GUELPH -- Dental offices in Ontario were allowed to begin reopening at the end of May, but Jain Dental Care in Guelph held off.
"As dental offices, we’ve always had the strictest infection prevention protocols to begin with, but we have to remember we’re in a pandemic right now,” said Dr. Maneesh Jain, the owner of Jain Dental Care.
“There’s new rules we need to follow to ensure the protection and safety of our patients, as well as our dental team,” he added.
Their office waited until mid-July to open back up.
Jain staff said it’s because they wanted to go above and beyond the recommended guidelines set by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario, in order to ensure safety for both patients and staff.
There are many new measures in place.
Staff are screened daily, while patients are screened three different times.
“They’re screened when they book their appointment, when they confirm it, and when they arrive,” said Alana Dunton, who is a dental hygienist at the facility.
They have also installed physical barriers at key contact points to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Air purifiers are running in both operatories and hallways. They work to filtrate and disinfect.
“The biggest risk is when we do an aerosol generated procedure,” said Dr. Jain. “We want to minimize the amount of splatter and the droplet spread."
You’ll notice the dental team wearing additional PPE during your appointment, too.
“We are wearing full gowns, we're wearing eye protections, N95 fitted face masks, face shields, obviously our gloves as well,” said Dunton.
“There’s a worldwide shortage of PPE,” said Dr. Jain. “It’s hard to find it, and whatever we do find is at an elevated price right now.”
While business is more expensive, Dr. Jain said it’s worth it to keep his patients and staff safe.
“We have received a lot of positive feedback,” he said.
“I’m feeling very safe,” said Christine Pearson, who is back for her first visit since the pandemic. “I’ve been with Dr. Jain’s company and his staff for a long time now."
“It has a sense of comfort, I know I’m going to be alright here because they take lots of precautions.”
