You carry hand sanitizer and a mask with you whenever you leave the house, which isn’t often these days. In a matter of just a few months, COVID-19 has changed the way you shop, the way you work, and the way you interact with others. However, your need to receive basic dental care remains the same. Although this visit requires close proximity to your dental team, it doesn’t mean that you will be at a higher risk of infection. So how does your dentist in Lincoln prepare for your visit during a global pandemic? Read on to find out!
Health Screenings for Everyone
Before your dental team starts work or even enters the building, each member will asked about any unusual symptoms, and their temperature checked. Likewise, all patients will have their temperature checked as well. Because the coronavirus can spread quickly, these checks are performed every single day to help ensure that everyone in our practice is healthy.
Sequenced, Thorough Appointments
Before COVID-19, your dental team would stagger patient appointments so that multiple patients could receive care at the same time in different operatories. Now, however, teams are reducing the number of people in the office at one time by sequencing appointments with less overlap. This reduces the amount of exposure to both patients and staff. In addition, each appointment may be longer than usual, depending on the treatment that the patient needs. That way, instead of having to return for a procedure on another day, the patient can receive complete care in one visit. Plus, this extra time allows the dental team to clean the operatory more thoroughly in between patients.
Personal Protective Equipment
Your dental team has always taken advantage of personal protective equipment (PPE). Since the pandemic started, however, it has become more important than ever to restrict the transfer of droplets from person to person. That is why your dental team now wears more advanced PPE like N95 face masks, disposable lab coats, and face shields. You also will not see your team members wearing their scrubs to and from work anymore—instead, they change into the scrubs when they arrive for work so that they do not carry germs from home on their clothing into the operatory.
Clean Environment
Compared to many other environments, your dental office is one of the cleanest places you can visit right now. Every non-disposable instrument that is used around your mouth has been heat and pressure cleaned in between patients according to the highest standards. In addition, all surfaces in the operatory have been sanitized after each appointment and deep cleaned at the end of every day.
With all these dental safety protocols in place and more, you do not have to be worried about your upcoming appointment. You can have peace of mind about your oral health as well as your overall health in a safe place where your exposure is kept to a minimum. Now that is a reason to smile!
About the Practice
Pioneer Greens Dentistry is proud to be open to all dental patients again. Dr. Claire Haag, Dr. Chris Haag, Dr. Sean Pauley, and their staff are taking safety and health protocols seriously and have implemented the measures mentioned in this post into the practice among others. If you have questions about your upcoming visit, or if you would like to schedule an appointment with Pioneer Greens Dentistry, click here.