Routine dental services can resume Monday

CONCORD — Guidelines approved by Gov. Chris Sununu provide guidance for dentists to resume routine care as soon as Monday.

In a Friday afternoon news conference, Sununu also announced widespread availability of COVID-19 antibody testing.

Dentists have been providing only emergent care in an effort to limit the potential spread of COVID-19.

The new guidelines provide confidence that routine dental care can be performed in a manner that will protect dental professionals and patients from the virus, Sununu said. The American Dental Association and state associations for dentists and hygienists provided input into the guidance, which was vetted by state health officials.

Orthodontic procedures would resume, but elective cosmetic procedures would not.

Hygienists would use a hand tool to scrape plaque from teeth, rather than an ultrasound device that can be more problematic in terms of airborne particles that could spread the disease.

Patients would be screened before getting a routine dental appointment to make sure they were not having COVID-19 symptoms and did not come into contact with anybody known to have had a positive test result for the disease. Their temperature would be taken prior to treatment.

Sununu said the state has good availability of personal protection equipment for dentists to use as they resume normal services.

He also said the state has strong supplies of COVID-19 testing materials.

ClearChoice MD is now offering COVID-19 antibody testing at nine locations in New Hampshire, including Alton, Belmont and Tilton.

The state will cover the cost of the test for those without insurance or with insurance that does not cover this.

Antibody tests are an important tool in helping epidemiologists to better understand how many people may have been exposed to the disease, said Health Commissioner Lori Shibinette.

Presence of antibodies to COVID-19 indicates someone previously had been infected with the disease and might have some immunity to it.

“What we don’t know is how long you maintain that immunity,” she said. “We don’t want to give the guidance that once you have antibodies you don’t ever need to worry about COVID-19 again.”

The state has also expanded regular diagnostic testing for COVID-19. More than 3,500 people have used a new online portal at NH.gov that allows for the scheduling of such tests at various locations, including one in Plymouth.

People who are over 60, are a medical professional or have an underlying condition can get these tests, which are covered by insurance or by the state. Others can get the test if they have just one symptom for the respiratory disease, such as fever, chills or cough.

Tests are also available at hospitals and urgent care centers. Mobile testing units are also in operation.

The state has increased the number of tests administered to more than 1,200 per day, and that number will continue to grow as demand through the online reservation system has been strong, the commissioner said.