Is it still safe to come to my appointment?
Yes, if you are not exhibiting symptoms and have not traveled outside of the country within the past two weeks then it is still safe to come to your appointment. Dental offices, and our office in particular, are among the most strictly cleaned and sanitary settings for getting care. In addition to the regular preventions taken by our team wearing clinical face masks and sanitizing every surface multiple times a day, we are being extra cautious to take those same precautions across our entire office even more regularly than usual, including the waiting room, door knobs, etc. If you are nervous to come into the office you can always reschedule, but unless you are in the general population most at risk for complications (Over the age of 60 or have an underlying health condition) you should not be nervous about coming to the dentist or fear that you would need to reschedule your appointment.
The longer patients wait to take care of regular or critical dental hygiene or procedures the more at risk they are for developing cavities or further complications like pain or the requiring of a root canal. It's important to visit the dentist even in light of these developments if you feel comfortable to do so. Rest assured, we are taking every precaution necessary to keep our team and patients safe, and are constantly monitoring the situation for developments as things evolve, and will take necessary actions if needed to adjust for everyone's safety. At this time, we are recommending patients continue to visit as normal.
What is coronavirus?
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, some causing respiratory illness in people and others circulating among animals. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can evolve and infect people and then spread between people. Previous coronavirus outbreaks have included Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). COVID-19 is the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.Although we have a lot to learn about this virus, it appears to spread like other respiratory viruses — by people with the infection coughing and sneezing. These droplets are inhaled by other people or moved to the eyes, nose or mouth by contaminated hands.
What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
Symptoms of COVID-19 are flu-like and include fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath. Most people develop only mild symptoms. But some people, usually those with other medical complications, may develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia.
I have a scheduled appointment. What should I do?
If you currently feel sick,
please reschedule your dental appointment and call your physician. This is especially true if you have a fever, cough, sneezing, or shortness of breath. The same thing applies if you have had any of these symptoms in the last 48 hours.Please also reschedule your appointment if, in the past two weeks, you have either been in close contact with someone who is infected with COVID-19, or have returned to the United States from an area affected by the coronavirus disease. Right now this list includes China, Iran, Italy, Japan, and South Korea. However, the list of countries continues to change, so it’s a good idea to check this
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for updates on the affected countries.
