What Can You Expect from Your Dental Appointment During the Coronavirus Pandemic

We are open once again to give you that perfect smile! A lot of dental practices have started to open again. Fine Arts Dentistry in Matthews can now offer routine dental care to our patients as well as emergency dental care.

Like other businesses, dental offices have been hit hard by this COVID-19 pandemic, but now we can start seeing patients again for routine checkups and dental procedures. However, some protocols should be observed to ensure everyone’s safety.

For instance, patients need to go through a temperature check. There should be hand sanitizers readily available for everyone to use the minute they come in, and everyone needs to answer triage questions before they can undergo any dental procedure. These are the guidelines that have been set by the CDC to ensure people’s safety.

We know that things have been especially difficult for everyone, and we genuinely appreciate your support as we unite together against the deadly virus. We are committed to ensuring everyone’s health and safety while we continue to provide high-quality dental care.

Yes, you can visit our office now, but there are things that you need to know.

We’re Taking Precautions

Dental offices have been advised to use their clinical judgment when deciding whether or not a patient needs to undergo an in-office dental procedure. If a lack of treatment would cause irreversible damage, then appropriate treatment should be provided.

There are still procedures that we may have to put off until it is safe for everyone. We need to consider the prevalence of COVID-19 cases in the Matthews area, so we need to make sure that we have in place the right personal protective equipment (PPE), protocols, and procedures for every treatment.

We are also advised to minimize aerosol-creating procedures like drilling. Aerosols are particularly dangerous in medical settings because coronavirus can spread easily through aerosols.

We Screen Our Patients

We will ask to fill out paperwork before you could come in for a dental appointment. This is the new reality of dentistry, and this will likely stick around until after this pandemic is over.

We will ask about your symptoms and determine if you have been exposed to the coronavirus. We will prepare health-related triage questions for screening patients like these below: 

• Have you contracted COVID-19 in the past?
• Have you traveled internationally or have recently returned from a place with confirmed coronavirus cases?
• Have you had any contact with a confirmed coronavirus-positive individual?
• Do you exhibit any symptoms of coronavirus, i.e., cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, coryza, anosmia, and aquesia?

We expect our patients to be honest in answering these questions. If you answer YES to any of these questions, we will try to help you through your dental concern without needing to come to our office.

What You Should Expect

Should you get an in-office appointment, please observe certain protocols like washing your hands once you are in the clinical area, wearing a mask, and observing social distancing while in our office. 

You may also have to wait in your cars while you wait for your appointment. Please do not bring anyone along. We advised that you arrive for your appointment at the scheduled time and not before, and call us when you arrive so we can get you from your car.

If you must bring someone with you, they may have to go through our safety protocols as well.

Fine Arts Dentistry in Matthews is likewise adhering to strict safety standards as well. We have precautions in place to ensure your safety. We also observe safety protocols. We have enhanced our office and equipment cleaning procedures and frequency. 

We sterilize everything! We have also increased our usage of PPE in our office to ensure our staff and our client’s safety. Patients are screened before they come in, and we have staggered appointments to limit the number of clients.

We understand that you are scared. We are too, so we have made sure that we have set up protocols to minimize or altogether eliminate the risks that you will contract this disease from our office. Your safety and dental health is our number one priority.