Looking Beyond the Mask
Dentistry is a unique field in healthcare for many reasons, but especially for the enjoyment that we get from bonding with our patients. Watching our patient’s lives unfold is part of the job, and also the part that makes dentistry feel less like work and more fun. The social component of dentistry is unlike other fields in healthcare.
In early March 2020 ,
the viral outbreak of COVID-19 quickly blossomed into a global pandemic. After a nationwide shut down, the city of San Diego quickly changed from a vacation hot spot to a ghost town. Masks became a requirement in grocery store outings,
happy hours with friends were out of the question, and our living rooms turned into home offices, yoga rooms, and child daycares.
Before returning to work at our dental offices, new guidelines and recommendations were established. We scrounged for additional and new Personal Protective Equipment, and found new and creative ways to maintain patient and staff safety, using things that perhaps before we took for granted like patient checkins, study clubs, and appointment scheduling.
Before COVID-19,
my typical consultation included enough time to complete a thorough exam, as well as enough time to
get to know my new patient on a personal level. I enjoyed sitting across from the patient and understanding what led to their periodontal destruction. Like clockwork, after data collection, my assistant knew when I was going to scoot my rolling chair across the room and listen to the patient’s story and their dental history. It has become a part of my philosophy that I cannot treat a patient properly without knowing what led to getting them in my chair in the first place.
Now,
my appointments are shorter, and the personal touch I feel is minimal. Without the ability to convey myself through facial
expressions, I find myself hoping that my eye contact will suffice. With the new PPE, I am left looking and sounding like some type of dental astronaut going into battle. I have to speak so loudly to patients and staff though the N95 mask, that I feel like I’m yelling. The battle scars after my typical work day included a bruise over the bridge of my nose, mask-ne (mask acne), and ears that feel like they are ready for take-off. I leave work feeling so defeated. It took me some time to realize that patients still feel like I cared and still heard them. I realized that the protocols and recommen dations being followed and executed in the office helped make patients feel safe and cared for. Which is exactly what I was trying to do with my words and body language in a typical comprehensive exam.
In dentistry,
we must learn to be malleable and to adapt to changing circumstances. The global pandemic has brought on many changes and is not over, but I am hopeful that someday we will return to our favorite way of practicing dentistry. In the meantime, patient comfort has a new meaning, and I know one thing that has not changed: showing patients we care..
Essential Workers &