Many businesses in your area have started reopening recently. As you’ve been perusing them while wearing your mask and staying at least six feet away from other customers, you’ve noticed that many of these businesses have plastic guards installed near the register or front desk. While this might seem like an odd design choice, it actually serves a purpose: it drastically reduces the chances of workers or customers contracting COVID-19. Along with several other precautionary measures, your dentist in Denton is placing these plastic barriers in their office to keep their staff and patients from being exposed to the virus. Keep reading to learn how these guards prevent infection.
How Do Plastic Guards Prevent COVID-19 from Spreading?
COVID-19 has an incubation period of 2-14 days. This means that for up to two weeks, you could be carrying the virus and unknowingly transmitting it to others without even displaying symptoms. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus primarily spreads through respiratory droplets that are produced when an infected person sneezes, coughs, or talks. When these droplets enter someone else’s body, that person then becomes infected. There is even recent evidence to suggest that these droplets can travel more than six feet, so it’s imperative that you remain cautious.
Because the coronavirus travels through the air in tiny droplets, having extra layers between people can keep it from spreading and infecting others. In fact, this is the reason why the CDC has recommended wearing a face mask in public. It’s also why places like your dentist’s office have installed plastic guards. These barriers are cleaned daily with a hospital-grade disinfectant to kill germs.
How Else Is Your Dentist Keeping You Safe from COVID-19?
In addition to placing plastic guards, your dentist is taking the following precautions to keep you safe:
Patient Pre-Screening
Before your appointment, a member of your dentist’s staff will ask you a few quick questions regarding your current health and take your temperature with a non-contact thermometer. This ensures you don’t have any COVID-19 symptoms.
Social Distancing
There are fewer chairs in the waiting room, allowing for more space between patients. Furthermore, helpful signs and one-way traffic make social distancing possible in the office.
Sequenced Patient Scheduling
Your dentist isn’t seeing quite as many patients as they used to. This allows for not only more dentistry to be performed in one sitting, but also for plenty of time between patients for the office to be disinfected.
Additional Personal Protective Equipment
Your dentist and their clinical team are wearing more protective gear to create extra layers between themselves and you. This equipment includes face shields, surgical gowns, and different face masks.
Although plastic guards may seem a little weird at first, keep in mind that they are there to protect you, and that your dental team is doing everything they can to keep you safe.
About the Author
Dr. Ted Dunson II is a dentist in Denton, TX who earned his dental doctorate at Baylor College of Dentistry and then opened his private practice in 1999. Through his memberships in the American Dental Association, the Texas Dental Association, and the Denton County Dental Society, he stays up to date on the latest techniques and technologies in dentistry. His practice has implemented several safety precautions to prevent infection in his office. To learn more about these protocols, visit Dr. Dunson’s website or call (940) 566-4942.