Businesses hope they’ll be safe enough for staff, clients

Dentists and other health practitioners in Calgary say a provincial green light to resume their practices caught them by surprise and they’re not ready to restart full services.

On Thursday, the government announced a phased-in relaunching of Alberta’s economy halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with one of the first acts being the resumption of dental, physiotherapy, radiology, dietitian and other services as early as Monday, “as long as they are following approved guidelines set by their professional colleges.”

But an internal memo sent by the Alberta Dental Association and College on Thursday states: “The current suspension of non-emergent dental care remains in place,” adding guidelines for safe practice are still being crafted, though should be issued Monday.

“We understand that membership would like as much notice as possible to plan for the updates guidelines ... (the association) continues to review the best science available.”

Dr. Randall Croutze, CEO of the dental association, said emergency care solely available since most dentistry was shut down in midmarch will expand on Monday to urgent care, such as severe toothaches or broken teeth.

He said regular treatments should resume by May 14.

A Calgary dental assistant said it could be some time before many practices are ready to reopen due to lack of protective gear, adding staff fear the prospect of doing so.

“I don’t feel comfortable, especially considering we have ongoing (COVID -19) cases,” said the woman, who chose anonymity.

“Everyone wants to go back to work, as long as we have safeguards in place.”

But she said her office is nowhere near that point, lacking N95 masks, gowns, face shields and other gear that would dramatically improve patient and staff safety.

Powered equipment used in teeth scaling and other procedures would kick up aerosols that would readily transmit the novel coronavirus, said the dental assistant.

“All we could do is exams, X-rays and maybe some hand-scaling,” she said.

“It’s going to take a while to get back to work. We’re not even hiring back our dental hygienist right away.”

Even so, Thursday’s announcement by Premier Jason Kenney green-lighting dental care has numerous clients seeking appointments for Monday, said the woman.

“I think Kenney kind of jumped the gun,” she said.

An internal memo issued by the Alberta College of Dental Assistants also said safe practice guidelines are still being formulated.

“It is important to note that those professionals that do not want to return to work are not obligated to do so,” it adds.

The challenge facing dentists is to prevent spreading the infection to patients, said Dr. Kuen Chow, adding he didn’t expect the goahead to come for another few months. “It’s not us we’re worried about ... I’d be very hesitant to go back without new procedures in place,” said Chow, who operates Sunshine Dental.

He said the two-hour wait between patients to ensure aerosols settle will pose challenges and might require expensive air purification devices.

A Calgary dentist said it’s possible to soon resume practising safely, though “we won’t be practising like we were before, everyone needs protection, you have to adapt.”

The dentist, who chose anonymity, said it’s important for the profession to return to offering full treatment.

“Oral health is important and can’t be postponed,” she said.

A physiotherapist said those in her profession are determined to uphold the highest standards, especially as its relaunch approaches. But she also said there are challenges to doing so safely.