Getting your teeth cleaned is going to look different next time you make a dental appointment. Dentists reopening in Ontario have new rules to adhere to in order to maintain a safe environment for both workers and patients. Some protocols will even include installing floor-to-ceiling walls as barriers and wearing facemasks. Last week, the Ontario government announced that … Read more
After nearly two months at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Erica Schoenradt was making plans in May to see her dentist for a checkup. Then she got a notice from Swish Dental that the cost of her next visit would include a new $20 “infection control fee” that likely would not be covered by … Read more
The American Dental Association (ADA) welcomes the release of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s recently updated Guidance for Dental Settings, noting it is very similar to science-based guidance issued a month ago by the ADA. Both guidances describe how dental professionals, building upon existing infection control measures, can help protect patients … Read more
As dental practices start to open up to treat patients during the COVIC 19 pandemic, the various regulatory bodies have provided rules and guidelines for oral health care. The focus is on eliminating and or reducing aerosols during dental procedures. Dental x-rays have been identified as a procedure that creates aerosols due to increased saliva … Read more
The Chief Medical Officer of Health issued a new Directive #2 on May 26. As a result, dentists are now permitted to provide in-person care for all deferred, non-essential, and elective services, in addition to emergency and urgent care. The College has revised its Guidance on managing infection risks during in-person dental care. That document is available on our … Read more
Reopening Canada’s economy means many businesses will finally be able to bring in some much-needed cash flow. But for dentists in Ontario, reopening their clinics means fulfilling a long list of expensive safety requirements that could be challenging to meet. Toronto-based dentist Dr. Robert Cappell has already spent tens of thousands of dollars retrofitting his … Read more
Pediatric dentist Dr. Jessica Meeske and her family were on their way to a basketball tournament when she found out about her state’s stay-at-home order that would force her to close her thriving practice on March 17. “My daughter was a college senior at Hastings College and they were having the season of their life,” … Read more
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, dentists in Ontario have only been permitted to treat emergencies. Even a gnawing toothache wouldn’t get you in, unless the pain was uncontrollable with over-the-counter drugs. But restrictions are starting to lift, and dentists are now wrestling with how to reopen safely for “essential care” as defined by the … Read more
The Manitoba Dental Association has announced the expansion of available dental services beginning June 1 as part of the provinces Phase 2 plan. Dr. Marc Mallot, president of the Manitoba Dental Association, said in a press conference Wednesday that the association has been working closely with the province to safely lay out plans for full-service … Read more
Dentists, optometrists and massage therapists are part of a list of health-care providers that the Ontario government says can gradually reopen following a months-long shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chiropractors, physiotherapists, psychologists, dieticians, denturists, and midwives are also included on the list released Wednesday as part of a new order from the province’s chief … Read more
As we review what we have learned from other countries and other provinces, it is quite apparent that dental offices will be allowed to open before Covid-19 is eliminated as a risk to patients and health care workers. Reopening our offices will likely be subject to several new requirements that public health agencies will have … Read more
To see the Provincial/Territorial government and regulatory guidelines for the re-opening/reintroduction of non-emergency oral health care, please click here. The chart lists the guidelines for Dentistry, Dental Hygiene, Denturists, Dental Therapists and Dental Assistants. To view more COVID-19 news as it pertains to the dental profession, please click here.
Dentists returning to work during the COVID-19 pandemic may be thinking about purchasing items to help sanitize or reduce dental aerosols, but many products currently lack research demonstrating they are effective. For instance, information is limited on how best to manage air flow in dental settings to mitigate risk. “All we can say is that … Read more
Dentists are calling on the Trump administration to provide them with coronavirus tests before reopening, arguing that conditions in dental offices make patients and staff more susceptible to exposure. The American Dental Association (ADA), which has more than 163,000 members, wants the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to supply testing kits to dentists … Read more
Dalhousie University’s dean of dentistry expects dental clinics and offices to be able to reopen sometime next week for urgent and emergency cases, with routine dental care in Nova Scotia resuming several weeks after that. A public health order shut down dental offices in the province in March — other than eight sites for emergency care — … Read more
As more businesses reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic, dental practices are considering enhanced measures to clean their facilities and equipment, as well as protect their patients and staff. One of these tactics involves the use of ultraviolet light to sanitize the air, surfaces and equipment in dental offices. Disinfecting with UV light products is widely used in … Read more
At Barry Dolman’s Côte-des-Neiges dental clinic, contractors are working around the clock putting in glass doors to seal off his two examination rooms and installing a new ventilation system that will vacuum the air from around patients’ mouths and pump it outside. Many dentists who have open-concept operatory layouts are resorting to using plastic tarps … Read more
As dental offices start to reopen across the country, the guidelines vary from province to province but the concerns remain the same: having the right protocols and enough protective gear to safely see patients, and seeing enough of them so they can keep the office running. “It is going to be a little slower,” said Dr. … Read more
In emails blasted to their patients, America’s dentists are announcing their return from the coronavirus lockdown. “WE ARE OPEN,” was the all-caps heading for one email from a dentist in Miami. “We are beyond ready to get back to work and see everyone that we have missed so much!” said another, from a dentist in Washington, D.C. … Read more
AMD Medicom Inc. (“Medicom”), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of surgical and respiratory masks, confirms a long-term agreement with the Canadian Government to produce 20 million N95 respirator masks and 24 million surgical masks per year for the next 10 years, starting this summer. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of securing local production of personal … Read more