Why Your Next Dental Appointment May Feel Different

COVID-19 has caused many changes in the ways we live. Even the simplest of tasks now require extra time and consideration to complete safely. At your next appointment with your dentist in Rochester, you will discover that the entire treatment experience has been modified from start to finish with new procedures to better protect patients from the coronavirus. As a result, you may be asked to do some things you’ve never done before at your dentist’s office. In this article, you’ll learn about these changes and how they defend patients from germs.

Virtual Waiting Rooms

Your dentist is doing everything they can to limit the accumulation of viral particles inside their office. The chairs and reading materials inside the waiting room are perfect hiding spots for the virus. Dentists are now asking patients to wait in their cars until their scheduled appointment times so they don’t spread or make contact with harmful germs when they arrive.

No Patient Gloves

Everyone at the office appreciates the efforts you make to keep yourself safe when you go outside. However, the exterior surfaces of items like gloves and face masks do collect germs over time. To prevent them from moving into your dentist’s office, you will be asked to remove them prior to entering.

No Contact Greetings

When you step back inside your dentist’s office, you may get the urge to hug them. After all, it has probably been a while since you’ve seen them. While they share your enthusiasm, they will request you to not make direct contact with them. It keeps any germs on your clothes from sticking to their cleaned scrubs, which in turn reduces their risk of spreading a disease to other patients. Of course, you can still greet them with a friendly smile or wave from a safe distance.

Personal Disinfection Procedures

Before you step into the treatment room, you will be asked to complete two new germ fighting procedures. First, you will wash your hands in a hospital-grade hand sanitizing station. This prevents you from moving any germs on your hands to surfaces inside cleaned areas.

The second procedure will be rinsing your mouth with an antimicrobial solution. Dental care procedures have the power to push germ filled particles out of your mouth and into the air. The rinse clears them out before your treatment begins.

Your dentist is budgeting extra time for appointments so that you can follow all of their new procedures correctly. Their goal is to provide you with a clean, comfortable environment where you can feel confident in the care that you are receiving.

About the Author

Dr. Katherine Vollo earned her dental degree from the University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine. She and her dental team have added 24 new disease prevention protocols in their office to keep COVID-19 away from patients. If you would like to learn more about them, you can reach out to her through her website or at 585-225-9114.