6 Ways Your Dentist Prepares for Your Visit in COVID-19

Have you developed a cavity from mindless snacking or chipped a tooth from anxiously chewing on your fingernails during quarantine? There are a variety of reasons you may be searching for a “dentist near me” when social distancing orders are lifted. To keep you safe from the coronavirus while providing the dental treatment you need, a lot goes into getting ready for your visit. Here’s how your Mt. Dora dentist and their dental team prepare for your appointment during COVID-19.

1.) Designated Safety Champion

A team member is designated as Safety Champion every day. They are tasked with monitoring the practice’s Commitment to Safety and ensuring that all additional precautions are being followed.

2.) Daily Health Checks for Team Members

To reaffirm that they are ready and prepared to keep their patients healthy while administering care, every team member’s day at the office starts with:

• A no-touch temperature check.
• A quick health questionnaire.
• 20-30 seconds of handwashing.

3.) Change Work Clothes at Work

Since COVID-19 can survive on some surfaces for hours or days at a time, your dental team now only changes into and out of their newly-cleaned scrubs in the office. This plays a big role in preventing the spread of germs within the practice.

4.) New Personal Protective Equipment

To keep you and themselves safe, your dentist and their team may look a little different than the last time you saw them! You may see that they’ve added several items to their work wardrobe, including:

• Protective masks at the front desks.
• N95 and ASTM level three masks.
• Face shields for certain treatments.

5.) Enhanced Personal Hygiene Standards

Your dental team constantly washes their hands throughout the day. To make sure they are thoroughly cleaning their hands, team members are required to maintain short fingernails and may not wear rings, watches, or other hand jewelry.  

6.) Changes to the Reception Area

When you arrive for your appointment, you’ll notice that there have been several changes made to the reception area as well. To encourage social distancing and limit frequently touched surfaces, you’ll see:

• Fewer available chairs.
• No magazines, toys, or other activities.
• New hospital-grade hand sanitizing stations.

COVID-19 has changed how your dental team prepares for your appointment, but it hasn’t changed their commitment to your overall health. If you need to visit them for dental care after weeks in quarantine, you can rest assured that they are fully prepared to keep you and your smile as safe as possible.

About the Practice

At Lacquaniti Dental in Mt. Dora, FL, we strongly believe in patient-led dentistry to ensure you are always comfortable and confident on your journey towards your ideal smile. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to prioritize the best interests of our patients by closely monitoring the pandemic and adjusting our safety procedures accordingly. We have always met the ambitious sanitation standards of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and have recently established 20 additional steps to our infection control protocols. If you have any questions about our Commitment to Safety, feel free to contact us via our website or at (352) 383-8121.