Can you go to the dentist today? Or should I stop doing dental work in the future? Everyone wants to know the answer to this question. Yes, you can go to the dentist safely. However, there are some safety precautions. This is what you must be aware of before making an appointment.
Our bodies fight viruses and bacteria without being aware of it. When your eyes serve as the entrance for your spirit, your teeth are the entry point for bacteria that can infect your body. With a COVID-19-related pandemic on close, it may be more challenging to visit the dentist rather than address the dental issues.
Although the coronavirus remains an essential issue throughout the nation, dental health is a crucial aspect of overall health. If dentists are taking the appropriate safety precautions, dentist appointments are low-risk and an essential part of staying healthy during the outbreak.
How Will My Dentist Help Keep Me Safe?
The positive side is that infection control and hygiene have been the foundations of our dental field. Before co-occurring with infectious diseases, decreasing the chance of infection was an essential aspect. Mouths open and fluids in the mouth are commonplace in dentistry. Safe hygiene practices have always been a vital aspect of our profession, as we make sure that our patients and staff are secure. The team at your dentist have always been focused on:
Cleansing and disinfecting the surfaces.
Utilizing disposable products whenever feasible and sterilizing non-disposable instruments.
Hands and masks must be removed after every patient.
But, as COVID is an issue, dentists are making additional sanitation and cleaning methods to their already rigorous guidelines. Dentists also incorporate personal protection equipment into their daily routines, such as masks and gowns, face shields, and goggles.
Is Going to the Dentist Safe?
You might be asking yourself: how is it that you can be safe visiting the dentist in COVID-19? It’s a fact that it’s drops of respiratory fluids from sneezing, coughing, and speaking that transmit the virus. Doesn’t a job that requires close contact with mouths be the most significant risk? Actually, no. However, researchers from the American Dental Association (ADA) might appear to have published research to prove the contrary.
In the early months of December, the ADA published study findings that confirmed that less than 1 percent of dentists in the U.S. were estimated to be suffering from COVID-19 (as of June 2020), and further information shows that no new infections exist of COVID-19 have been reported since then.
Continued Infection Control
In the late 1980s, when HIV and AIDS began to become more widespread, dentists have been taking strict measures to control infection, such as wearing gloves, masks cleaning patients’ rooms following each use, and sterilizing the equipment used in treatments. We at Tusculum Dental Care Greeneville Family dentists from Tusculum Dental Care continue taking infection control seriously, particularly regarding the COVID pandemic. The additional measures we’re employing to keep our staff and patients safe is to ensure that each patient is screened before scheduling an appointment and before bringing them into our office to receive treatment. Everyone who visits our clinic (including dentists and staff) will be screened and their temperature checked before entry. Everyone who comes in contact with patients during treatment wears the correct PPE (personal protective equipment) like masks, gloves, masks, or goggles. Our practice is also sprayed with fog after each workday to spray an aerosol disinfectant to the air.
Patients who exhibit COVID symptoms have been in proximity to those who have tested positive or have been positive for COVID are asked to change their appointment to another date.
Why is the Dentist a Safer Place Than Many Others Right Now?
There is a chance that you are still wondering what makes the dental office a more secure location to go to than other public locations?
From a perspective of numbers, some public spaces cannot control the number of people inside the room at any one moment. Dental offices, like ours, are in a position to control the volume of traffic that comes in and out. While some public spaces have established social-distancing rules with clearly marked signs, as we’ve said, it can be challenging to keep track of. This is also true for masks that require face masks. Certain people wear masks but then take off the show for a short time, leave their nose open, or even choose not to put on one. There are usually consequences for refusing to wear a mask — much as a violation of social distancing; it’s hard to enforce the rules at any time.
How Do Dentists Protect Themselves and Their Patients?
While having your dentist and Hygienist wearing PPE isn’t something new, they could wear additional protective equipment, such as an eye shield. In addition, you can be sure that they have disinfected surfaces and tools. before the visit
Many dentists close waiting rooms and ask patients to come on time for appointments.
Besides the fact that fewer people have more styles. Hand sanitizer and extra PPE. The rest of your equipment should look the same. The dentist will provide you with the highest quality services.
They were also asked to limit the number of people accompanying them. An adult can participate in the programming alone. Parents may also be required to bring one child to the pediatric clinic.
What to Think About Before Going to the Dentist
Respiratory droplets can spread the COVID-19 virus caused by a coronavirus. This is what travels throughout the air whenever someone coughs or is sneezed. If someone else breathes it in, they may become sick. It’s also found in saliva and mucus in your throat and mouth. These are the fluids that the dentist and their instruments are likely to contact. Dental instruments may spray these droplets all over.
Many dental offices aren’t designed for the highest level of security.
- Rooms to isolate airborne infections
- Rooms available for one client
- Face masks