Keeping You Healthy: 3 Ways Your Dentist is Helping to Protect You from COVID-19

Your dentist does more than simply clean and restore teeth. They work hard to be a vital part of the community and to treat their patients like friends and family. During the pandemic, their number one priority is keeping your safe while optimizing your oral health. To do this, they have put many new systems in place to take their sterilization and infection control standards to the next level. Read on to learn about 3 ways that your dentist in Valparaiso is protecting their community. If you have any questions, call Creating Smiles, PC at (219) 462-1970.

1. Daily Health Screenings

It’s very important to make sure that the dental team can safely treat patients without the risk of accidentally spreading the virus. Every day, each team member receives a no-touch temperature check as well as a questionnaire to test for the likelihood of coronavirus exposure. Patients receive this same screening before their appointments to keep everyone safe.

2. Revised Scheduling & Waiting Procedures

Social distancing is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of the virus. Dental practices understand this and have started to stagger their appointments to keep the minimal amount of people in the office at any given time. Appointments are also longer to increase the amount of dentistry that can be done, keeping you from having to schedule multiple appointments.

Waiting practices have also been changed to help maintain social distance. Many practices have made it easy to check-in and wait from your car. Others are placing chairs six feet apart in the waiting area and putting up clear barriers throughout the office.   

3. Stricter Safety Protocols

Dental offices have always had very high safety standards and practices that are being stepped up in response to COVID-19. In addition to their usual protective equipment, they are now using things like face shields, surgical gowns, goggles, and shoe coverings as added layers of protection for both themselves and their patients. Each operatory receives a thorough cleaning after each appointment, dental instruments undergo a dynamic sterilization process, and the office receives a deep cleaning every night.

These three things are just a small example of the many ways in which dental practices are responding to the pandemic. The next time you’re in the dental chair, you can be sure that you are completely safe.

About the Author

Dr. Scott Kapers wants each of his patients to have excellent oral health and a beautiful smile. He has spent nearly thirty years learning everything that he can about dentistry to give his patients the best care possible. Since graduating from dental school at Indiana University, he has completed more than 100 hours of advanced courses every year, helping him to stay on the leading edge of dentistry. If you would like to find out more about how Dr. Kapers and his team at Creating Smiles are keeping patients safe, call the office at (219) 462-1970.