Is It Safe To Visit The Dentist During COVID-19?

At Carmel Mountain Dental Care, your health and safety are our priority. Not sure if it’s safe for you and your family to see the dentist during COVID-19? In this post, we’ll show you a few of the precautions that our doctors are taking to ensure that you can stay safe while you get the dental care you need in Rancho Peñasquitos, 4S Ranch, Del Sur, and the surrounding areas of San Diego. 

Social Distancing & Patient Check-Ins At Our Office

We have reconfigured our waiting area to ensure proper distance between each patient. In addition, we are providing all patients with a screening questionnaire that must be filled out before your appointment, which will ask about your exposure to COVID-19, whether you’ve experienced any symptoms, or if you’ve traveled in a high-risk area within the last 14 days. 

We are also performing temperature checks on all patients and staff using an infrared thermometer. If your reading is high, you may be asked to reschedule your appointment.

PPE For All Dental Team Members 

All of our staff members are wearing masks to reduce the risk of virus transmission, and we ask that you wear a face covering to your appointment at Carmel Mountain Dental Care, if possible.

In addition, our dental team members are wearing additional PPE like N95 masks, face shields, and even gowns, shoe coverings, and hair coverings when recommended. All used PPE is left in the operatory where it was used for disposal or reprocessing, minimizing the risk of contamination at our office.

Proper Hand Washing & Respiratory Etiquette

We always wash our hands before and after treating patients, whenever we put on or remove gloves, and after touching any surface or object that may have been contaminated. Proper handwashing has been shown as a highly effective method of eliminating COVID-19 spread.

In addition, we’re taking steps to improve respiratory etiquette, like coughing and sneezing into the elbow, disposing of used tissues, and washing the hands after contact with any respiratory secretions. 

Cleaning & Disinfecting Patient Operatories 

We have always followed all applicable ADA, OSHA, and CDC guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting our operatories after patient treatment. This includes the disposal or proper sterilization of used PPE and dental equipment, wiping down hard surfaces, replacing barriers on hard-to-clean surfaces, and more. We are taking every possible precaution to prevent potential cross-contamination between patients at our office. 

Increased Cleaning Of Commonly-Touched Surfaces

We have begun cleaning commonly-touched surfaces like counters, chairs, tables, doorknobs, and bathrooms with EPA-registered disinfectants multiple times per day, which further reduces the risk of spreading COVID-19 or any other harmful viruses and bacteria. 

You Can Get The Dental Care You Need In San Diego From Carmel Mountain Dental Care! 

The doctors and staff at Carmel Mountain Dental Care are dedicated to your safety. So don’t wait. If you’re overdue for a cleaning in San Diego, come to our office right away At our office, you can get the expert dental care you need in a safe, clean, and sanitized environment. Contact us online or call us at (858) 484-4880 to get started.