I hope that you are finding some light at the end of the tunnel.
Firstly, regarding the PPP, Paycheck Protection Program, ours is on hold, not by our choice. Our bank is Wells Fargo. They were originally given a smaller amount to distribute. They went back to the Treasury Department to ask for more and got it. But we are still in line for it. There will likely be more funding for the program.
We are treating emergency patients, both our own and emergencies from the outside. And yes, if they can’t afford our fees, we’re dong the procedures anyway. They need help and it’s an extraordinary time. Last week, we put emergencies on our website, Go to drleesheldon.com to see what Gilleard has done. We’re also putting a small amount into Google Advertising for emergencies.
There is something to having a practice in motion, even if it is not financially lucrative to do so. It may be a theoretical concept, but something in motion is better than something that is still. We saw five patients today. And by the end of today, we have scheduled three patients for tomorrow. Our intention was to work only Monday and Thursday, but emergencies are emergencies. And the patients are grateful that we’re coming in.
Protective Equipment
What I am writing here is at best speculative. While I test programs first before recommending them to you, what you are about to read is what I’m doing now. I will give you what I know and what I feel, but I am in no way giving you a tested strategy. Please do your research and make your own decisions.
What do we do to protect our staff and our patients? Are universal precautions going to be enough? In my opinion, the answer is no. I say this for three reasons. One is that OSHA is going to provide new guidelines for us. Universal precautions came in after the AIDS crisis in the mid-80’s. With an unprecedented pandemic, I think that it is likely that OSHA will give us new requirements. The question is what will they be? Organized dentistry, represented by the ADA, will have a seat at the table when such regulations are hammered out. Negative pressure rooms were first talked about a few weeks ago. A real negative pressure room would require a redesign of most dental offices. I don’t think that will happen.
The second item is staff protection. Staff members know that water and blood make it onto the walls. That may not be acceptable any more. Our staff members will need to be confident that something is improving in our offices to protect them.
The third item is one of patient confidence going into the dental office. There will be some that will question how they are protected from aerosols in the dental environment. And it will be incumbent upon us to give them that reassurance.
I’ve decided to concentrate on filtration as the main solution to the above. Extraoral filtration is the route I’ve decided to take. Air IQ is the leader in this arena. Their systems have been reportedly been around for ten years. They have become well-versed in dental and are used by biologic dentists who are protecting patients and staff during amalgam removal. Take a look at their system here: https://www.iqair.com/commercial/compact-stand-alone-air-filtration/dental-series They are reportedly back ordered, until June. I heard this from a friend. I did not check myself. The Air IQ is 0.3 microns and they state that they are 95% effective at .003 microns. So here is what I have learned. HEPA filtration is the product of the filtration size plus the tunnel through which the particulate travels. So a 0.3 micron filter can filter out viral particles that are smaller than that size.
The filtration source that I have chosen is Sentry Air. https://www.sentryair.com/medical-air-purifier.htm They have them available within three weeks, according to my discussion with John Leonard at the company. His phone is 832-255-7138. The filter that I ordered is the ULTA filter, which filters to 0.12 microns rather than 0.3 microns.
Why Sentry? They have a medical unit as part of their standard offerings. They are changing the hose in the medical unit from a 5 inch diameter to a 4 inch diameter for dental use. They only have two being used by dentists right now. So we are very early in the ballgame for them. At the same time, the ULTA filter that Sentry has a finer filtration capacity than a HEPA filter. For me, I want to have a system in place when I open. And I can get the Sentry within three weeks. But understand that I don’t have the unit. It has not been tested by dentists. So while I bought the unit (actually three of them), I don’t have any experience with it. So I’m sharing my experience. Please use your judgment.
If you decide to order from Sentry, if you say that you are a member of the IDS, you’ll receive a 25% discount. I am paying $1495 for each unit. I receive nothing from the company.
What can we do for our HVAC systems? We have UV units in each of our air handlers. They are tested against the original SARS virus. Here is the unit that we have: https://www.rgf.com/products/food/reme-halo-duct-air-purifier/
I ordered some KN95 masks today from https://hampmed.com/ . The KN95, as you likely know, is not identical with the N95 which has a plastic frame that is fitted to the individual to be sure that there is a seal between the mask and the face. The KN95, while it may be resterilized, is made only of filtration material. Some may use a surgical mask over the KN95 to keep it clean. There are knockoffs of KN95’s that really aren’t KN95’s. Hampmed was recommended by the Florida Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.
I am not an expert in any of this. I’m reading like you are. Are these the correct decisions? Hopefully, yes. Will more be required of OSHA? Stay tuned.