What it's like to visit the dentist in Nova Scotia during COVID-19

Dentists in Nova Scotia have resumed preventative care for patients, but getting a cavity filled or your teeth cleaned will now likely take longer and cost you more.

Many dental offices in Nova Scotia are charging patients a COVID-19 surcharge to help cover the increased costs of operating their clinics with added safety measures, such as personal protective equipment and more staff. 

The president of the Nova Scotia Dental Association told CBC's Maritime Noon on Thursday that there's no one fee schedule for all clinics, and that costs will vary across the province.

Some will charge a percentage, others a one-time fee or no charge at all, Dr. Chad Avery told Maritime Noon on Thursday. 

"Each individual office has had to determine what is appropriate for their office based on the increase to their overhead, and I think that's a very fluid thing right now as dental offices kind of figure out where this is going to settle," said Avery, who practices in Yarmouth.

From laundering PPE to seeing less patients, clinics are making less money these days, he said. 

"For us to provide the service that our patients expect, we need to be able to pay our staff and provide for our families," Avery said.

PPE and Plexiglass 

Dental clinics were given the green-light to resume "comprehensive care or preventative services" last Friday.

Avery said clinics now screen patients by phone before they show up. They're asked more screening questions when they arrive at the clinic, and are given a new rinse when they enter the room.

"There's certainly a few less patients than what we've been accustomed to seeing," Avery said. "With all the new screening and some of the new infection control stuff, we're having to book a little bit extra time for people these days."

Inside the clinics you'll likely find Plexiglass around the reception desks and dentists and hygienists will be wearing surgical grade masks and face shields. They'll also don gowns if the procedure they're doing produces aerosol.

Avery said while many dentists were able to rely on government help, like the Canada emergency response benefit (CERB) and the 75 per cent wage subsidy, adapting to the new reality of operating during a global pandemic will take time.

"I think that's why you're seeing some of the increased fees to help us to make this a viable business because ultimately that is what dentistry is in our province, it is a business," he said.