Your Dentist Wears These 4 Items to Keep You Safe in COVID-19

COVID-19 is transmitted when infected respiratory droplets come in contact with a person’s mouth, nose, or eyes. To ensure that their practice is as clean as possible, dentists are increasing their already high standards of sanitation and infection control. In addition to advanced COVID-19 safety protocols, your dental team safeguards your health by wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). Read on to find out which four pieces of PPE your Love Field dentist uses to keep themselves and their patients safe when providing dental care in COVID-19.

Gloves

Hand hygiene is essential in a dentist’s line of work. Since their hands come in close contact with all their patients’ mouths, wearing disposable gloves plays a key part in keeping everyone involved healthy. Before treating a patient, your dentist washes their hands and puts on a brand-new pair of gloves. Gloves on their own do not protect against COVID-19, but they do act as a barrier between the wearer’s skin and infectious particles. After providing care, your dentist removes their gloves and disposes of them in a safe manner to prevent the spread of germs.

Masks

Masks are essential for protecting dental staff while performing aerosol-generating procedures. N95 respirators are the most widely recommended because of their ability to filter out many airborne and fluid germs. They’re also used to prevent the spread of any germs that the wearer may have. However, since the pandemic has left N95 respirators in short supply, your dentist may instead wear an N95 surgical mask. While these have a lower level of protection, they can be used in conjunction with a face shield to keep your dentist safe from infectious particles that are dispersed during treatment.

Face Shields

A face shield is a clear plastic visor that covers a majority of the wearers face. These are an effective second layer of defense your dentist can use with an N95 surgical mask in order to protect their mouths and nose from infected respiratory droplets. Additionally, face shields also protect the eyes, which can absorb the coronavirus as well. If a face shield is non-disposable, it is cleaned with hospital-strength disinfectants between patients.

Disposable Coats

Clean, disposable coats serve as an extra barrier between a dental professional and their patient. Similar to gloves, this piece of personal protective equipment only helps stop the spread of germs when it’s regularly replaced, especially between patients. Disposable coats are typically only used during treatments that are likely to generate splashing or spattering.

Dental practices have always been some of the cleanest environments in the country. If you need to visit your dentist for care after weeks in quarantine, you can feel confident that they’re doing everything they can to keep you and your smile healthy.

About the Practice

At Bear Creek Family Dentistry in Love Field, TX, all our doctors and staff complete many hours of continuing education every year in order to stay current with the latest in dental technology and techniques. This allows them to provide the safest, most comfortable, and most effective treatments with state-of-the-art machines and the highest-quality materials. Our dedication to the best dental equipment extends to our working wardrobe as well, so you can expect to see us utilizing all the above PPE and more at your next appointment. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us via our website or at (214) 350-5333.