{"id":14,"date":"2020-05-29T21:45:44","date_gmt":"2020-05-29T21:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sunnydentallancaster.com\/blog\/?p=14"},"modified":"2020-05-29T21:45:45","modified_gmt":"2020-05-29T21:45:45","slug":"dentist-in-lancaster-open-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sunnydentallancaster.com\/blog\/2020\/05\/29\/dentist-in-lancaster-open-now\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways Dentists Protect Their Patients as Practices Reopen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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After several months of quarantine and social distancing,\nyou may have noticed that some businesses are able to reopen. This includes dental\npractices, which provide elective services designed to help patients maintain their\noral health for the long-term, such as exams and cleanings. With that said, it\u2019s\nunderstandable if you\u2019re concerned about what dentists are doing to keep you\nsafe during the pandemic. Here are four of the most important steps, as\nexplained by a dentist\nin Lancaster.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Hand Hygiene and Management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dentists and all team members must wash their hands frequently\nwith soap and water, whether they are about to see a patient, after a patient\nhas left, or before and after donning protective gloves. They can also make use\nof hospital-grade hand sanitation stations throughout the office. However, if\nhands are visibly soiled or a team member believes there is any chance that\nthey were exposed to substances that can spread germs (i.e. blood, saliva or\nother bodily fluids), handwashing must be performed before alcohol-based hand\nrubs can be utilized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, dental practices will assign a specific team\nmember to the role of \u201csafety champion\u201d, who makes sure that all team members\nare practicing correct protocols in the office throughout the day. This\nincludes asking them to remove all jewelry or wristwatches during work hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enhanced Disinfection and Sanitization Protocols<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been standard practice for dental offices to regularly\ndisinfect and sterilize commonly-touched surfaces and basic dental utensils. However,\nthese efforts are taken up a notch in the time of COVID-19. For example, disinfection\nof surfaces is performed several times throughout the day, rather than at the\nend of the day. Furthermore, a deep cleaning is performed daily after the last\npatient has been seen. Any dental instruments that cannot be sterilized will be\ndisposed of properly and replaced daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social Distancing In and Outside the Practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While inside the practice, patients will be asked to remain\nsix feet apart from each other as well as other team members in order to reduce\nthe risk of disease transmission. During appointments, patients will also be\nasked to wait in their car until they are told it is safe to come in. This is\ndone either through a phone call or text message. Additionally, dentists will\nmake sure to stretch dental appointments further apart so that fewer patients\nare in the office at a time and they have more time to address their oral\nhealth concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional Personal Protective Equipment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dentists rely on four essential pieces of protective\nequipment during appointments. This includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n