The Importance of the COVID-19 Vaccination and Safety Measures at Princeview Dental Group

After an extremely long and challenging year and a half of living through the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are understandably anxious to get back to some sense of a normal life. For those who have been neglecting their oral health or avoiding going to the dentist while in lockdown, that includes getting a dental checkup, cleaning, or other types of treatment.

Ontario recently opened up COVID-19 vaccinations for anyone over the age of 18, which means more people will be getting vaccinated soon. In light of this, the staff at Princeview Dental Group in Etobicoke would like to reassure our patients that we’re doing everything we can to ensure a safe environment for everyone in our clinic. Throughout the pandemic, we’ve been closely following all COVID-19 health and safety measures to ensure the well-being of our staff and patients and minimize the risk of spread of the virus.

Why It’s Important to Get the COVID-19 Vaccination

Vaccines contain trace amounts of pathogens and viruses. The idea is to introduce these foreign cells into the body so that the immune system can recognize them and produce antibodies that can fight the virus off in the future. Ultimately, the goal with the COVID-19 vaccine is to create herd immunity. When a certain percentage of a population get vaccinated—in this case about 70%—this can effectively stop the spread of a deadly virus. Here are a few reasons why you should consider getting a COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible.

• They’re safe and clinically tested. In Canada, vaccines must undergo a multitude of health, safety, and efficacy tests before they can be widely distributed to the public. Some of this testing can include voluntary human trials to see how the vaccines impact humans and test their efficacy against COVID-19 and other diseases. Health Canada is the organization that oversees vaccine development and distribution.
• Vaccines improve immunity. When pathogens and bacteria enter the bloodstream, the immune system immediately springs into action to create antibodies that can fight off these diseases. Hence, vaccination and herd immunity are the only way to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Our Safety Measures against COVID-19

At Princeview Dental Group, we take the health and well-being of our patients and staff very seriously. For our part we’ve implemented the following health and safety measures to limit the spread of COVID-19:

• Our staff have been vaccinated with the first dose of vaccine in March 2021 and are scheduled for the second follow up dose in June.
• We regularly and thoroughly sanitize our clinic at the beginning and end of each day as well as between appointments using industrial grade, yet environmentally friendly cleaning products.
• We clean and sanitize all of our dental equipment thoroughly and on a regular basis to eliminate the risk of patient-to-patient transmission.
• We’ve limited the number of patients allowed inside our clinic at the same time and are adhering to strict physical distancing, mask wearing and hand sanitizing measures.
• We’re implementing regular staff and patient temperature checks and monitoring.
• We’re carefully following all RCDSO health and safety measures and guidelines, including utilizing all recommended PPE protections that have been put in place for patients and staff.
• We encourage all of our staff members to stay home if they’re feeling ill and get tested for COVID-19.
• We have installed additional HEPA air filtration units in all our operatories and implemented fallow (waiting) periods between each patient when the clinic room cannot be used to allow for removal of any air borne pathogens.

If you have any questions or concerns about our COVID-19 safety measures or would like to book an appointment, please feel free to contact our clinic.