As your dentist in Park Cities begins to reopen for non-emergency patients, they’re more than happy to see their patients’ smiling faces once again. Dentists have always taken their patients’ health and safety incredibly seriously, but due to COVID-19, they have recently gone above and beyond by implementing several additional precautionary measures. To learn about four of these dental safety protocols, simply keep reading below.
1. Social Distancing in the Office
Believe it or not, it’s actually more than possible to practice social distancing in your dentist’s office. Instead of waiting in the reception area, you’ll be asked to check in with your phone and sit in your car until the dentist is ready to see you. Once it’s time for your appointment, a member of your dentist’s staff will ask you to wear your face mask while they escort you to the office. If for some reason you do need to wait in the reception area, the chairs will be more spaced out, allowing for proper social distancing. After your visit is over, you’ll be asked to wear your mask on the way back to your car.
2. Increased Sanitation
In addition to thoroughly disinfecting the dental instruments and most surfaces in the office between appointments, your dentist will request that you do your part to keep the practice clean. You’ll be asked to wash your hands and swish with an antimicrobial mouth rinse for 60 seconds before your appointment begins. This greatly decreases the number of germs in dental aerosols that are produced during treatment. Since these particles could potentially infect the team and subsequent patients, it’s best to reduce them as much as possible.
3. Additional PPE
All members of your dentist’s staff will be wearing face masks when interacting with patients. The dentist and their clinical team will also be wearing more personal protective equipment (PPE) than they used to. This includes disposable surgical gowns, face shields, and shoe coverings. Items like these add layers between patient and team member, making germ transmission less likely.
4. Commitment to Individual Safety
Every morning, all the members of your dentist’s staff will answer questions about their recent health and have their temperature taken. You’ll be required to do the same once you arrive at the office. When entering and exiting the building, patients will be asked to wear a face mask and practice social distancing should they run into another patient or staff member.
Your dental appointment will proceed much more differently than it did before COVID-19 was a part of everyone’s life. Rest assured that all of these extra precautions are necessary to make you’re safe while you’re under your dentist’s care.
About the Author
Dr. Frank Higginbottom is a dentist in Park Cities who earned his dental doctorate from Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas. As a member of the renowned International Team for Implantology in Switzerland, he played an important role in making dental implants the gold standard for replacing missing teeth. His Dallas practice follows all the dental safety protocols listed above and more to keep his patients healthy and safe. To learn more, visit Dr. Higginbottom’s website or call 214-827-1150.
