If you've been putting off a trip to the dentist, you are now out of excuses, as dentists’ offices can now fully reopen across the Capital Region.

"We're basically doing everything we've done before and we've practiced universal precautions. We wear PPE, gloves, masks, glasses, gowns," said Dr. Charles Strumfeld, who owns his own practice in Cohoes.

 


What You Need To Know


  • Dentistry practices can now fully reopen across the Capital Region

  • Following state and federal guidelines, you'll need to wear a mask, socially distance and likely will receive a health screening when you arrive

  • Your dentist and hygienist will likely wear additional PPE, and there may be new procedures and sanitization equipment

 

Strumfeld and his staff are now wearing higher grade masks, changing gowns after each patient, and wearing face shields. Patients get a health screen and temperature check as they arrive, and once they make it into a procedure room, and the mask comes off.

"They do a 30-second vigorous rinse with hydrogen peroxide," Strumfeld said. "If they have the virus, that will kill greater than 90 percent of the virus."

So your dentist may skip the minty-fresh mouthwash for a while. Dr. Strumfeld says while that's a start, the Centers for Disease Control’s main concern is coronavirus spread through the air.

"The biggest concern in dentistry is we use water and create aerosols, so we control the aerosols. We have high-speed, high-velocity evacuation in all our operatories, so that those water sprays are all suctioned up," Strumfeld said.

Dr. Strumfeld has also installed BlueAir air purifiers, which haven't been tested for removal of COVID-19 yet, but are a top pick by multiple consumer agencies. They clean the air every 12 minutes, and he says it's just an extra precaution they can take.

"We've revamped this waiting room. We've made it so the seating is socially distanced; we put up Plexiglass at the front desk. We're staggering the patients, the scheduling … so we have less people in the building at one time," Strumfeld said. "We are doing all these things to keep us safe and to keep our patients safe."

Dr. Strumfeld knows the dentist isn't everyone's favorite appointment, but he doesn't want a pandemic getting in the way of your oral health. He's been through this before, taking nearly identical steps during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s.

"We assume by doing universal protections that anybody can have anything. Now we've just notched it up," Strumfeld said. "Waiting to have care is worse because of all the detrimental things that can happen by not coming, so it really is a benefit."

Practices may vary from office to office, so you'll want to check with your dentist before your appointment to find out what's expected from patients.