Indiana’s decision to reopen was worrisome for Gregg Horstmeyer, a 65-year-old dentist in the city of Anderson whose staff risked infection upon returning to their jobs since their workspace was literally inside the mouths of patients.
“Am I concerned for my staff and patients? A little bit,” he told the Washington Examiner, adding that he had “mixed feelings.” He wanted to reopen but feared putting his staff and patients at risk.
His biggest concern was the hygienists: the industry’s front-line workers who clean patients’ teeth and examine their mouths for disease.
“They’re right in there, cleaning with the saliva and blood,” he said. “They’re the part of dentistry that have had the most apprehension about coming back. I understand that.”
Horstmeyer was able to reopen his business following an executive order from Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, that allowed healthcare providers and facilities to resume elective medical procedures after April 27. Holcomb announced a five-stage plan on May 1 to reopen the state fully by July 4.
The soonest that Horstmeyer could reopen his practice was May 4. Much to his delight, all of his staff members returned to work, including his hygienists. On the first day back, however, staffers were very apprehensive about becoming infected while doing their jobs, but those concerns faded as the workday progressed.
“They had so many apprehensions, but once they started working on the patients, everybody seemed to ease up in regards to their apprehension. They seemed to calm down and realize that it appears life is going to be OK,” he said, adding that most of his patients have also returned.
“We have had a couple of patients that have canceled, but almost everyone who has come in have been remarkably calm,” he said.
Horstmeyer followed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines before reopening to help put people at ease with visiting his practice. That included placing hand sanitizer “everywhere” and permitting only one patient in the office at a time while requiring the others to wait outside the building in their cars.
While opening the office went relatively smoothly, keeping it open might be a chore. Horstmeyer is having a hard time locating personal protection equipment since those supplies are in high demand at hospitals and nursing homes. Without that equipment, he would be forced to close his doors again.
“If we run out of PPE, we’re out of business,” he said, adding that he might have enough supplies if he “holds his breath.”
Horstmeyer spent days on the phone tracking down supplies before he opened his office. And while he successfully
obtained a small supply of gowns and gloves, he was never able to locate the N95 masks, which is a problem for a lot of dentists.
“It’s been tough for us because we were told ‘please go back to work — and oh, by the way, there are no N95 masks in the pipeline anywhere,’” he said. “That has been everybody’s biggest challenge. When I talk to dentists and hygienists, that’s what we’re all concerned about. Nobody has them.”
N95 masks are used to protect airborne particles and liquid from contaminating the wearer’s face. The CDC has allowed dentists to use “level three” masks, which also protect the face from fluid and splatter, since the N95s are not available to them.
The American Dental Association released a tip sheet on May 7 to help dentists avoid buying counterfeit N95 masks.
