume than normal.” The most visible difference was the additional personal protective equipment worn by everyone involved at the dentist’s office.
“The N95 protects [the hygienist] from aerosol spray,” Hanam-Jahr explained. “But it doesn’t protect [them] from splatter moisture, so [that’s why] they have to wear full face shields with it.”Because aerosol spray — a suspension of fine liquid droplets in the air — can easily transmit the coronavirus, dentists and dental hygienists are striving to keep aerosol-generating procedures to a minimum.
Also, because the most-careful teeth cleaning will generate some level of aerosol spray, many offices have taken additional steps to dispatch airborne particles quickly and efficiently. Some have installed high-tech HEPA air filters while others have opted for the low-tech alternative, placing a high-powered fan in front of an open window to suck the air out of the room.
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