To all the friends and family of eastboyntondental.com:
There is a “light at the end of the tunnel”. This past year it felt like we were moving through a tunnel, which we entered around March 2020. Our office cleared the Waiting Room of all objects that would normally be handled and touched to decrease exposure to the COVID-19 virus as well as possibly transfer it and spread it further. Our office always practiced “Universal Health Precautions”, but since March 2020 we have been even more rigorous in the application of the precautions.
We stayed open as the American Dental Association recommended and requested. The intent was to provide emergency dental care to patients in need of such care so they would not end up at our hospital emergency rooms commingling with COVID-19 patients.
We washed our hands (while singing “Happy Birthday” to ourselves, which lasted in the recommended 20 second hand washing), we gloved, and we donned gowns, face masks and face shields, to protect ourselves and our patients. We took temperatures and made ever effort to keep the waiting room free of waiting patients.
We tailored our care in such a way as to as to reduce the microbial exposure, both bacterial and viral, being aerosolized in the office with special mouth rinses and refraining from using equipment creating a water spray that would aerosolize saliva.
Many of our patients have asked about my beloved Cocker Spaniel, Derby, who was a fixture in the office prior to the Pandemic. Our “vet” shared with us that Derby, should not spend time in the office, not because she as an animal would be exposed to COVID-19, but rather she would serve as a vector for spreading the virus.
Now a year later we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel”. The entire staff, as well as myself, have gotten vaccinated; some the Pfizer Vaccine and some the Moderna Vaccine. Many of our senior patients have also gotten vaccinated, and our younger patients are reporting that they are getting the vaccination as well.
Sadly, I have to report that we did lose some of our older - more vulnerable patients to COVID-19. We also have patients that were hospitalized for at least a month, but recovered and are doing well at this time. In a couple of instances we had a couple of "close calls" with patients that unknowingly exposed us, but with negative test results in hand all turned out well.
We do hope to see all of you real soon at the other end of the tunnel in the bright light.
- Dr. Indictor
