{"id":221,"date":"2020-12-06T08:26:33","date_gmt":"2020-12-06T08:26:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\/blog\/?p=221"},"modified":"2026-04-01T15:10:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T15:10:06","slug":"5-things-to-expect-from-your-dentist-in-bellingham-during-the-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\/blog\/5-things-to-expect-from-your-dentist-in-bellingham-during-the-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Things to Expect at the Dentist\u2019s Office During the COVID-19 Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\/blog\/5-things-to-expect-from-your-dentist-in-bellingham-during-the-pandemic\/\" class=\"block-image-link\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Picture1-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Woman wearing a mask and getting her temperature taken with an electric thermometer\" class=\"wp-image-222\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Picture1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Picture1.jpg 363w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><p>According to the CDC, 20.6 million people have been diagnosed with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\/covid-19-safety-protocol.html\">COVID-19<\/a>, and 351 thousand have died. It&rsquo;s easy to say that the coronavirus has created a lot of concern when it comes to leaving your home. Tooth decay, gingivitis and other dental issues can&rsquo;t be paused, so you may be wondering, &ldquo;How safe is it to go to the dentist near me?&rdquo; Luckily, your dentist in Bellingham has updated their sterilization protocols to provide patients with an incredibly safe environment. Keep reading to learn what you can expect when visiting the dentist during the current pandemic and why you shouldn&rsquo;t worry.<\/p><!--more--><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Masks Will Be Required<\/h2><p>Your state or city lawmakers may require you to wear a mask while in public locations. The need to wear a mask is not only for your own protection, but it is also for the safety of others. The dental team will be wearing masks as well. Like any other disease or illness, some may be asymptomatic or mistake the virus for a simple cold. Because this disease can be transferred through respiratory droplets, it is important to wear your mask over your nose and mouth.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You May Wait in Your Car<\/h2><p>Due to social distancing requirements, offices are taking steps to fulfill these needs as patients wait for their turn with the dentist. For this very reason, it is likely that you will be asked to remain in your vehicle until it is time for your appointment. You may also be required to call the office from your vehicle to check-in, rather than directly entering the dental office. Doing this allows them to comply with social distancing protocols.&nbsp;<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You May Be Screened for COVID-19<\/h2><p>Your dental office may ask you a short series of health-related questions over the phone before your appointment. This is done to help determine your health. It is also very likely that they will take your temperature once you enter the office.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Minimal Waiting Room Items<\/h2><p>When you do get into the waiting room, there will likely be limited seating and no reading materials. The removal of unnecessary surfaces that may be prone to contamination is an effort to reduce infection rates. It is also possible that you will see transparent dividers located throughout the office.&nbsp;<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Longer Appointments<\/h2><p>Increased safety protocols require dental offices to disinfect frequently used surfaces after each patient, so it&rsquo;s very likely that your appointment will take longer than you&rsquo;re used to. You can also expect to see staff wearing personal protective equipment, which is replaced before treating each patient.<\/p><p>Your visit to the dentist will definitely be different, but safety protocols dentistry during COVID-19 have been amplified for the protection of you and the entire dental office. You can trust that your dentist and those who work alongside them are sterilizing tools, washing their hands frequently and following specific safety guidelines to keep you and your family safe.<\/p><p><strong>About the Practice<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p><p>At Moreno &amp; Young Dental, Drs. Ron Moreno and John Young are committed to providing patients with a safe environment to receive the quality dental care they deserve. Their professional organization affiliations include the American Dental Association, the Academy of General Dentistry, and more. If you are dealing with cavities or other dental issues, contact the office at (360) 676-0642 or visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\/contact-us.html\">website<\/a> to schedule a visit today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"According to the CDC, 20.6 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and 351 thousand have died. It\u2019s easy to say that the coronavirus has created a lot of concern when it comes to leaving your home. Tooth decay, gingivitis and other dental issues can\u2019t be paused, so you may be wondering, \u201cHow safe is it to go to the dentist near me?\u201d Luckily, your dentist in Bellingham has updated their sterilization protocols to provide patients with an incredibly safe environment. Keep reading to learn what you can expect when visiting the dentist during the current pandemic and why you shouldn\u2019t worry. <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\/blog\/5-things-to-expect-from-your-dentist-in-bellingham-during-the-pandemic\/\">(Read More)<\/a>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What to Expect at the Dentist Amidst COVID-19 | Moreno &amp; Young Dental<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The pandemic has created a new normal for the world. Keep reading to see what to expect from your dentist in Bellingham amidst the pandemic.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\/blog\/5-things-to-expect-from-your-dentist-in-bellingham-during-the-pandemic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What to Expect at the Dentist Amidst COVID-19 | Moreno &amp; Young Dental\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The pandemic has created a new normal for the world. Keep reading to see what to expect from your dentist in Bellingham amidst the pandemic.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\/blog\/5-things-to-expect-from-your-dentist-in-bellingham-during-the-pandemic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Moreno &amp; Young Dental Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-12-06T08:26:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-01T15:10:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Picture1-300x169.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"dr_moreno\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"dr_moreno\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\\\/blog\\\/5-things-to-expect-from-your-dentist-in-bellingham-during-the-pandemic\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\\\/blog\\\/5-things-to-expect-from-your-dentist-in-bellingham-during-the-pandemic\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"dr_moreno\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0a171a89d2718e39aae5ba493f7aa779\"},\"headline\":\"5 Things to Expect at the Dentist\u2019s Office During the COVID-19 Pandemic\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-06T08:26:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-01T15:10:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\\\/blog\\\/5-things-to-expect-from-your-dentist-in-bellingham-during-the-pandemic\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":572,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\\\/blog\\\/5-things-to-expect-from-your-dentist-in-bellingham-during-the-pandemic\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/Picture1-300x169.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\\\/blog\\\/5-things-to-expect-from-your-dentist-in-bellingham-during-the-pandemic\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\\\/blog\\\/5-things-to-expect-from-your-dentist-in-bellingham-during-the-pandemic\\\/\",\"name\":\"What to Expect at the Dentist Amidst COVID-19 | Moreno & Young Dental\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\\\/blog\\\/5-things-to-expect-from-your-dentist-in-bellingham-during-the-pandemic\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\\\/blog\\\/5-things-to-expect-from-your-dentist-in-bellingham-during-the-pandemic\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/Picture1-300x169.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-06T08:26:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-01T15:10:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mydentalbellingham.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0a171a89d2718e39aae5ba493f7aa779\"},\"description\":\"The pandemic has created a new normal for the world. 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