Despite continued increase of COVID-19 cases across the state, many businesses that have been closed or limited are beginning to re-open. Most are opening cautiously, with added measures to protect customers and staff.
Dental offices around the state have been closed for weeks due to COVID-19. Many patients reportedly cancelled appointments weeks ago out of fear of the virus. Then the American Dental Association (ADA) recommended that dentists close their offices temporarily. In harmony with the ADA’s recommendation, most dental offices have been treating emergency cases only over the past several weeks. With restrictions beginning to ease, dental offices are beginning to re-open, with added precautions to protect patients and staff from Corona Virus.
As with physician’s offices, many dental offices are taking patient’s temperatures as they arrive. Some offices are asking patients to wash their hands for twenty seconds upon arrival. Some have a questionnaire to access the patient’s possible exposure to COVID-19. Waiting rooms have been reorganized to provide space between people and appointment times have been spread out to limit the number of people in the office at any given time. Some dentists are also taking the extra precaution of wearing a smock over their clothes that can be changed after each patient.
