Since early March, our community has had to adapt to what is now our new normal. People have remained home over the past several months in order to not only remain safe but also to do their part in reducing the spread of the virus. This leads to the tough dilemma of how to address your oral health, AKA-Going to the dentist. A healthy mouth is a resilient mouth, while an unhealthy mouth potentially leaves you vulnerable to decay and disease.
What your Dentist should be doing:
- All employees are going through a COVID pre-screening at the start of the workday. A temperature check and questionnaire are completed for each employee every day. If there is any question of an employee’s health or potential of exposure, employees are sent out of the office and are required to contact their physician for appropriate testing and follow-up.
- Utilizing teledentistry to pre-screen all patients prior to their arrival. Patients are instructed to remain in their vehicle upon arriving and call or text the office to check-in. This method eliminates the unnecessary congregation of patients in the waiting room. Once they are prepared to seat the patient, they will be met at their vehicle by a team member wearing a mask, face shield and gloves for a screening process. This process will include asking the CDC COVID-19 PATIENT DISCLOSURE questions, taking their temperature (100.4 or less is acceptable), cough assessment, previous COVID-19 exposure, or presence of any other infection. If any symptoms are present, the patient will be referred to a physician. If they check out OK, they will be given a mask and escorted in for their appointment. Only the scheduled patient (or one parent if the patient is a minor) will be allowed into the office. ALL PATIENTS MUST STOP AT THE DECONTAMINATION STATION UPFRONT where they will sanitize their hands and belongings before being taken back to the treatment room. NO USE OF THE RECEPTION ROOM WILL BE ALLOWED AT ANY TIME FOR PATIENTS WAITING FOR TREATMENT. THE ONLY EXCEPTION WILL BE FOR PARENTS WHO ARE THERE FOR MINORS OR GUARDIANS. Patients will perform a 60-second pre-procedural rinse. All clinical team members will wear face shields, safety glasses, Kn95/N95 masks, gloves, clean scrubs, clinic coats, disposable/reusable gowns when working. All team members will wear Kn95 or N95 masks in the presence of patients. Administrative team members will wear disposable gloves when handling personal items of patients. Each room has a clean- air system HEPA filtration unit to help cleanse the air and diminish aerosols. When the visit is completed you will be asked to replace your mask over your face and escort to the side exit to minimize patient encounters.
There are many additional precautions being taken behind the scenes for your safety. These protocols were developed with the input of the CDC and the ADA.
We're all about your safety.
Thank you, Drs. Brett Silverman and Katie Plaisance from Advanced Cosmetic and Family Dentistry for providing this article. If you have any additional questions or would like more information regarding their comprehensive family dental care services, please call 678-389-9000.
LIKE THIS ARTICLE: Sandy Springs Dunwoody Macaroni Kid is a free weekly newsletter and website focused on fun family events and information in Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Chamblee, Doraville, Atlanta, and Perimeter. We gather together all kinds of local family events and activities each week and add useful information about classes, family-focused businesses, book and product reviews, recipes, crafts, school and camp guides and more. We proudly serve families in Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Chamblee, Doraville, Atlanta, and Perimeter! Sandy Springs Dunwoody Macaroni Kid is full of useful local information like this PLUS tons of kid-friendly events on our event calendar. Have an event you'd like submitted to our calendar for consideration? Submit an event here. Like what you see here and want to get all the fun delivered to your inbox weekly? Subscribe to our FREE weekly e-newsletter for 411 on the local family fun. You can find Sandy Springs Dunwoody Macaroni Kid on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
