Blog

For nearly two months, Conroe and The Woodlands dentist’s offices were closed to help flatten the curve of Coronavirus in Texas. Now that dentists are re-opening their practices, some people are wondering, “is it safe to see my dentist during a pandemic?”

Not only is it safe, the dentist’s office is probably one of the safest places you can be right now. Compared to other social interactions like trips to the grocery store, our dental clinic is optimized for social distancing, disinfection, and prevention of viral spread.

The added safety measures that we’ve incorporated go above and beyond what health experts recommend. Each aspect of our infection control protocols is intended to treat our patients in a way that’s the same level of safety we would want for our own family members.

Room Disinfection Between Guests

Hospital-grade sanitizing products have always been a standard at our Conroe/Woodlands dentist’s offices. And as usual, equipment is properly autoclaved and disinfected.

But now we’re taking things to the next level, by removing items such as magazines from our waiting areas and clinical rooms. And items such as chairs, counters, and doorknobs are routinely disinfected between guests. We want to take every step possible to ensure that our clinic is a clean, sanitary environment.

Added Screening Protocols

Before your appointment, we’ll be in touch to discuss any risk factors, flu-like symptoms, recent travel, if you’ve had a fever, or been around anyone with COVID-19 like symptoms.

And then at the time of your scheduled visit, we’ll re-screen you to ensure that you haven’t been ill or feverish. Every patient and each of our staff will have their temperatures taken for the overall safety of our patient population.

Enhanced PPE

As oral health professionals, we’ve always observed appropriate health, CDC, and OSHA standards to protect our patients. But to safely provide dental care during the age of COVID-19, we’ve taken extra precautions to reduce the risk of any transmission. For instance, you’ll notice our receptionists wearing surgical masks, and clinical staff using N95 masks as necessary (which filter out even the most microscopic of aerosols.)

Air Purification and Filtration

Since COVID-19 is easily spread via aerosols when people speak, cough, or sneeze (and can stay suspended for minutes to hours, depending on who you ask) one of the steps our Conroe dentist took to protect our patients and staff was to invest in advanced air filtration equipment. With hospital grade air purification set into place, we can remove pathogenic bacteria and aerosols that are inside of the different parts of our building. It’s similar to what hospitals use to prevent cross-contamination between patients.

Looking for a Dentist Office That’s Open?

Our doctors at PCE are currently providing comprehensive oral health treatments at our office in The Woodlands. So, if you need periodontal or cosmetic dentistry in Conroe or the surrounding areas, we encourage you to call! New patients are always welcome.