YES…It’s SAFE to go to the Dentist!

As the world begins to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and our office begins to slowly resume practice, one question that we’re often asked is “Do you think it’s safe to go to the Dentist?” Our immediate answer is an overwhelming, “YES!”

Dental offices are one of the SAFEST places you can be. Dentistry is a profession of obsessive-compulsive cleaners. Dental treatment rooms are cleaned with bactericidal and viricidal cleaners before & after each patient visit. We utilize barrier protection to prevent germs from spreading when we touch things. All instruments are heat sterilized and used only on you before they are sterilized again. In addition to utilizing many disposable products, we wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the safety of our staff AND patients.

Recently, you may have heard about aerosols and their potential danger, especially as it relates to COVID-19. Aerosols are a part of our daily lives. When you speak, cough, sneeze, laugh and breathe, you generate aerosols from your body into the surrounding environment. Our human bodies have a well-developed immune system to protect us from any potential dangers that we may be exposed to from aerosols. As it specifically relates to aerosols generated in a dental office, the American Dental Association (ADA) and our local California State Dental Association (CDA) have been leaders in helping dental offices remain safe before, during and after the pandemic. With guidelines that have been developed through science and fact, this includes improved safety measures which were developed with both the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). Dentistry was safe before the COVID-19 outbreak and it remains safe after. To date, there has not been one instance of a major COVID-19 outbreak from a dental office, throughout the entire world.

Our office has been seeing patients for emergency dental care during the entire shutdown period and those patients who have been here, as well as our dental team members, felt safe the entire time. In fact, the patients who came in all felt extremely comfortable receiving care at our office.

Since the pandemic began, dental offices (including ours) have been taking additional safety measures to protect our patients and our team.

Our additional safety measures include:

• Social distancing
• COVID-19 screening before each patient visit, including taking temperatures
• Limiting the number of people who are in the office at all times
• Sanitization of patient hands & devices
• Increased PPE for both patients and the dental team
• Limiting of aerosol generating procedures
• Utilization of intraoral aerosol removal devices

WE WANT YOU TO ALWAYS FEEL COMFORTABLE & SAFE AT OUR OFFICE. In addition, we want our team members to feel safe in our work environment. These additional measures in addition to our regular infection control procedures make our office one of the safest places you can be.

As we begin performing routine dental care, you can be assured that our entire team has been in constant communication during the shutdown period, we have studied the latest information & research on how to best care for our patients, and we have implemented additional protocols to keep you, and us, safe during your visit.

There’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to COVID-19. One thing you can be certain of is that going to the Dentist is, and always has been, safe.

We look forward to seeing you soon.