Dear Patients,
We sincerely hope you, your friends, and your family are healthy and safe during these stressful times. We wanted to address a couple of items that have been in the news lately.
You may have read or heard about the World Health Organization’s (WHO) statement to delay “routine” dental care and are wondering if it is safe to visit us. We are aligned with the American Dental Association (ADA) who respectfully yet strongly disagrees. Like the ADA, we also believe that dentistry is essential healthcare because of its role in evaluating, diagnosing, preventing, and treating oral diseases, which can affect overall health.
We follow all guidelines put forth by the ADA and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) related to COVID-19. The ADA guidance calls for the highest levels of PPE, the use of Isolite/rubber dams during treatment, high quality suction, as well as minimizing the use of ultrasonic scaling and polishing during hygiene visits. In addition to our already effective aerosol mitigation, we have invested in extraoral vacuums that sit about 12 inches from the patients mouth and provide a high powered filtration to further decrease aerosols. The safety of our patients and our team is of utmost importance.
You may have also read about “mask mouth”. This was an observation of two dentists in New York City. We feel there can be many different reasons for an increase in decay and gum disease that do not relate to wearing a mask. Changes in diet, higher frequency of alcohol use (due to stressful times), oral hygiene habits, medications, and delaying preventative care are among just a few factors that can affect oral health. We have been wearing masks daily for years and have cared for many healthcare workers who have done the same. We have seen no noticeable difference in their oral health than the general public. Please wear a mask when unable to physically distance.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. We are here for you. Stay well.
Sincerely,
Dr. Brian, Dr. Jenney, and the rest of your team at Three Sixty Dentistry
