The success of the vaccination rollout in the United States and the rest of the world, has allowed states and the federal government to begin a process of easing restrictions. At the height of the pandemic, many people had deferred their visits to the dentist, either because of unfounded fears that dentists had higher infection rates than other healthcare professionals (though evidence now suggests the contrary), or simply because restrictions prevented them from accessing dental care.  We are now at a point in which the evidence shows that dental clinics are very safe, and the easing of restrictions makes dental care more accessible than at any other time since the pandemic struck.

Dentists have historically taken the highest mitigation measures to offset the risk of infection of any disease during dental procedures. Dental procedures generate high volumes of aerosols, and this carries with it the risk of catching a range of diseases. So even before Covid-19 emerged, dentists took a lot of precautions to assure their safety and that of their patients.

Dentists wore personal protective equipment (PPE) and clothing to ensure that they were protected from aerosols and to ensure that sanitary conditions were pristine. Anyone who visited dentists prior to the pandemic will know that dentists wore surgical masks, gloves and coats before that was recommended by the Centres for Disease Control as a necessary mitigation measure.

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