Dental workers worried about reopening

While some dental workers have concerns about reopening dental practices, others are taking extra precautions to keep staff and patients safe.

377 DEATHS.REOPENING BEGINSTOMORROW FOR SOMEAREAS IN THE METRO.ITS THE FIRST TIME SOMEBUSINESSES WILL BE ABLETO REOPEN IN WEEKS.BUT -- AS 41 ACTION NEWSREPORTER NICK STARLINGSHARES -- SOME DENTALWORKERS AREN'TCOMFORTABLEREOPENING EVEN UNDERNEW RESTRICTIONS.WE'RE JUST HOURS AWAYFROM DENTIST OFFICESFROM OPENING UP FORNON-EMERGENCYSITUATIONS.

MANYOFFICES ARE CHANGINGTHEIR PROCEDURES-HOWEVER SOMEHYGIENISTS SAY ITS TOOEARLY TO OPEN UP.Karen Davis, dental hygienistI just don't feel safe and Idon'tfeel that's in the best interestof our patients right now.KAREN DAVIS WAS ADENTAL HYGIENISTBEFORE LOSING HER JOBAT THE START OF THECOVID-19 PANDEMIC-ANDWORRIES ABOUT THOSEWHO ARE RETURNING.Karen Davis, dental hygienistwith being so close to people'sopen mouths, how do we goto all these weeks ofquarantine to just opening upa dental office like regularagain, that doesn't make anysense.DAVIS CLAIMS SOMEOFFICES DON'T HAVEENOUGH PPE TO PROTECTTHEM.TO CALM THOSE FEARS-DENTISTS LIKE KORYKIRKEGAARDCOLLABORATED WITHANOTHER DENTIST TOCREATE THESE MASKS ANDHEAD GEAR TO PROTECTSTAFF-SOME OF IT MADEWITH A 3-D PRINTER.Dr. Kory Kirkegaard, Dentist,Ownerof The Art of DentistryGet a piece of plastic that's 3Dprinted kind of a game, youheat it up a little bit cuz itsmoldable and bendable andthen when you heat it, youmold it against your face itwillthen mimic a seal you will findon a N95.HIS OFFICE WILL OPEN UPON MAY 11TH-AND IT WILLBE A LITTLE DIFFERENT.Dr. Kory Kirkegaard, Dentist,Ownerof The Art of DentistryAs far as procedures go we'respacing everything out a lotmore getting more distanceand more time in betweenpatients so that way we havetime to throughly get therooms turned over.ACCORDING TO THEAMERICAN DENTALASSOCIATION-THEYCREATED A RETURN TOWORK TOOLKIT-IT LISTSOFFICES TO CONSIDER'implementing a soft launch fortheir practices with theirdentalteams, and the discussion andpractice of new strategiesbefore welcoming patients.'Dr. Kory Kirkegaard, Dentist,Ownerof The Art of DentistryWe still need protection, andhygienists need protection,dentists need protection andhealthy care workers ingeneral need protection I thinkthis is just a nice way to offsetsome of those supply demandissues that we're seeing rightnow.REPORTING IN KANSASCI