GAHANNA, Ohio — By trade, dentists and orthodontists have a pretty sanitary workplace.
“We went to school to prevent the spread of any disease and there are much worse diseases that can be spread than COVID-19,” said Dr. James Hutta from his Gahanna office. “Believe it or not, the dental office is probably the safest place you can be."
Just before the State of Ohio allowed dental offices to reopen in May, we visited the offices of Hutta and Price Orthodontics to see how they were preparing for the return of patients.
They had all the basics covered: social distancing markings on the floor, hand sanitizer stations throughout the office, temperature checks, waiting room seats blocked out to the appropriate 6 feet of space and exam rooms with enough space between each patient.
“It’s a new normal for everybody and I think patients have been very accepting,” Hutta said.
The “new normal” for this orthodontist's office goes above and beyond what typical COVID-19 precautions look like.
There’s a staging area with lockers so staff can change out of their “street clothes” and into a set of sneakers that are office-only and a new set of daily medical scrubs that are dry cleaned once a week (at no cost).
Hutta says he also purchased two oral suction machines that can quickly filter spray, aerosol, bacteria, viruses and other harmful substances during treatment to better protect any potential exposure between patient and staff.
One hygienist said these added safety measures made her feel much more comfortable coming back to work. Not to mention staff members get tested every two weeks for COVID-19.
“It’s important to me to ensure the safety of our patients and staff members,” Hutta said. “So far so good – everyone has tested negative for the last 14 weeks.”
Hutta also says his office purchased special COVID-killing germicide spray to help wipe down surfaces between patient visits. And a company that specializes in complete building-wide disinfection comes in once a month.
“So, we go above and beyond, it used to take three hours to clean the office after work, now they spend six hours,” Hutta said referring to his nightly cleaning service. “We’ll do everything in our power to prevent the spread."