A mid-pandemic visit to the dentist

by Robert Yang | June 24, 2020

I don’t think I know anyone who gets excited about visiting the dentist. But when the appointment is scheduled smack dab in the middle of a pandemic, there’s an added layer of anxiety.

Last year I made an appointment to get my teeth cleaned in May of this year. Two days prior to the date, the dental office called me to confirm my appointment. Once confirmed I was given detailed instructions to follow upon my arrival. Maybe you’ll have a similar experience when you visit your dentist.

I was instructed to email the office when I parked my vehicle right before the appointment. I could only exit my vehicle and take the elevator to the office once I had received an email saying the staff upstairs was ready to see me. When I got the email, I put on my face covering and headed to the office where I had to knock before entering, then loudly announce myself.

The door opened and my dental hygienist greeted me dressed from head-to-toe in personal protective equipment, or PPE. She quickly escorted me to the exam room, reminding me to keep my face covering on until the dental procedures begin. She took my temperature (a new procedure) and blood pressure. After signing a form, the cleaning began.

At that point I was able to remove my face covering. The hygienist reassured me that all the tools and equipment being used were sanitized after every patient. As the hygienist scraped away at my teeth, I noticed she had more tools than usual and was switching between them more frequently. Once a tool was switched out, it was never used again during the rest of the procedure. Afterward, my dentist came into the room. She confirmed that the cleaning went well and there were no other issues with my teeth. The entire ordeal, which usually lasts 30–45 minutes, took an hour this time. I didn’t mind the longer visit since I knew the extra time was used to protect everyone involved.

I put my face covering back on and was quickly escorted out of the room. At the exit, an office clerk handed me the invoice and a business card with my next appointment on it. She told me to call them back to change the date if needed, and to pay for the services. There was no time for me to stop and ask questions because they were following a very strict schedule. As soon as I got escorted out of the office, the next patient was rushed in.

While the new procedures may seem excessive and impersonable, it’s all meant to protect everyone’s health and well-being. If all goes well, I’ll only have to go through this one more time this year. A word of advice: While it may be tempting to cancel your checkups, don’t do it! It’ll mean fewer visits in the long run.

Robert Yang is a digital communications and social media specialist at Hawaiian Electric Company.