COVID-19: Dentist in Sandy Springs, GA

Dentists have been treating patients during the COVID-19 viral pandemic in North America for about eight months. As a profession, we take great pride in our skillful infection control, and it has been effective so far. Some of our patients may have already been infected with COVID-19 when they came to our dental offices, although we may not have known it at the time. Despite that, no known cases of transmission of COVID-19 infection have been reported from patient to the dental team or vice versa at any routine dental visit. No clusters of any airborne diseases like COVID-19 have spread in dental offices in the world to date.

SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is found mainly in the lungs and nasopharynx. The mouth is at the intersection of these two regions. This has raised concerns that aerosol-generating dental procedures might transmit the virus. Some dental procedures generate aerosols, but air and water from our syringes and handpieces dilute any virus in these aerosols.

We also use high-volume suction to reduce aerosols even more.

The Right Smile Centers have implemented additional safeguards in response to these concerns:

• We pre-screen patients, staff, students, and faculty for COVID-19 symptoms before we permit them to come into our facilities.

• We do not allow any unnecessary visitors.

• Fewer patients are appointed each day, so we can maintain 6-foot distancing between people in our clinics and waiting rooms.

• We installed high plexiglass partitions at the patient payment centers.

• Our dental team wears enhanced PPE including face shields, high-filtration face masks, hair covers, and disposable gowns when necessary.

• Our COVID team meets to discuss the latest scientific developments and any possible changes in our protocols.

At the Right Smile Center, with our current enhanced measures, no known cases of transmission of COVID-19 between patients and our dental care providers have occurred, despite hundreds of patient encounters during aerosol and non-aerosol generating procedures.

Call for your important oral healthcare needs.

Novy Scheinfeld, DDS, PC

ZoAnna Bock, MS, DMD

Hanna Orland, DMD

290 Carpenter Drive, 200A

Sandy Springs, GA 30328

404-256-3620

And

3781 Chamblee Dunwoody Road

Chamblee, GA 30341

770-455-6076

info@rightsmilecenter.com

www.rightsmilecenter.com

How Much Does a Dental Bridge Cost: Sandy Springs Dentists

Finding The Right Choice for You

The most important thing you can do to ensure you find the right treatment for your missing tooth is to talk to our dentist about what options may be right for you. Our trusted dentists can carefully weight all of the specific considerations of your situation to make the right recommendation for you.

The main advantage of bridges is that they are considered to be one of the most cost-effective methods for replacing missing teeth. Another advantage of bridges is they don’t require bone grafting if bone loss is present. Bridges also offer a quicker process for replacing missing teeth.

One of the biggest disadvantages of bridges is that they place greater strain on surrounding structures, especially the two teeth which are attached to the device. For this reason, a bridge rarely is expected to last a lifetime. Bridges also do not address concerns about underlying structural problems. This means that long-term issues arising from bone loss due to the removal of teeth will continue to advance even after the gap is addressed.

One of the biggest advantages of dental implants is they place less of a burden on the surrounding teeth and promote healing of bone structures and gums under the teeth. They also tend to reduce long-term risks posed to the jaw. Generally, a high-quality dental implant should be expected to last a lifetime.

Our dentists will want to provide you with the right solution that will be as gentle as possible while providing years of continued use. The Right Smile Center has dentist offices in Sandy Springs and Chamblee, GA with dentists that can help you address any missing teeth and develop a treatment plant that’s tailored to your needs. Schedule an appointment with an experienced dentist today.

Novy Scheinfeld, DDS, PC

ZoAnna Bock, MS, DMD

Hanna Orland, DMD

Howard Abrahams, DDS

290 Carpenter Drive, 200A

Sandy Springs, GA 30328

404-256-3620

And

3781 Chamblee Dunwoody Road

Chamblee, GA 30341

770-455-6076

info@rightsmilecenter.com

www.rightsmilecenter.com

Sandy Springs Dentist and Covid-19

We are concerned that patients are putting off routine cleanings, which could compound health issues in the months or years to come.  As if patients need yet another reason to avoid the dentist.

Contrary to popular belief, dentistry is not an elective procedure. Maintaining your dental visits are important to your mouth health, as well as to the health of the rest of your body.

Bill Miller, an epidemiologist and physician at OSU, said it’s important to remember that going to the dentist isn’t the same as going to a barber or hair salon.  We have long been accustomed to dealing with the infectious-disease risk post the 1980’s HIV scare.  We have already been taking precautions because of our proximity to your mouth and its fluids.

Even before you walk through the door to see us, you’ll notice some changes.

Our offices are calling patients in advance of their appointment to ask whether they’re experiencing any common covid-19 symptoms, such as a fever, cough or muscle aches.

It’s pretty much the belief that social distancing is the best way to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus until there’s a vaccine. When that’s not possible, we wear face masks. But what happens when we need to visit our office? A lot.

We are adapting how we work in and around a patient’s mouth to account for this complicated reality. Our team is screening patients for symptoms, limiting the number of appointments in a day, implementing stringent sanitation protocols and wearing more protective equipment to guard against the respiratory disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization suggest that respiratory droplets expelled when an infected person coughs, sneezes, talks or breathes are the primary way the virus spreads. But the CDC reports there’s “no data available to assess the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission during dental practice”, because there are no reported cases arising from visiting the dentist.

Don’t skip you dental visit. Contact us for your dental cleaning and exam.

Novy Scheinfeld, DDS, PC

ZoAnna Bock, MS, DMD

Hanna Orland, DMD

290 Carpenter Drive, 200A

Sandy Springs, GA 30328

404-256-3620

And

3781 Chamblee Dunwoody Road

Chamblee, GA 30341

770-455-6076

info@rightsmilecenter.com

www.rightsmilecenter.com

Sandy Springs Dentists: Patients Need Oral Healthcare In A Covid-19 Environment

Delayed dental care has a variety of consequences, whether it is due to dental office closures, reluctance to seek care during the pandemic, loss of employer-sponsored dental insurance coverage, or other factors. Routine dental visits are opportunities to provide preventive oral health care and to identify oral manifestations of systemic disease that might otherwise be missed. 

A lack of access to routine dental care can also lead to untreated tooth decay or other infections, leaving you with no viable option other than visiting a hospital emergency department, where treatment is costly and can disrupt more urgent needs, especially during this pandemic. 

In addition, many emergency departments are not staffed or equipped to provide definitive dental treatment and instead only provide patients with temporizing measures such as prescriptions for short-term treatment of pain and/or infection until definitive care can be provided at your dentist’s office.

Up-to-date recommendations for communications, protocols, and physical measures are in place at our Sandy Springs and Chamblee offices to resume safe patient care. For example, interim measures include:

• Sending patients pre-visit communications;
• Implementing a pre-appointment screening process via text, telephone, or email to ensure that patients with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 – or recent exposure to infected individuals – do not travel to our dental office;
• Expanding the in-office registration process to screen out patients with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, or who have been exposed to or recently tested for SARS-CoV-2; to provide and require proper use of a face mask; to check patients’ temperature (<100.4°F) with a thermometer; and to provide wipes or materials to clean pens, clipboards, counters, phones, keyboards, light switches, and other “high touch” surfaces;
• Extending time between patients, as necessary, to allow for proper cleaning and decontamination of examination rooms;
• Extensive preparation strategies for the physical office and staff to prepare the environment and familiarize the staff with new policies and procedures to reduce the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2;
• Implementing a chairside checklist to prepare operatories;
• Staff protection strategies include recommendations for in-office clothing (emphasizing that clinical attire should only be worn in the dental practice, not back to staff members’ homes or other community settings, to prevent cross contamination of SARS-Cov-2), special guidance for staff who are pregnant or have other factors that increase the risk of severe COVID-19 disease, and a COVID-19 daily screening log for dental team members to use before entering the practice;
• Limiting the number of patients in the office at the same time; as part of physical distancing; and
• Requiring patients to wait in their cars until they are called for treatment.

Once in the office we have additional patient protocols in place including gargling and hand washing before and after treatment.

If we can be of service please do not hesitate to contact us.

Novy Scheinfeld, DDS, PC

ZoAnna Bock, MS, DMD

Hanna Orland, DMD

290 Carpenter Drive, 200A

Sandy Springs, GA 30328

404-256-3620

And

3781 Chamblee Dunwoody Road

Chamblee, GA 30341

770-455-6076

info@rightsmilecenter.com

www.rightsmilecenter.com

Dentistry’s Temporary New Normal

To say that this time in the dental industry is unprecedented would be an understatement. Office closures, team furloughs and layoffs, locating PPE and knowing how to use it have confused many, and few offices were prepared for the consequences. Government mandates, employees’ reluctance to return and patients’ fears of possible exposure significantly affected many practices and your lives. The term “new normal” became an over-used phrase to describe the unknown factors that changed our practice, and yours and our lives.

But now what? What have we put in place to help create a better version of our work place? If this is, indeed, a time of “new normal,” then please visit our website to understand the better “norms” that we have put in place to generate exceptional results for you and your family. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn strategies we have implemented to help you maintain your oral health.

Contact us for your semi-annual visits to stay healthy.

Novy Scheinfeld, DDS, PC

ZoAnna Bock, MS, DMD

Hanna Orland, DMD

Howard Abrahams, DDS

295 Johnson Ferry Road

Sandy Springs, GA 30328

404-256-3620

And

3781 Chamblee Dunwoody Road

Chamblee, GA 30341

770-455-6076

info@rightsmilecenter.com

www.rightsmilecenter.com