LEXINGTON, KY (LEX 18) — To stop the spread of the coronavirus, dentist offices across Kentucky have temporarily closed, using their resources for emergencies only.
Justice Dental in Lexington has closed their office to regular appointments for the unforeseeable future. Dentists say the important thing is actually knowing what is a dental emergency.
"Swelling pain, if you've broken a tooth and you are in pain because of a fracture of a tooth, those kind of things, those kind of things would constitute as a dental emergency," Dr. Laura Justice, with Justice Dental said.
The dentists suggest you get an opinion of a professional, before you leave your home.
"Our office is open to take phone calls. We actually started, well we have for a little while, on our personal website, we're doing dental consultations and virtual consultations. So if you think you need or have a dental emergency occurring, you can get advice on that," Dr. Tristan Thompson said.
If you do have a dental emergency, the office is taking extra precautions to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
"Once they got to the operatory, where we are going to be seeing them, we're asking them to wash their hands, and we're asking them to rinse with a hydrogen peroxide rinse for 30 - 60 seconds, before and after," Dr. Justice said.
Employees have been wiping down the elevator buttons and other surfaces every hour. The office has even eliminated their waiting room, having their patients wait in their cars in the parking lot.
"Any time that we can eliminate exposures, eliminate people being around one another, we're doing that. We have a very limited staff, just enough staff to manage an emergency," Dr. Thompson added.
