It seems like all anyone can talk about at this point. Whether you believe this whole thing is being overblown or you’re stockpiling hand sanitizer, COVID-19, also called the coronavirus, is on everyone’s mind. Sporting events are being cancelled, people are backing out of their vacation plans, and organizers even pulled the plug on South by Southwest in Austin. So, it begs the question: is it still safe to stick to our normal routines like getting a dental cleaning? In short, the answer (for now) is yes!

The Dental Office Is A Very Clean Environment

Here at Lake Baldwin Dental, we always follow universal precautions for every patient, every day, no exceptions. A quick outline of our cleaning procedures runs as follows:

• Our instruments are thoroughly sterilized. Every instrument we use is washed in an ultrasonic bath, then dried with heat, then wrapped, then run through an autoclave. This procedure ensures that no debris and not a single viral cell or spore can survive our cleaning procedure.
• Our instruments are kept wrapped until we set up your room. This ensures that airborne microbes cannot settle on our instruments while they wait to be used.
• We use disposable equipment wherever possible. While we are loathe to create excess waste, microbes can collect inside some equipment like the tip on the water sprayer, even if it is autoclaved. So we opt for disposable options wherever possible to eliminate potential vectors.
• We cover all possible surfaces. Waterproof barriers are used on every possible surface in all of our rooms. That’s why we have a plastic bag over your chair, for example. This eliminates most possibilities for microbes to even touch surfaces in our office.
• Our rooms are thoroughly sanitized between each patient. Even those areas with barriers are stripped and sanitized. We use the strongest possible disinfectant cleaners on all surfaces between each patient. We use two disinfectant wipes—one to remove debris, and the other to apply more clean disinfectant after that—and also spray all surfaces to ensure complete coverage. Then we let our cleaning products sit for the required kill time before resetting the room.

Some patients accuse us of being a little germaphobic in this office. And honestly, we’re okay with that! We even wipe down the containers where our disinfectant wipes are stored. Call us paranoid, but we don’t want to risk picking up any germs either, and protecting our patients by keeping all surfaces as sterile as possible is our number one goal. This is just how we practice, all day, every day.

Your Dental Team is Clean

                While many Americans appear to just now be learning proper handwashing technique, we are just glad that the rest of the world is finally catching up! Twenty to thirty seconds of continuous scrubbing with hot water and strong soap is just how we roll. We may not be able to maintain a manicure for more than a day and our skin is usually drier than the Serengeti, but it’s worth it. We use personal protective equipment and masks that adhere to the ASTM safety standards.

Dr. Dunn’s philosophy has always been to ask sick employees to stay home. Even when it is not flu season and there is no global outbreak going on, our team members will always do our best to take on a little extra work so that sickies can stay home. It may not be true altruism (“I don’t want that! You stay away from here!”), but at the end of the day we fully accept that we are responsible for eliminating any potential exposure to illness for our patients. It is a responsibility we take very seriously.

Likewise, we are currently following all recommendations from the CDC for self-quarantine for employees who are travelling abroad. We have had to make adjustments to our plans already, but it’s worth it to keep our team and our patients safe.

You Can Help

While we always do everything we can to mitigate contagion risks in our office, there is one factor we cannot fully control: you. Like we discussed in this previous post, we know how much you hate to cancel an appointment. However, we ask that you please follow the guidelines we have received for when to stay home:

• If you are sick with a fever, cough, sore throat, muscle pain, or GI symptoms.
  • Including if you have had any of those symptoms within the past two weeks
• If you have had any foreign travel within the past thirty days, especially to “hot spots.” This list will change quickly. For now, it includes:
  • China, Hong Kong, or Macau
  • South Korea
  • Italy
  • Iran
  • Japan
• This includes airports and flight connections through those countries!
• If you have been on a cruise within the past two weeks.

Please do follow the recommendations for frequent hand washing, social distancing, and good hygiene for containing your coughs and sneezes to do your part in limiting the spread of not only COVID-19, but also just…. You know… all the other things that are flying around out there. It’s just good general habits.

We are here, running a clean and safe practice for you and we can comfortably reassure you that it is definitely still safe to get your teeth cleaned and come in for your scheduled dental work. However, if you are concerned or have any questions, please do call our office! Keep smiling and keep washing your hands, Orlando!