NEW ORLEANS — Since the pandemic, people have concerns about going to doctors' offices and emergency rooms. They stay away for serious conditions like heart problems, cancer and keeping up with childhood vaccines. So it's not surprising that it's happening for dentist visits as well.
“We have noticed a couple of patients a little bit wary of coming back in, just because of the nature of what we do being so close to patients and working in the mouth,” said Dentist Dr. Doug Delcambre.
So dentists Doug and Tim Delcambre decided to go beyond state health and CDC cleaning guidelines and get something proven to kill the new coronavirus.
“When I saw and heard that this is the same type of decontaminant that hospitals were using in their hospital rooms and other treatment rooms, just seemed a natural thing to do,” Dr. Tim Delcambre said.
The VioUv is an ultraviolet (UV-C) sterilization light used to safely disinfect a room, and everything in it after a patient leaves. Since it can hurt your eyes, the machine won't turn on if the sensors pick up that someone is in the room.
Dr. Tim Delcambre says they set the timer for 10 minutes to clean each patient room. They still go through all the wiping and aerosol cleaning required by regulations.
“This one extra step is going to give us more comfort that we know we will be treating our patients very safely,” Dr. Tim Delcambre said.
And he says most of the patients want this type of assurance before they come back.
“Some were asking to let them know exactly when we were getting this machine. That way, they would feel more comfortable in coming to the office,” he added.
And because poor oral hygiene can lead to heart problems and increased chances of diabetes complications, a dentist visit is about much more than shiny white teeth.
To learn more about the light, visit the manufacturer's website here.