The American Dental Association association has recommended that the nation's 200,000 dentists close up shop during the coronavirus pandemic, but what are you supposed to do if you have a dental emergency? There's now an entire health and safety protocol both patients and dentists must go through.
"We can't let these patients suffer or have pain and not be seen," said dentist Manu Kacker. He's been strictly following the protocols in the event a patient needs to be seen.
One patient in California, Stephen Pizzo, recently experienced it after having a dental emergency himself. "I was eating popcorn with my family watching a movie and I bit into a kernel of popcorn and it broke a crown that I've had for a while," Pizzo told Inside Edition.
Pizzo found that there were no more waiting rooms at his dentist's office, so he waited in his car for his turn to be seen. Once inside, Pizzo is required to sanitize his hands. Then his temperature is taken. Finally, he rinses with a strong antiseptic for one minute to sanitize the inside of his mouth.
Kacker also has his own routine. He wears a surgical mask underneath a plastic splash shield, which protects him from the spray of fluids that are inevitable during the procedure.
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