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    “To minimize risk, not only does our practice follow the recommended guidelines set forth by the ADA, we have taken additional measures to maximize safety and ensure our availability. We have adopted a model that splits the staff into two separate teams.”
     
    The War on COVID-19 Has Put Endodontists on the Front Line
    by Dr. William Nudera

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    In a world of uncontrollable biologic variables, dental emergencies have taken center stage. Root canal treatment is a “needs-based” procedure. That need will continue to increase as the doors to most practices remain closed. While the choice to treat patients with dental emergencies during this pandemic remains an individual decision; for the patient, that choice is made for them.

    All dentists are simultaneously getting a crash-course in dental triage. As a former dentist in the United States Air Force, my crash course came in 2001, when I found myself deployed during the initial stages of Operation Enduring Freedom. I was only two years out of dental school, deployed for a routine training exercise. When our plane touched down on 9/11, I found myself in a real-world situation really fast. As the only dentist in the region, I gained a whole new appreciation for how to manage dental emergencies.

    The times we’re living in today are reminiscent of the times I spent working out of a field hospital performing pulpectomies and pulpotomies for our soldiers on their way to war. But the addition of an infectious disease has changed the game. Not only have our emergency protocols been challenged, but more so, our infection control practices are being put to the ultimate test.

    By providing emergency dental treatment, we have the power to keep patients away from our overcrowded emergency rooms. But if we choose to offer this service, we have to be smart. We must keep ourselves, our team and our communities safe from the spread of this virus.

    To minimize risk, not only does our practice follow the recommended guidelines set forth by the ADA, we have taken additional measures to maximize safety and ensure our availability. We have adopted a model that splits the staff into two separate teams. Each team consists of one doctor, one front office member and two clinical staff members. The teams rotate weekly and never mix. If a team member should happen to become symptomatic, the entire team will be quarantined, and the other team takes over. If both teams become quarantined, a third doctor and two additional team members have been placed on standby and are available to continue serving our community if needed.

    There is no doubt that times are tough and patients are in need. There is also no doubt that our profession can play a valuable roll during these tough times. We all must to do our part to make a difference, whether its sheltering in place or on the front lines of emergency dentistry. We will get through this.

    For a complete list of what qualifies as a dental emergency, visit the www.ADA.com for more information.

    About the Author

    Dr. William Nudera earned a DDS from the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Dentistry in 1999. Upon graduation, he served in the United States Air Force Dental Corps where he completed a one-year AEGD residency program. During his time of service, Dr. Nudera received a National Defense Service Medal for his involvement in “Operation Enduring Freedom” and was awarded the title of “Air Force Dental Office of the Year” in 2002. Following his service, Dr. Nudera returned to Chicago where he continued to practice general dentistry while pursuing an education in endodontics at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Nudera completed his endodontic training in 2005, earning his Endodontic specialty certificate as well as a Master’s Degree in Oral Sciences.

    Dr. Nudera maintains a full-time private practice limited to endodontics at Specialized Endodontic Solutions in Bloomingdale, Illinois, and downtown Chicago at Advanced Endodontics of Chicago. Dr. Nudera currently holds a faculty position in the Department of Endodontics at the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Dentistry.

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    The War on COVID-19 Has Put Endodontists on the Front Line
    by Dr. William Nudera

    In a world of uncontrollable biologic variables, dental emergencies have taken center stage. Root canal treatment is a “needs-based” procedure. That need will continue to increase as the doors to most practices remain closed. While the choice to treat patients with dental emergencies during this pandemic remains an individual decision; for the patient, that choice is made for them.

    All dentists are simultaneously getting a crash-course in dental triage. As a former dentist in the United States Air Force, my crash course came in 2001, when I found myself deployed during the initial stages of Operation Enduring Freedom. I was only two years out of dental school, deployed for a routine training exercise. When our plane touched down on 9/11, I found myself in a real-world situation really fast. As the only dentist in the region, I gained a whole new appreciation for how to manage dental emergencies.

    The times we’re living in today are reminiscent of the times I spent working out of a field hospital performing pulpectomies and pulpotomies for our soldiers on their way to war. But the addition of an infectious disease has changed the game. Not only have our emergency protocols been challenged, but more so, our infection control practices are being put to the ultimate test.

    By providing emergency dental treatment, we have the power to keep patients away from our overcrowded emergency rooms. But if we choose to offer this service, we have to be smart. We must keep ourselves, our team and our communities safe from the spread of this virus.

    To minimize risk, not only does our practice follow the recommended guidelines set forth by the ADA, we have taken additional measures to maximize safety and ensure our availability. We have adopted a model that splits the staff into two separate teams. Each team consists of one doctor, one front office member and two clinical staff members. The teams rotate weekly and never mix. If a team member should happen to become symptomatic, the entire team will be quarantined, and the other team takes over. If both teams become quarantined, a third doctor and two additional team members have been placed on standby and are available to continue serving our community if needed.

    There is no doubt that times are tough and patients are in need. There is also no doubt that our profession can play a valuable roll during these tough times. We all must to do our part to make a difference, whether its sheltering in place or on the front lines of emergency dentistry. We will get through this.

    For a complete list of what qualifies as a dental emergency, visit the www.ADA.com for more information.

    About the Author

    Dr. William Nudera earned a DDS from the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Dentistry in 1999. Upon graduation, he served in the United States Air Force Dental Corps where he completed a one-year AEGD residency program. During his time of service, Dr. Nudera received a National Defense Service Medal for his involvement in “Operation Enduring Freedom” and was awarded the title of “Air Force Dental Office of the Year” in 2002. Following his service, Dr. Nudera returned to Chicago where he continued to practice general dentistry while pursuing an education in endodontics at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Nudera completed his endodontic training in 2005, earning his Endodontic specialty certificate as well as a Master’s Degree in Oral Sciences.

    Dr. Nudera maintains a full-time private practice limited to endodontics at Specialized Endodontic Solutions in Bloomingdale, Illinois, and downtown Chicago at Advanced Endodontics of Chicago. Dr. Nudera currently holds a faculty position in the Department of Endodontics at the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Dentistry.

     

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    Business

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    Dr. Travis Campbell

    Are you ready to significantly reduce your dental insurance frustrations?  Would you like to achieve higher reimbursements, fewer denials, and happier patients?...

    Read More →
    Clinical

    Think Like an Endodontist and “ReThink” Your Approach to Endodontics

    William J. Nudera, DDS, MS

    NuEndo ReThinking Endodontics, is the first of its kind resource that uses easy-to-follow systems designed to simplify the complex process of endodontic diagnosis and case selection. The guide leads you through a series of well-organized,...

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    Rethinking Endodontics!

    For the general dentist and the experienced endodontist alike, this book is a guide and a reference tool for the complex processes of endodontic diagnosis, prognosis, and case selection. Understand the dynamics of the pulpal-dentin complex, the underlying conditions related to pulpal and periapical disease, and the methods surrounding its...

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