Do N95 masks protect adequately against Covid Omnicron?



 I have been using N95s since June of 2020 and have treated numerous unmasked patients while in my office and at NYU College of Dentistry. Actually I "double mask" using a type II or type III surgical mask as an outer covering. The second mask keeps my N95 from getting overly soiled and allows me to get multiple uses out of each N-95 mask. The masks I wear are "genuine" and not counterfeits. The have a NIOSH label and actual numbers stamped on the masks. These masks are either given to m by the dental school or purchased in batches from Schein dental.

For most of this time I have taken the subway home from work and lately the trains are getting more crowded. Invariably there are multiple riders either not wearing a mask or wearing one improperly (often they are seated next to me). To the best of my knowledge, I have not contracted Covid. My conclusion is that N95's offer significant protection from Covid, including the Omnicron varient.

We have been giving out N95 masks in our dental goody bags that patients receive after their teeth are  cleaned. If they desire we give them on lesson on how to don and wear their new gift mask as well. While most of the patients are pleased a surprising number report that they don't like wearing the N95 masks. Usually we discuss the benefits of wearing them while on public transportation and shopping in stores. 

I explain that these may take some getting used to but will tend to keep them safe while they are out and about.  Hopefully my patients will benefit from wearing these masks and at least for a while avoid getting a breakthrough case of Covid. Even if Covid is here to stay, it seems prudent to avoid getting it for now, since some of the medicines that can be utilized in treating patients are in short supply and hospitals still have their hands full dealing with new Omnicron infections.



from Ask Dr. Spindel - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/2022/01/do-n95-masks-protect-adequately-against.html - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Help! My Child is Terrified of the Dentist

Image
If you’re the parent of a young child, you know their brains are similar to sponges that soak up everything around them—especially in their first five years, which neuroscientists say is when they’ll do the most learning and developing in their entire life. At this formative time, your child may amaze you with what they notice: your facial expressions, the different tones of your voice, and your habits. If your habits include regular dental visits and an excellent oral hygiene routine, they’ll notice and want to emulate you. If you happen to feel anxious about your dental visits, or you groan when you’ve got to floss and brush, they may synchronize and feel your dread. This could lead to dental fears that stick with them for years—potentially a lifetime! Kids Can Be Courageous If you’re feeling guilty right now, go ahead and put that away as it won’t serve you or your little one. Everyone has some room for improvement, and Coastal Pediatric Dentistry® is here to help show you an...
Read more

Going for the Gold?

Image
On the left is the older allow, on the right the new one that my lab has chosen to use The cost of a penny weight of pure gold is currently $79.53. The cost of a penny weight of pure palladium is $130.6. It used to be that palladium was added instead of gold to the precious metals often used for pfms, but now laboratories are finding that palladium is no longer affordable. The lab that I am using has just changed the formulation of the metal it's using to one that has more gold than palladium. I really do not mind, but metals with more gold are softer and often easier for a dentist to accidentally polish off delicate margins. It is important when polishing "higher gold" formulations to exert less hand pressure when performing the final polishing of the crown's margins. Other wise there should be no problem with this change. Traditionally labs have chosen alloys with higher gold percentages for optimal esthetics, since alloys with higher concentrations of ...
Read more

Lemon Juice – The Good, the Bad, & the Sour

Image
In a great tale of opposites, lemon juice can be both acidic and basic, or alkaline. Read on to find out why people are talking about this, and what it means for your oral and overall health . What is pH and why does it matter? Drinking lemon juice (usually diluted in a glass of water or added to a cup of tea) is a beloved health tonic among fans of natural medicine. Potential benefits include lower cholesterol, lower inflammation in the body, and increased metabolism and energy. Lemon also contains high levels of antioxidants and vitamin C that boost your immune system. On a scale from 0-14, a pH of 7 is neutral (pure water) while numbers below 7 are acidic (unhealthy), and above 7 are basic or alkaline (healthy). Believers in holistic health blame many ailments on the body’s pH being too low or too acidic. Increasing your body’s pH is called “alkalizing.” Lemon juice in its natural state is acidic with a pH of about 2, but once metabolized it actually becomes alkaline with a pH ...
Read more