Dentist in Terrell & Rockwall, TX | How to Care for Your Smile When You Catch the Cold or Flu

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We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and we are all looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.

Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice, and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it is both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association® (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up to date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to each agency's recommendations.

Although Governor Abbot allowed dentists in the state of Texas to begin seeing patients beginning May 4, 2020, we waited an additional week to make double sure the safety of our patients and staff were not at risk.

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:

Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You will be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.
We have hand sanitizer that we ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office to use as needed.
You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children's toys and so forth since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean you are offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as reducing the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.
We are urging anyone accompanying or transporting a patient to the scheduled appointment to remain in their car while the dental treatment is occurring OR drop off the patient and we can call you at the conclusion of the dental appointment to return and pick up the scheduled patient.

We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at 972-563-1670 or visit our website at scottervindds.com.

Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.

Sincerely,

Scott A. Ervin, DDS and Staff

972-563-1670 606 N Rockwall Ave.
Terrell, TX 75160

Posted February 13, 2017.

Are you sick with the cold or flu? If so, our Scott A. Ervin DDS PA dental team is so sorry! We encourage you to rest so you can recover quickly. We also encourage you to keep your smile in mind while you’re blowing your nose or wrapping yourself in a blanket. The cold and flu illnesses can affect your smile in a myriad of ways. They can cause toothaches, enamel erosion, bad breath, and more. Because of this, it’s important to take good care of your oral health. You can do so by doing the following things:

–Brush your teeth: Being sick can be extremely tiring and exhausting, but that doesn’t mean you should skip out on brushing your teeth. Plaque and food particles still gather on your teeth when you’re sick, so make sure you brush your chompers for two minutes each time.

–Drink plenty of liquids: If you stay hydrated, you can recover and heal quicker. You can also avoid the dental issue dry mouth. If you’re low on saliva, there is a chance tooth decay can attack your smile, so make sure you drink plenty of water and juice.

–Toss your toothbrush: When you have recovered from your sickness, don’t forget to throw your toothbrush away. This is vital because your toothbrush is infected with bacteria and germs that can attack your immune system once again. So, make sure to throw your brush away.

–Rinse with salt water: Rinsing your mouth with salt water can kill the bacteria in your mouth and improve your breath. So, put a tablespoon of salt in a glass of warm water and swish it in your mouth for one minute.

–Take sugar-free medication: Unfortunately, many cough syrups and medications are doused with sugar to make them more enjoyable. This is unfortunate because the sugar can attack your smile and cause cavities. So, it’s best to stick to taking sugar-free medications.

Taking care of your smile is vital while you’re sick, especially if you want to maintain a top-notch oral health. So, please do your best to use the tips we have provided. For more information, tips, and details about how to have a strong and healthy smile while you are sick in Terrell, Texas, please call our office at 972-563-1670 and schedule an appointment with Dr. Scott A. Ervin. We look forward to helping you!