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In order to tamp down on the spread of the virus, all healthcare providers, including your oral surgeon, will continue to keep their COVID-related safety measures in place in order to best protect clients and healthcare staff. At NextGen OMS, we follow all applicable guidelines established by the CDC and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS).

Oral Surgeon Appointments

While many patients opted to put off non-emergency oral health care at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has now become obvious that the virus isn’t going away soon. And, patients need to maintain their oral health in spite of the virus. Fortunately, yours already has many virus and bacteria prevention strategies in place. While COVID has necessitated many changes and additional safety measures, oral surgeons and other healthcare providers have the expertise needed to abide by these precautions.

After scheduling your appointment, you’ll likely receive a call the day before your visit for questions related to COVID screening. While many dental offices contact patients to remind them of an upcoming appointment, staff members are now taking that call a step further with questions related to the virus. If you receive such a call, you can expect to be asked if you have traveled outside of the country in the last few weeks, if you’ve been in contact with someone who has COVID, or if you are experiencing any virus symptoms such as fever. Patients who answer in the affirmative may be asked to reschedule providing they are not suffering from an oral health emergency.

What to Expect When You Visit Our Oral Surgeon

When visiting your oral surgeon’s office, you will be required to wear a mask. Some dental offices are limiting seating in their waiting rooms in order to promote social distancing. Depending on the office’s schedule and number of patients waiting to be seen, you may be asked to wait in your car; staff will call you when it’s your turn to meet with oral surgery staff. In many cases, people accompanying patients may also be asked to wait outside.

At NextGen OMS, we adhere closely to social distancing and masking guidelines. Our staff wear masks at all times too. We also feature hand sanitizer for visitors to use if they need it. We’re also sorry to say that we have removed many items from our waiting room such as magazines in order to prevent contagion from spreading by contact with these ‘community’ items.

What Your McKinney, TX, Oral Surgeon Does Behind the Scenes

Hygiene and sanitization are top priorities for any oral surgery center, and they have been long before COVID. However, dentists, oral surgeons, and their support staff are taking many more precautions in order to decrease the spread of this contagious virus. First, we take care to ensure that we have an adequate supply of PPE and other supplies that allow us to protect ourselves and our patients from viral spread. Masks, gloves, gowns, and disinfecting cleaning supplies are a must in order to treat patients safely in our setting.

Oral surgery teams are also keenly aware of our own risks and the risks we may present to others. We have strict protocols regarding the presence of virus symptoms and testing. Our team members know not to come to work if they are experiencing any unusual symptoms until they are tested. We also wear our masks routinely and have stepped up our sanitization measures. For instance, we clean door handles, waiting room chairs, and both public and behind-the-scenes surfaces throughout the day.

What Happens During Treatment?

Once patients enter the treatment room, they will be able to remove their masks. Of course, all staff will be wearing their medical-grade masks throughout the treatment process. In this regard, patients who have experienced oral surgery before may not note any degree of change. It’s customary for the surgeons and assistants to be gloved and masked during any oral procedures or surgeries. After the procedure is complete, patients will replace their masks and may exit the office as usual. Our oral surgical team will follow sanitizing protocols before meeting with subsequent patients.

What If I’ve Been Vaccinated? Do I Still Need to Mask Up?

Our team continues to strictly follow all safety protocols, and we ask that even our vaccinated clients do the same. Even after vaccination, it’s still possible to get the virus and transmit it. And, according to the CDC, reaching herd immunity in the U.S. is unlikely to occur any time soon given the current rates of transmission. In addition, we see a wide range of patients at our practice. Not everyone has received the vaccination, and children are not yet eligible to be vaccinated.

We know that many of our patients have questions about COVID-19 in relation to their oral surgery appointments. You can call NextGen OMS at any time for information. As a leading McKinney, TX, oral surgeon center, we strive to care for our patients in the safest manner possible. With this, we will continue to follow all applicable guidelines regarding COVID. Be sure to call us if you are experiencing any oral health symptoms. We continue to treat patients and their diverse range of oral health needs.