How Dental Offices Protect Team Members and Patients During COVID-19

While you may be staying at home as much as possible in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, dental offices have had very strict protocols already in place to prevent the spread of diseases well before the pandemic begun. With that said, they have taken things up a notch, not only to protect patients and team members, but to make sure the virus does not spread through their offices. Below, you can read exactly how they are being extra cautious during these difficult and uncertain times. If you need to schedule care for sleep apnea in Weatherford or for another treatment, here’s why you have no reason to be afraid of visiting.

Hand Hygiene

Keeping hands sanitized throughout the day is crucial for obvious reasons, but during a pandemic it’s even more important to regularly wash and rinse hands whenever performing treatments. This is regardless of whether or not a practice employee was previously wearing gloves, as hand-washing is one of the single most important steps in preventing disease transmission.

While it’s clear that dental practices are hand washing very frequently, they are also making sure that all patients have sanitized hands during their visits. This is done by asking them to use hand sanitizer upon arriving and leaving the practice.

Personal Protective Equipment

Dentists, hygienists and dental assistants alike are always covering their faces with masks to make sure no airborne particles travel from their mouths to surfaces or other patients. Taking it a step further, they are asking everyone who enters their office to be wearing a mask as well, even if they aren’t there for a treatment themselves.

Respiratory Hygiene and Cough Etiquette

Not only are all dental employees expected to practice proper cough etiquette (i.e. coughing into tissue or the elbow if tissues are not nearby), but they also make sure all visitors are doing their part to prevent the spread of germs while in the office. This is another reason why masks are so important to wear at this time. All visitors will have access to resources designed to keep disease transmission low, such as hand sanitizer and tissues.

Sterilization of Dental Instruments

Instrument sterilization was already a crucial part of day-to-day protocols, but now there is an even higher incentive to make sure that any and all objects are fully sanitized prior to a patient arriving. While dental mirrors, scalers, dental chairs, and other essential instruments and devices are thoroughly cleaned, so are flat surfaces, keyboards, office phones, and many other objects that can harbor germs. You’ll find employees making the rounds to ensure all areas are properly sterilized as well as replacing plastic barriers covering essential technology more often.

Environmental Infection Prevention and Control

Dental offices will now be asking patients to wait in their cars and wait to be called in once they arrive. Limiting the number of patients in an office at a time lowers the risk of disease transmission tremendously. In some cases, practices may remove all waiting room magazines and even furniture just to be extra safe. Prior to arriving, dentists may also ask patients to call ahead of time and discuss any potential symptoms they may have that could be related to COVID-19. Additional screenings may also be done in person for extra safety.

These are only a handful of the many precautions dental offices are taking to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect employees and patients alike. If you have additional questions, don’t hesitate to call them directly!

About the Author

If there’s one thing that Dr. Romack cares about more than anything else, it’s making sure that her patients and team members are able to work in a safe and sterile environment at all times. If you have any questions about her office or you need to schedule an appointment, please contact her through her website.