The Dentist…during COVID

I'm not sure why I'm so surprised by my visit to the dentist's office yesterday. I knew I shouldn't have expected the same old same old protocol, but another part of me wasn't exactly sure what to expect. Blogging this today might just be a stark reminder for the future of what my generation has experienced in what history books will likely call "The COVID-19 Pandemic" or something to that effect. 

It began with the door. Signs taped all over the door. Red pages printed out and taped on the inside of the door saying DO NOT ENTER. Call ………… for your appointment. The usual waiting room was gone, the receptionist non-existent, and the comfy chairs that I always sit-in in the waiting room out of sight. I waited outside for my appointment after giving the number on the card a call. A couple of minutes later, my hygienist came out a side door and beckoned for me to enter. She was clad head to toe in a blue gown, the usual dentist's attire. What was different though, was her grey plastic gloves, plastic face shield, and what looks like 3 masks. 

The temperature checker beeps and I read 97.9. No fever. I made it past the first phase. Symptoms list. I answer no to all the questions from chest pain to difficulty breathing to fever over 100 degrees in the last week. Phew. Second stage check. Then she squirts the most liquidated hand sanitizer on my hands that I've ever tried. It runs down the side of my hand as my other hand reaches to catch it. "It's super runny," she says. "For higher alcohol content?" I ask. She nods her head in confirmation. When the hand sanitizer dries on my hands, she hands me thick blue plastic gloves in size small. It's only until then that we wind our way through the office and into the room. 

I don't see anyone as we're winding our way through the building. All the doors are closed. No one in the hallways. Feels like a ghost office almost. Just me and my hygienist. Even through my mask, I can smell alcohol, cleaning wipes. I can hear machines buzzing throughout the office, which my hygienist explains kills bacteria and viruses in air molecules. 

She flosses and cleans my teeth after I swoosh with a liquid that kills bacteria and viruses in the mouth. But she doesn't brush. "Creates an air vacuum," she explains. When I ask whether the retainer cleaning service is still offered, she says it also creates an air vacuum for germs. It's amazing what a pandemic can bring to light. Things we don't even question on a daily basis like what creates an air vacuum suddenly become the most important aspect. Sitting in a waiting room suddenly becomes a problem and wearing three layers of masks becomes a norm. 

I saw a total of two people in the dentist's office yesterday: my doctor and my hygienist. But what struck me on the drive back home was frankly how safe I felt. I did not feel like I would get the coronavirus on my trip to the dentist because of the strict protocols. And this is good for the economy. I believe consumer behavior and faith is such an important predictor of economic performance particularly in the upcoming months so if people can just feel safe in their environments, they'll be much more likely to undertake normal activities such as dental appointments. It's just odd that this is now what feels safe.