Volume 7 • 2020 • Issue 5

“InMarch, our office donated all of our unopened PPE. So when we knew we were coming back towork, we did a lot research into how to get all the supplies we needed. We ended up getting creative and hired a seamstress to make gowns and head coverings. We came back the first week of May when urgent care was allowed by the RCDSO. Endodontics isemergency-driven; ourpatientswho we’d been treating pharmacologically really needed in-office care.” Dr. Maneesh Sharma, Kanata, ON “After being closed for eight weeks, we had a backlog of patients with fairly urgent needs. The first week back, we saw a lot of patients for short triage appointments, mainly to check in on their care needs. We scheduled them to come back for the necessary work, booking longer appointments for efficiency. During weeks two and three, we addressed urgent restorative work as well as finishing up cases we had started prior to the closure.” Dr. Heather Veysey, Moncton, NB “To reopenour threepractices,wefirst had tocommunicate with our 39 staff members and discuss the guidelines for reopening. We also looked at other provinces’ guidelines and those from our staff’s professional organizations. We asked for feedback. We wanted to all be on the same page. The next steps were figuring out how to procure the equipment we needed to reopen and then reimagining the patient experience of our services. How will patients feel when they come to our offices?” Dr. Aditya Patel, Halifax, NS “Many dentists here were providing emergency care during the shutdown because there wasn’t a centralized place to send patients who needed such care. In most cases that was triage, but not all. In late May and June, it was a slow opening up of non‑emergency services for dental offices.” Dr. Michelle Zwicker, Bay Roberts, NL “In PEI, during the height of restrictions, we created online support groups for dentists that were very well attended, and those groups are still going strong even though we are back at work now. Dentistry reopened here at the end of May. We are slowly moving back into something that closely resembles regular practise. Hygienists are also back at work, so the whole family is together, so to speak.” Dr. Michael Connolly, Charlottetown, PEI “Following a total uprooting of our offices with employees furloughed and frightened, it took time for our Order to develop a protocol requiring advanced air ventilation, enclosing of operatories, and wearing of fitted N95 masks. Most dental clinics in Quebec are privately owned and managed and are not large institutions with major infrastructure and buying power. The federal government has been supportive with small business loans and the wage subsidies program (CEWS) allowing us to stay afloat. We’ve been motivated to persevere by our profound sense of responsibility toward our chosen profession, and our beloved patients, which keeps us focused and hones our leadership skills.” Dr. Milène Abadi, Westmount, QC 11 Issue 5 | 2020 | CDA at W ork