I want my patients to have world-class care, but I also want them to feel comfortable. Since we overlook the Metroparks, I installed extra-large windows so patients can enjoy the amazing views and relax.

We use a combination of skill, technology, and focused attention to provide our patients with a commodity thats hard to find these days: continuity of care. All the dental work is completed in our office. There is no need to go from doctor to doctor to complete treatment. From preventative care and checkups, to state-of-the-art imaging and implant surgery, everything at Aerni Dental is done in the same office with a doctor and staff you know and trust. Your comfort, your health, and your needs are always front and center.

Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Unlike many other offices that need to make several changes to adapt to the new CDC and ADA guidelines, weve already been using these industry-leading sterilization and safety protocols for over 30 years:

In addition to what weve always been practicing, we have elevated our best practices to exceed the recommended guidelines provided by the CDC and the American Dental Association (ADA) to ensure the safest environment and have added 2 high-velocity evacuation devices that will remove aerosols during treatment. We are continually researching other devices that will add additional safety measures.

As always, we are committed to protecting you and your family and offering the highest possible quality of care. Our protocols for sterilization and disinfection will provide a safe environment for not only our patients but for our team as well. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors, and friends.

Transmission of the virus tends to happen from one person to another. This typically occurs by way of respiratory droplets from speaking, sneezing, or coughing within 6 of other people. These particles may come into the body through the mouth, eyes, or nose, and can also infect the lungs directly when inhaled.

The complications shown above are more likely to cause death than the virus itself. COVID-19 is a virus, but these complications are actually caused by bacteria, and studies are revealing that 80% of patients in the ICU are shown to have high levels of harmful bacteria, necessitating treatment with antibiotics. When it comes to the severity of COVID-19 infections, these studies indicate that bacteria are an important factor.

The bacteria from our mouths are likely to make their way to the respiratory tract. Many of the same types of bacteria in periodontitis may worsen or cause health conditions such as sepsis and pneumonia.

This connection is where the need for good oral hygiene comes in. The transfer of bad bacteria between the mouth and lungs can be lessened through taking good care of your mouth. Some studies have revealed that improved oral health can lower the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia in patients in the ICU and also help stop bacterial superinfection.

While COVID-19 makes it a scary time for a dental visit, now is when you really need to make sure you are in the best oral health possible. Having good oral health is essential for your body overall, and may lower your chances of complications from COVID-19.

The link between oral health and the health of the entire body is not something to be ignored. Researchers have established many significant relationships between oral health and cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Respiratory conditions can be affected by types of bacteria found in the mouth as well.

In Germany, a 3-month study was undertaken that examined patients who had been hospitalized with COVID-19. The researchers discovered that those with periodontal disease had a significantly greater chance of life-threatening respiratory failure than those without gum disease.

This respiratory condition is likely caused by interleukin (IL-6), which is a harmful protein that is produced by periodontal disease. Interleukin travels from the gum tissue down into the lungs where it causes severe respiratory issues.

According to founder of the UCLA Dental Research Journal, Shervin Molayem, DDS, Gum disease has been linked to other breathing ailments, including pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, so we werent surprised to find a link to respiratory problems with COVID-19.

Molayem continued with, what shocked us was the discovery of the proteins devastating, life-threatening impact on patients once theyre hospitalized. One tiny, inflammatory protein robbed them of their ability to breathe.

In the first large-scale collection of infection rates and infection control practices in the US, the ADA Science and Research Institute and Health Policy Institute in Chicago found that the methods recommended by the CDC and the ADA to keep patients and dental teams safe are working.

This data was collected from every state in the USA as well as Puerto Rico, and the ongoing survey is now working with the American Dental Hygienists Association to include dental hygienists in future updates.

In addition to ADA and CDC recommendations, most dental offices are going above and beyond when it comes to PPE, screening procedures, sterilization, and minimizing aerosols. Thanks to this dedication to safety, the ADA states that the rate of infection for dentists are far below those for other medical professionals.

The vice president of the ADA Health Policy Institute, Marko Vujicic, Ph.D., stated: The profession has taken this issue extremely seriously, and it shows. We will continue to track the rate of COVID-19 among dentists and other facets of the pandemic affecting dentistry so it can help inform the dental profession and other industries as well.

Preventing the spread of COVID-19 is a concern all of us share, but, fortunately, with the safety protocols currently in place, patients should feel safer at dental visits than most other activities they may take during the pandemic.

Study https://jada.ada.org/article/S0002-8177(20)30658-9/fulltext?dgcid=adaorg_adanews_jadacovid CDC and ADA recommendations https://www.ada.org/en/press-room/news-releases/2020-archives/may/cdc-guidance-for-dental-settings-echoes-ada-guidance

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine took a look at patients in two countries and examined how the stress of COVID-19 lockdowns may have caused an increase in jaw-clenching, teeth-grinding, and orofacial pain.

12% increase in orofacial pain symptoms 15% increase in jaw-clenching 26% increase in teeth grinding For those who were already suffering from orofacial pain, there was a 15% increase in severity Women were more affected by these increases than men Patients in the age range of 35-55 were the most affected

Whether due to concerns over the virus, financial issues, isolation during quarantine, or other situations resulting from the lockdowns, its evident that problems such as bruxism (teeth grinding) and temporomandibular disorders are increasing during these stressful times.

For those suffering from these issuesincluding head, neck, and jaw pain, tension headaches, earaches, tooth sensitivity in the absence of a dental problemhelp is available. Depending on the specific nature of the problem, these can be relieved with night guards, bite splints, or bite adjustments.

As of November of 2020, there have been more than 56 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide. While 39 million of those have recovered, the virus has claimed the lives of over 1.3 million people, with many cases still active.

While an outbreak of this size and severity is a new experience for most of us, it is hardly unique. Many such outbreaks have happened throughout history, and without the benefit of modern medicine, they have resulted in far higher death tolls than COVID-19.

There are records of what is believed to have been Smallpox as far back as 300 BC in ancient Egypt. The disease is believed to have killed three out of every ten people who contracted it, and it has persisted all the way to the modern era. It wasnt until 1980 that vaccination efforts managed to eradicate the virus worldwide.

Known as the Black Death, the Bubonic plague first appeared in Europe and Asia in the mid-1330s and continued on until the early 1350s. The US had an epidemic in Los Angeles as recently as 1924. While antibiotics are available to treat the disease when caught early, the disease is still present, with around 1,000-3,000 cases annually around the world. The bubonic plague is believed to have killed more than 20 million people in Europe alone.

Believed to have been around since the 4th century BC, the first known Cholera pandemic began in India in 1817, with a second occurring in 1829. This second outbreak became a pandemic, spreading through Europe, and North America. There were multiple Cholera pandemics between the years of 1852 and 1923, and outbreaks continue even today, with approximately 2.9 million cases and 95,000 deaths annually across the world. The spread of Cholera can be prevented with proper sanitation and clean drinking water.

Caused a type of H1N1 flu virus, the Spanish Flu was first identified in the US in 1918. The spread of the virus was likely expedited by troop movements during World War I, with the virus infecting 500 million people across the world. More than 50 million people died from this variant of the flu. The pandemic was eventually stopped through quarantine, disinfectants, and improvements in personal hygiene.

Spread by a parasite carried by mosquitos, malaria has likely existed since the Stone Age and is still around today. Most cases are now in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, as a program started by the World Health Organization in 1955 helped to eliminate the disease in many parts of the world. Currently, there are about 2,000 cases of malaria diagnosed in the world annually.

Fortunately for us, research on COVID-19 has progressed quickly and promising vaccines are already in development. In the meantime, practices like ours are using modern medical knowledge to help prevent the spread of infection through safety protocols that keep both our dental team and our patients safe.

Smallpox https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/history/history.html Black Death https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/black-death Cholera https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cholera Spanish Flu https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-pandemic-h1n1.html Malaria https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/faqs.html