How are Dentists Doing During the Pandemic?

Normal routines have changed a lot for area dentists during the coronavirus pandemic, with non-emergency procedures on hold.

DULUTH, Minn. – Normal routines have changed a lot for area dentists during the coronavirus pandemic, with non-emergency procedures on hold.

“It’s a tough position because we’re trying to be here for patients that need us but we want to keep our staff and our patients safe and there’s a lot of limitations to things in society right now,” said Joe Gregorich, general dentist and partner at Gregorich & Matack Family Dental.

There are no routine treatments being given right now at Gregorich and Matack Family Dental, including cleanings and fillings. The dental office hasn’t been able to do these procedures for the past two months.

So, being able to expand services next Monday will be a welcome change.

“What to expect, I don’t know, I didn’t expect any of this in a lot of ways. At this point, we’re trying to be open to ambiguity and move on from there,” said Gregorich.

Right now, the office is seeing only those who have dental pain or emergencies. Usually, 500 to 600 patients come through the office every month, but with restrictions in place, appointments are now only about a tenth of what they would normally be all in the name of safety.

“Dentistry, if you think about it, we’re pretty close to our patients and there’s aerosol that’s produced in the care we provide and we don’t know everything about the virus and its transmission and we have to play it safe,” said Gregorich.

The office is currently examining the different options they will use when they reopen to offer more procedures next week, including what types of PPE they will use, what kinds of screening for patients will be in place and how many people can be in the waiting room.