Dentists transition to emergencies only to limit risk for patients, staff

Over the past few weeks, dental offices have moved away from regular checkups to provide only emergency care. Riccobene Associates, with 36 offices and some 600 employees around the Triangle, was one of the last to make the change.

By Monday, only 22 of those offices remained open, and they were treating only patients with emergencies. Even with that limit, Dr. Lara Clark, a Cary dentist, said she was plenty busy, seeing "quite a bit, a lot of grateful people."

A Riccobene Associates spokesperson said there were 203 patients on the schedule Monday, which is often the busiest day of the week, and 123 scheduled for Tuesday.

Endodontist Eric Rivera said, "We're encouraging people to follow the governor's guidelines, of course, to stay at home. But for those patients who have pain or swelling, we are here for them. We've dedicated ourselves to come in and provide that care."

All Riccobene Associates offices are offering free consultations for emergencies, even for those who are not established patients.

"This is what we do. This is what we're passionate about, helping people in the community," Clark said. "We're glad to be here in this time of crisis to help in this situation."

The staff who work with patients are taking precautions, and everyone's temperature is checked before they enter the office.

"We are also cleaning everything every hour on the hour," Clark said.

"We are at risk. We know that," Rivera said. "We're taking precautions with that risk in mind. We really want to help people stay out of the hospital and out of the emergency room."

In a statement issued March 16, ADA President Chad P. Gehani said, "The American Dental Association recognizes the unprecedented and extraordinary circumstances dentists and all health care professionals face related to growing concern about COVID-19. The ADA is deeply concerned for the health and well-being of the public and the dental team. In order for dentistry to do its part to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the ADA recommends dentists nationwide postpone elective procedures for the next three weeks. Concentrating on emergency dental care will allow us to care for our emergency patients and alleviate the burden that dental emergencies would place on hospital emergency departments."

Riccobene Associates offices also donated some protective personal equipment to hospitals that might need it more to protect staff who treat people with coronavirus.

Those with dental emergencies who don't have a regular dentist can connect with one through the University of North Carolina Adams School of Dentistry's teleheath service called Carolina Dentistry. Call 919-537-3088. Phones are answered Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.