Cranford Dental Update: Coronavirus Quarantine

April 2, 2020 update: Canceled preventive patients through April. Seeing emergencies only. Call if you need us.

Our office will use this post for updates during the Coronavirus Quarantine. Check back here for future information.

Our office is not closed. Rather we are available to answer questions or help with dental needs during this time.

The American Dental Association and the Centers for Disease Control recommended that dental offices limit services to emergency treatments. Thus our dentists and staff join the rest of Rock Hill in social distancing and working from home.

Here is information for the quarantine period:

How to contact Cranford Dental?

Call our office at 803-324-7670 if you need to discuss a dental problem. Leave a message and we will call you back within three hours. If you need to reach a dentist quickly, call Dr. Cranford at 803-417-2010.

We will also respond to email messages. Contact us online if you would rather communicate by email.

Please get in touch with questions or concerns, even if you think they may be minor.

When will you start preventive visits?

Our office will follow the guidelines set by the President, the ADA, and the Center for Disease Control.

We are confident that our sterilization procedures work to make our office safe.  Thus we will reopen as soon as we get the go ahead.

Thankfully, our staff is trained to protect both themselves and their patients. The CDC will keep us informed of additional recommended safety procedures for when the office opens.

Are you seeing emergency patients?

We will see patients who have dental emergencies in our office.

For now we are asking emergency patients to wash hands and answer screening questions before we see them.

We will also go over how we sterilize our office and equipment to make emergency patients feel safe.

Will you keep your office staff?

Our dental assistants, hygienists, and office administrators are valuable to our Rock Hill, SC dental office. They are well trained and really love their work (and especially their patients).

We know they will work hard as we call patients back to the office for routine treatments.

Yes, we plan to keep all of our staff members with Cranford Dental.

How will a dental office work from home?

Our office staff will meet online twice a week using Zoom. This will help us communicate needs and stay on task with projects and continuing education.

In addition, we set up OneNote on each employee’s home computer or phone. Each staff member will use this to keep up with online learning and make notes that will help the office stay on course.

Also, we are fortunate that technology today allows us to see you when you can’t come to the office.

Let us know if you need an at home dental visit. Our dentists will connect with you online.

Are dentists worried about COVID-19?

Our office met each day last week to gain perspective on our new reality—and to plan for a positive future.

A comfort to me is that our great country has faced very tough times before. The United States always comes through better, stronger, and more unified after facing uncertainty.

Dr. Bill Cranford

Consider the past

I look back at 9/11—the Cuban Missile Crisis—Pearl Harbor—the Great Depression—the polio terror—-world wars—the Influenza Pandemic of 1918.

The Great Flu of 1918 killed over 600,000 Americans and 17 to 50 million people worldwide. Surely this COVID-19  will not be nearly as bad.

Look to the future

But certainly this virus will change our lives for a long time.

The Coronavirus may be the calamity that defines this age. Yes, we are concerned; however, I know that Rock Hill and our country will pull together and come back stronger and wiser. Our office will work to be part of that.

How do you encourage your dental staff and patients?

When we met early last week, I brought up four key words to remember during the coming weeks:

Faith

We will trust God, knowing that He cares for us individually and as a people. Also, we need to believe that our government, despite all the bickering, will do the right thing. Likewise, researchers and medical experts in our country are capable to guide us in the right direction.

We need to continue to be faithful in all areas of our lives: with family, friends, work, and spiritual, physical, and mental health.

Dr. Bill Cranford

Safety

Both at work and home, we must be safe: follow CDC recommendations to protect ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and our patients.

We must do everything possible to minimize the impact of this virus.

Service

For most of my life I have felt called to serve. And I know that my staff members feel the same way. Thus they are compassionate and dedicated in their care for patients.

This is a season of life where we will all step up and serve where needed. And we will help others to the best of our ability. Then we will do what is right for our patients.

Hopefully we will look back at this as a time we put forth our best care and service ever.

Hope

This is not a time to waver or wear out. On the contrary, it is a time to assess, plan, and prepare for the future.

I trust that we will look back in five years and say our country and community did what was right. We put our people first.

God is good. He has us in the center of the palm of His hand.

Do you have advice for patients and staff on staying healthy and sane?

Grow, improve, and communicate

• Do online continuing  education online.
• Choose a new skill and learn all you can about it.
• Stay in touch with staff members to share information.
• Reach out to patients and the community.

Maintain overall health

My recent research on oral health and general health made me aware of the importance of maintaining good habits to stay healthy. Taking care of one area of life transfers into other areas.

With that in mind, resolve to keep up your dental health at home. Floss and brush for two minutes at least twice a day. And remember to use safety practices while caring for your teeth.

Avoid sweets and sticky foods that are harmful to your teeth and body; rather, eat healthy fruits and vegetables and lean proteins.

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Also keep up or add to your exercise plan, including time spent outside.

Contact your dentist or physician if you have concerns about your oral or general health during the Coronavirus Quarantine.

What is a dental emergency?

The ADA defines dental emergencies: conditions that are potentially life threatening and require immediate treatment to stop ongoing tissue bleeding [or to] alleviate severe pain or infection.

ADA guidelines suggest you call your dentist right away if you have the following:

• Bleeding that won’t stop
• Swelling in or around your mouth
• Pain in tooth, jaw, or gums
• Broken or knocked out tooth
• Denture adjustment for cancer patients
• Adjustment of orthodontic wires that cause discomfort
• Biopsies or surgery follow up treatment

For more COVID-19 dental information go the American Dental Association website: https://www.ada.org/

Can Cranford Dental help your family or Rock Hill during this time?

Please call our office at 803-324-7670 or contact us online if you know of ways we can serve you or our community.

We want to do our part in surviving and thriving during this time of quarantine due to Coronavirus.

Please stay in touch and let us know how we can help you or your family.