Dental procedures present a unique challenge for preventing the spread of infectious disease. Many common treatments generate aerosols—fine mists containing respiratory droplets that can remain suspended in the air. Because of this, dental settings require rigorous infection control protocols to protect patients, staff, and the community. Public health guidelines address whether a person with COVID-19 should keep a dental appointment.
Protocols for Routine and Non-Urgent Care
If you have tested positive for COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms, immediately contact your dental office to reschedule your appointment. Public health guidance requires individuals with a confirmed infection or active symptoms to isolate. Therefore, non-urgent procedures, such as routine cleanings, examinations, and cosmetic treatments, must be postponed.
Mandatory screening, often conducted by phone before your visit, determines your current health status and recent exposure. Dental offices ask specific questions about symptoms like fever, cough, fatigue, recent positive test results, and exposure history. This proactive screening intercepts potentially infectious patients before they enter the facility.
If you fail the screening or disclose a recent positive test or symptoms, the office will postpone your visit until you meet the criteria for discontinuing isolation. The dental team uses this information to determine risk and ensure compliance with infection control recommendations. Postponing non-urgent care minimizes the risk of virus transmission within the clinical environment, especially during aerosol-generating procedures.
Seeking Emergency Dental Treatment While Positive
While routine care must be rescheduled, a true dental emergency cannot wait, even for a COVID-positive patient. A dental emergency is defined as a potentially life-threatening situation requiring immediate treatment to stop ongoing bleeding or alleviate severe pain or infection. Examples include uncontrolled oral bleeding, facial trauma that compromises the airway, or a spreading soft tissue bacterial infection with swelling.
For urgent situations, the dental office must first triage the issue over the phone to confirm it qualifies as an emergency. If confirmed, the office will take specialized precautions to treat you while minimizing risk to the dental team and other patients. This may involve treatment in a designated isolation room with enhanced ventilation and air filtration systems.
The dental personnel treating you will utilize enhanced Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This includes a higher-level respirator, such as an N95 mask, along with a full face shield, gown, and gloves. After the procedure, staff must delay entry into the operatory for a specific period to allow air changes to remove infectious airborne particles. In complex cases, the dental office may refer the patient to a hospital or specialized facility better equipped to handle a highly contagious patient.
Safety Measures in the Dental Office
Dental practices have adopted numerous measures to create a safer environment, building upon standard infection control practices. Many offices have invested in enhanced air quality controls, including high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration units in treatment rooms and common areas. These devices continuously scrub the air, removing up to 99.97% of airborne particles, including respiratory droplets.
To manage patient flow and reduce the potential for contact, many offices have implemented staggered appointment scheduling. This approach limits the number of people in the waiting area at any given time, maintaining physical distancing protocols. Patients are often asked to wait in their cars until the treatment room is ready for them, bypassing the traditional waiting room entirely.
Clinical staff routinely utilize higher-grade PPE, including N95 or equivalent respirators and face shields, particularly during aerosol-generating procedures. Before a procedure begins, patients may be asked to rinse with an antimicrobial mouthwash. This pre-procedural rinse temporarily reduces the microbial load in the oral cavity, adding an extra layer of protection.
When to Resume Normal Dental Visits
You can return for routine dental care once you have met the current public health criteria for discontinuing isolation following a COVID-19 infection. The primary requirements center on a specific amount of time elapsed since your symptoms first appeared or since your positive test result. You must also show significant clinical improvement.
A person is considered safe to return when they have been fever-free for a full 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication. Other symptoms, such as cough or fatigue, should be noticeably improving. A persistent loss of taste or smell may not disqualify you from treatment if all other criteria are met.
Consult directly with your dental office or refer to your local health department’s guidelines for the most current isolation and clearance protocols. Always inform your dental provider about the date of your positive test and the date your symptoms began. Clear communication ensures your oral health needs are met while maintaining a safe environment for everyone.