Per Governor Inslee’s orders, all dentists and orthodontists will go back to work starting May 18th. You might be wondering what that means and if it is safe for you to go see an orthodontist after this pandemic.
As a matter of fact, NOW IS THE BEST TIME TO START YOUR ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT. You wonder why? You will have to wear masks for at least a few months! You might as well have some construction going on underneath!
Dental offices are some of the cleanest places you will find, either before or after COVID-19. I have summarized some of the sterilization and disinfection protocols that are either routinely done at iSmile Orthodontics in Redmond or are added after the pandemic:
- All the instruments that are used in patient’s mouth are sterilized. Sterilization is a process of cleaning instruments that leaves no virus, bacteria or fungus behind. It does not get any cleaner than that!
- All surfaces are wiped with disinfecting material several times during the day. The disinfecting material that is used in dental offices are different than what is used at home and provides a higher level of disinfection.
- All staff will be wearing masks, gowns, and face shields. That is not only to protect you, but to protect our staff too.
- All staff are monitored daily to make sure they are not showing any symptoms of COVID-19.
- All of our patients are asked to check in while they are in their car. Basically, you car will be your waiting room. This is done to make sure the waiting room is not over-crowded.
- Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. Upon arrival at the office, you will be asked those same questions again. Then, one of our staff will proceed to measure your body temperature using a no-contact thermometer.
- We added medical grade air purifier, Sneeze guards and hand sanitizers in our waiting area to ensure maximum safety. We have also modified our waiting room layout to allow social distancing. You may notice that our waiting room no longer offers magazines, children’s toys and refreshments, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
- Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
Overall, there is no need to be scared of going to an orthodontist. The procedures that are done at our office in Redmond, rarely create aerosols. Aerosol are little particles that can help spread the virus. iSmile Orthodontics in Redmond closely follows the guidelines by CDC and OSHA! Rest assured, you are in good hands!