{"id":245,"date":"2020-05-28T16:07:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-28T16:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prestonbenddental.com\/blog\/?p=245"},"modified":"2020-06-04T16:10:26","modified_gmt":"2020-06-04T16:10:26","slug":"dentist-in-plano-safety-precautions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prestonbenddental.com\/blog\/2020\/05\/28\/dentist-in-plano-safety-precautions\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Safety Protocols Being Taken By Your Dentist During COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Are you worried about visiting your dentist in Plano due to the threat of COVID-19? Fortunately, your dentist\u2019s office is one of the safest places you can visit at the moment because they\u2019re taking dozens of precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect patients and staff. If you\u2019re worried about scheduling a checkup and cleaning or getting the dental care you need, read on to learn more about five new precautions being made to prioritize your safety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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

Along with requiring patients to wear masks into the office,\ndentists and staff will also be wearing personal protective equipment to reduce\nthe risk of droplet spread. This includes mask, gloves, eye protection, and other\nprotective layers to ensure patient safety. Each of these will be changed out\nor sanitized between each patient\u2019s appointment as well. In addition, dental\nstaff will also receive additional training to be more conscious of face-touching,\ntouching surfaces, and hygiene practices to ensure that proper PPE is effective\nand safe for patients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frequent Sterilization & Disinfection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With frequent sterilization and disinfection between\npatients using CDC-approved methods and products, the dental staff is able to kill\nall germs and viruses that may have contaminated the area and prepare it for\nthe new patient. In addition to surfaces, your dental practice will also be\ncontinuing to use CDC-approved instrument sterilization methods to kill any viruses\nor bacteria lingering on these tools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spread-Out Patient Scheduling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In order to accommodate the additional sanitation protocols,\nyour dentist is seeing fewer patients throughout the day and spreading out appointments.\nThis also limits the amount of traffic that goes through the office and helps\nminimize any patient-to-patient interaction and potential cross-contamination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patient Pre-Screenings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to thinning out appointment schedules, the front\ndesk assistant will also be pre-screening patients over the phone. That means\nthat when you call to schedule an appointment, you\u2019ll be asked a series of\nquestions to identify whether you or someone you\u2019ve had recent contact with has\nexperienced any of the most common symptoms of COVID-19. If so, you should\ncancel your appointment and reschedule it after waiting for at least two weeks.\nWhen you reach the office, your dentist will also take your no-touch\ntemperature as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regular & Frequent Hand Hygiene<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The CDC and WHO state that one of the best defenses against\nCOVID-19 is frequent and thorough hand hygiene. This includes a five-step\nprocess outlined below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n