26 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 6, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Tribute to Dental Professionals
With added precaution, Queens dentists get back to work
BY JASMINE PALMA
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Dental practices across New York City
and the country shuttered their offi ces to
the general public, off ering their services
exclusively to emergencies and urgent
matters, in response to the COVID-19
pandemic.
But as the city gradually reopens, dental
practices are starting to resume operation.
Dr. Richard Corbin of Corbin Dental
was among many dentists forced to cut
their general practice short. Despite this,
he — along with Dr. Bruce Corbin — continued
emergency care through the pandemic,
seeing patients in East Elmhurst,
Bayside and Oyster Bay.
“Th ere was emergency care and the
patients were very nervous to seek care
at the hospitals, especially Elmhurst
Hospital with the extreme patient overload
from COVID-19 during April and
May,” Corbin said. “We worked with a
number of staff that braved the way with
us through the worst of the infections. We
recently had a dinner out together and
celebrated that no one of us got sick and
for all the patients we helped through the
crisis and shutdown.”
When time came to be back in business,
dental practices had to revise their
conventions in order to heed Center for
Disease Control (CDC) and American
Dental Association (ADA) guidelines.
“It has been surreal. We as dentists
have always protected the public in offi ces,”
Corbin said. “When I started, AIDS
was the big scare. We have had numerous
scares with SARS1, swine fl u, avian fl u, of
course hepatitis B. Th e dental offi ces are
always protecting against possible infection.
Th is virus is just more contagious
and airborne and that has been a big issue
for everyone. I believe that the risks are
real and we all need to wear face masks
and try to keep the volume of people
lower so that we social distance especially
in the smaller spaces.”
Corbin Dental offi ces are equipped with
personal protection equipment (PPE),
such as N95 masks, and are currently supplied
with oral mist vacuums for hygienists
to employ in dental cleanings, according
to the practice.
Corbin further detailed that plastic barriers
are up; social distancing is being
practiced both in the waiting rooms and
outside the offi ce; temperatures are regularly
taken; and patients are asked to wait
in their cars when waiting room densities
are high.
“It is diffi cult but we are operating well
now that we have gotten used to this new
normal,” he said. “It has been an adjustment
for everyone. Th e staff are very hot
under the extra gowns and masks and it
is summer time! Patients are happy to be
coming back in and they are glad we instituted
the new protocols for the offi ce.”
Dr. Inessa Kandov of Bayview
Orthodontics has adopted similar practices
in her offi ce.
“We have signifi cantly elevated our
already stringent protocols of sterilization
and infection control in the offi ce, and we
are regularly disinfecting common areas
and surfaces that are frequently touched.
All members of our team are being evaluated
daily to make sure they are at peak
health, and we are utilizing personal protective
equipment (PPE) for examinations
and treatments,” according to the practice’s
webpage.
Other guidelines and safety measures
are found on the site, including the
required mask upon arrival that must
fully cover the nose, mouth and chin,
plus a pre-appointment screening with a
questionnaire and a no-contact temperature
check. HEPA and UV light air purifi -
ers have been installed in the offi ce, rotating
between rooms for thorough disinfection
aft er use. Hand sanitizer stations are
located around the premises, and patients
are requested to arrive at appointments
alone unless accompanying a minor in
order to control patient density.
“I have patients washing their hands
and then rinsing their mouths with peroxyl
mouthwash just to reduce the viral
load,” Kandov said. “I make sure that I
never see more than one or two patients at
the same time and they’re always at opposite
ends of the offi ce, but it’s usually one
patient scheduled per visit. I try to completely
keep things separate and keep as
few people in the offi ce as possible. We’re
wearing N95 or KN95 masks, shields, or
goggles and I started wearing scrubs for
the fi rst time in nine years.”
In spite of fears associated with the risk
of contracting the virus, both Corbin and
Kandov claim that patients are regularly
continuing to visit their doctors for dental
care.
However due to scheduling tailored to
reduce patient volume and to allow for
thorough cleaning of the spaces, fewer
patients are seen on a day-to-day basis
than normal, according to Corbin.
“We are not seeing as many patients as
before the pandemic — this is due to timing
and cleaning more rigorously. But we
want the patients to know that at Corbin
Dental we are trying our best to be safe
and that they need to address their oral
care or it will not end well,” Corbin said.
“I would say I have about fi ve to eight
patients who are still apprehensive and
they’ve held off on coming in, but they
just need time,” Kandov observed. “I’ve
had plenty of patients that are new. I think
that as a result of people wearing masks,
I’ve seen a rise in adults starting treatment.
Since masks obscure their faces,
it’s now fi ne for them to wear braces or
Invisalign — which is so funny, I hadn’t
anticipated that.”
Despite the constant uncertainty and
fear looming in the air, Kandov insists that
the doctor-patient relationship remains as
strong as ever.
“I’ve seen a lot of patients become very
anxious. Th is is a very troublesome and
scary time for a lot of people, but I haven’t
changed my relationship with my patients.
Instead, it has made me realize how much
I have missed them. Th ey’re like family
to me at this point,” she said. “Th e only
thing that has changed is that this situation
has made people more cognizant of
cleanliness and hygiene. All other healthcare
providers and I are doing everything
we can to alleviate the fears and anxieties
patients feel. To me, my patient is number
one and of utmost importance. Th at is the
motto of my offi ce — everything revolves
around the patient. We always want to
make a happy, comforting, safe space
for our patients and their families. We’ve
made sanitary changes, but our relationship
to our patients is resolute.”
“I think we are in new order for the
next few years at least with the pandemic.
We realize that life has become
more simple. We appreciate our homes
and eating meals together. Th ere will
be changes in how we work and socialize
for a very long time. Th e dental offi ces
will always be a necessary care and I
am hoping that we can get back to normal,
the new normal and life can be
comfortable during this rough time,”
Corbin said.
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