WE’RE HALFWAY THERE

Hopefully you were singing the 1986 hit by Bon Jovi when you read that title. Anything to put a smile on your face these days. The funny, and not-so-funny thing about that title is that I hope we are halfway there. The new “projected” date to resume “normal” business is May 4th. That would put us at about halfway there. Whatever the date is that we go back to work, it still won’t be “normal”.

Think back to just the end of February. If someone told you that within a month schools would be closed, many business would close, not knowing if they could weather the storm, millions of people would be out of work, filing for unemployment for the first time, people would be standing in lines 6 feet apart wearing masks ,waiting to get into the grocery store, airplanes would be flying around almost empty, the stock market would plunge, our government would be whipping together the largest economic stimulus plan in history, and countless other things that have changed the world forever……..you might think they were crazy.

Is this a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make changes in things, to make the world a better and safer place, or is it something that will prove to be a burden on a brighter future? We’ll have to see how that plays out, but I’m banking on choice A.

I think it’s well-accepted that there will be a new normal. I’m not sure what all the changes will be for your routine visits to places like a dental office, but it is something we will all need to be ready for.

For example, the guidelines for treating emergency dental patients right now is very strict. Dental procedures in general would put many people at risk if an infected person was involved in the procedure. Many of these protective measures for both patients and dental personnel will carry over to become the new normal. Those will be discussed in a future column.

Of the many webinars I’ve been watching during this work hiatus, I have one coming up that I’m a little more excited about, versus the ones that explain how to apply for government help and other ways to survive the pandemic. It is being presented by a company called Surgically Clean Air.

The company, founded in 2009, makes air filtration equipment for many different industries, ranging from professional sports teams to Walmart. They claim that their dental units decrease air pollutants in the dental operatory by not only filtering the air but sterilizing it as well. “We diminish everything in the air: bio-aerosols, odors, gasses, disinfectants, particulates, molds, viruses, bacteria and fungus”, their website says.

Could this be a new standard in the dental office? That might be the topic next week.

Dr. St. Clair maintains a private dental practice in Rowley and Newburyport dedicated to health-centered family dentistry. If there are certain topics you would like to see written about or questions you have please email them to him at jpstclair@stclairdmd.com. You can view all previously written columns at www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com/blog.