Some dental offices in North Carolina are starting to reopen.
The CDC and the American Dental Association recommend that patients wait in their cars and are asked about travel history and possible COVID-19 symptoms before going in for their appointments. Dental staff are encouraged to wear more personal protective equipment, including disposable gowns and face shields.
Doctor Meenal Patel, a district president for the NC Dental Society, is following those guidelines in her practice.She opened her office in Cary earlier this week mostly for urgent appointments.
“If we are taking the right precautions, we are sending the right message, to our clients and our patients and the community, patients are feeling really good on our end for coming in,” she said.
Patel said her office is also staggering appointments to leave more time in between patients. Her practice is only seeing 10 to 15 patients a day instead of what was previously the typical 30 to 40.
“And we're really spacing them out. We're making sure that the patients are comfortable before they come in,” she said. “They can pay on their phone through a link and anything and everything to keep everybody safe.”
