Volume 7 • 2020 • Issue 5

“We made the most of the time off to learn the best practices so that we could implement them as efficiently and effectively as possible as soon as our health authority gave us the green light to resume patient care. This included researching, sourcing, and purchasing auxiliary equipment, software for easy COVID-19 screening questionnaires, and of course, all necessary PPE. The response from our patients has been overwhelmingly positive, and we attribute this to their trust in our commitment to ensuring both their safety, and that of our team, all while providing crucial care and comfort during an extremely uncertain period of time.” Dr. Scott Kollen, Vancouver, BC “The pandemic has been tough; I have three young kids and it was hard on them. Saskatchewan was one of the earliest provinces to allow dentists to return to practise. The process was phased and, at the beginning, what we could do was very limited. It has been a rollercoaster ride. We still have significant challenges with PPE though our College has helped; they have a N95 distribution program.” Dr. Hilary Stevens, Saskatoon, SK “I was off for 10 weeks. As an associate, I felt somewhat sheltered from some of the chaos. Preparing to come back, our whole office had a Zoom call to talk through the new protocols and how we’d manage flow. Before our first day of work, we had a staff meeting in the office where we got to see the physical changes to the office and ask questions. It felt really important to have the in-person connection again after being away.” Dr. Tobias Meiszinger, Calgary, AB “When restrictions were tight, we thought about what work we coulddo. As agroup,Manitobadentistsdidagreat joborganizing support and shared resources and theMDA put on a virtual town hall. In my office, we did work that we’ve always wanted to do, but never had time for, such as building our team communication skills with the help of a coach. Doing that made reopening less stressful; what we were already doing led naturally into treating our patients again in person.” Dr. Lori Simoens, Winnipeg, MB “We have been very fortunate so far to only have 11 cases of COVID-19, mostly from international travel, and no community spread. Our restrictions have been quite stringent throughout the pandemic. Dental offices in the Yukon opened for non-emergency care on July 1. My office was open throughout for emergency care, but it was a learning curve. We had to layoff all our staff, though our assistants were on-call for emergencies. We’ve been keeping in touch with staff via Zoom calls with updated protocols. We’re ready to hit the ground running.” Dr. Colin Nash, Whitehorse, YK TheCOVID-19pandemic affectedcommunities acrossCanadadifferently and the responseof publichealthofficials also varied. The experience of the pandemic itself and the return to practice is quite diverse. In June, CDA Essentials talked with dentists from coast to coast to coast, and we found that overall, they have quickly adapted to new circumstances and are ready (and pleased) to be seeing their patients. They are creating innovative solutions and showing fierce determination to overcome any obstacles. Here is a small collection of your colleagues’ experiences. How Dentists Across Canada Experienced Return to Practice 10 | 2020 | Issue 5 CDA at W ork