Serving patients of Erwin, Jonesborough, and Greeneville TN
A question pressing on the minds of many Americans, is it safe to go to the dentist during COVID? Some might even consider using COVID as a scapegoat to get out of going to the dentist right now. But results of a recent survey conducted by the American Dental Association reveals that dentists have the lowest rate of COVID. This may sound surprising to you, considering that dental offices work solely in the mouth, producing aerosols and airborne particles. But check out our newest blog today to learn how safe it is to go to the dentist during COVID.
This study released by the ADA is the first large scale study of its kind. Results reveal that currently, fewer than 1% of dentists in the U.S. have tested positive for the coronavirus. Chief senior officer of the ADA, Dr. Marcelo Araujo states, “this is very good news for dentists and patients. This means that what dentists are doing — heightened infection control and increased attention to patient and dental team safety — is working.”
Continued Infection Control
Since the 1980s, when HIV and AIDS became prevalent, dentists began practicing strict infectious control measures, including wearing masks, gloves, sanitizing patient rooms after each use, and sterilizing tools used during treatments. Our Greeneville family dentists at Tusculum Dental Care continue taking infectious control seriously, especially during the COVID pandemic. Additional measures that we are taking to keep patients and staff safe are to pre-screen each patient when making their appointment, as well as before they enter our practice for treatment. Anyone that comes to our practice (including employees and dentists) will have their temperature taken prior to entering. Every employee that comes in contact with patients for treatment wears the proper PPE (personal protective equipment) such as gloves, masks, and goggles or face shields. We also fog our practice at the end of each day to apply an aerosol disinfectant in the air. Patients exhibiting COVID symptoms have been near someone that has tested positive, or those that have tested positive for COVID are asked to reschedule their appointment for a later time. Employees also are required to quarantine if they have COVID symptoms, receive a positive test, or have a family member living in their home has received a positive COVID test.
A recent press release quotes Dr. Marko Vujicic, chief economist and vice president of the ADA Health Policy Institute, as stating, “the profession has taken this issue extremely seriously, and it shows. We will continue to track the rate of COVID-19 among dentists and other facets of the pandemic affecting dentistry so it can help inform the dental profession and other industries as well.”
Despite assumptions stated earlier in the pandemic that dental practices were some of the highest risk groups of contracting and spreading the coronavirus due to the nature of their business, this study reveals that it’s actually safe to visit the dentist during COVID. Perhaps the infectious control protocols that have long since been in place in dental practices is what’s kept COVID infection rates so low for dentists.
Family Dentists that are Open During COVID
If you’re searching for a family dentist in Greeneville that’s open during COVID or are wondering whether you should schedule an appointment right now, contact Tusculum Dental Care by calling (423) 639-7575. Our team continues to take the coronavirus pandemic seriously, which is why we continually enforce strict infectious control protocols among our office and staff. We are here to help you with your dental care needs while keeping you safe!