Kenneth Fong DDS

Heads up, folks!

Starting April 1st, ages 50 and older will be eligible for the vaccine. No joke. 16 and older can sign up for the vaccine from April 15th. See below to schedule an appointment. https://covid19.ca.gov/vaccines/

Wearing a mask is a simple way to prevent the spread of disease. We saw that with the last flu season. There were few cases. Mask mouth can be a side effect from constant mask wearing. Maintenance is key here. We’ve always emphasized brushing 3 times a day and to maintain regular dental check ups. https://www.colgate.com//threats-to-den/what-is-mask-mouth

Tomorrow, March 15, 2021, 16-64 year old at risk individuals may be eligible for the vaccine. https://www.cdph.ca.gov//CO/Provider-Bulletin-2-12-21.aspx

Good morning! It’s Pi Day! Reset your clocks and have a good day!

It's super important to come in for routine dental cleanings and check ups, not just for emergencies, especially right now during COVID times. Here are some reasons why. https://www.phillymag.com//dentistry-during-covid-19-teeth/

"Many people are putting off dentist appointments during the pandemic because of concerns about infection. Ironically, deferred checkups could put them at greater risk of a severe case of COVID-19 if they have gum disease."

"we recommend that oral hygiene be maintained, if not improved, during a SARS-CoV-2 infection in order to reduce the bacterial load in the mouth and the potential risk of a bacterial superinfection. We recommend that poor oral hygiene be considered a risk to post-viral complications, particularly in patients already predisposed to altered biofilms due to diabetes, hypertension or cardiovascular disease. Bacteria present in patients with severe COVID-19 are associated with the oral cavity and improved oral hygiene may play a part in reducing the risk of complications."

Although there is no place as safe as your own livng room and activities vary greatly by individual, many areas can be relatively safe with proper precautions. Dental offices are listed as Level 4 "safer activities" and we'd like to think that we've been able to lower your risks even further.

We have little control over the uncertainty and turmoil throughout the world, but we continue to be committed to your safety and dental health through these times.

Dr Oz explains it better than us. In addition, San Francisco Department of Public Health requires a Covid-19 test before surgery appointments or appointments that create water spray. We are temporarily not using our ultrasonic scaler for cleaning appointments until we add a few pieces of equipment, but in the future tests will be required for both fixing teeth and cleaning teeth. Please feel free to call us with any questions.

This video explains a common n95 mask fit testing method required yearly in all dental offices in California (with exceptions). The keys to respirator fit are: 1) there needs to be an airtight fit between skin and mask. Facial hair is not acceptable for this type of mask and powered air purifying respirators (PAPR) are an alternative (think 2001 A Space Odyssey, Contagion, etc). 2) the barrier materials need to filter particles to FDA and NIOSH standards (95% airborne par...ticle filtration with electrostatically charged microfibers). The availability of PPE and face covering guidelines have been a hot topic lately. Lack of PPE is partly attributed to: 1) the lack of emergency supply prior to COVID-19 2) the recent rejection of previously accepted European FFP2 and Chinese KN95 masks. My guess is that the FDA initially relaxed standards for masks to increase supply, but rampant fraud and poor quality forced them to re-evaluate 3) increased PPE use; especially masks, shields, and gowns. Some type of face covering is helpful in reducing disease transmission when in public spaces, but N95 masks are not recommended by the CDC for general use because of lack of supply, difficulty fitting (as the video shows), and lack of necessity. Also the majority of n95/kn95 masks for sale to the public are counterfeit and are not FDA/NIOSH approved. Be aware that many ways to sterilize and re-use masks such as uv radiation or spraying with disinfectant damages the masks and makes them less effective. An alternative is to let the mask air dry for 4 days, after which SARS-CoV-2 virus should not be active. The typical path of entry of SARS-CoV-2 into your body is through your mouth, nose, and eyes. Transmission through ears, skin, scalp, etc is unlikely. Masks, glasses, and shields are the primary barriers used to protect these key portals of entry. Gloves, gowns, scrubs, and sometimes head coverings are used to create a barrier over skin so that these areas don’t then contaminate other areas. Gloves shouldn’t be used outside or while shopping because they only transfer virus/bacteria. Gowns and scrubs can be discarded or washed, but should be considered biohazardous waste until treated. By keeping ourselves safe, we also reduce the likelihood of transmission to others. By concentrating on protecting our mouth, nose, and eyes while ignoring ineffective protocols and poor products, we make everyone safer. I hope this was readable and the video informative. I am far from an expert, but I’d be happy to discuss this with you. Be safe and happy!

This is a video that isn't entirely applicable to our use, but it illustrates the effectiveness of hypochlorous acid. There is no place as safe as your own home, but after hundreds of hours of research and equipment evaluation over the past 2 months I feel confident in dentistry's ability to keep you safe. One of the biggest concerns in dentistry is the aerosols produced while treating. These aerosol particles can be as small as 0.3 microns in diameter and remain airborne... for several hours. Our solution (but not the only solution) is a combination of 3 technologies: 1) high speed evacuation close to the site of production with large capacity motors. 2) HEPA filtration to clean ambient air down to 0.3 micron particle sizes 3) hypochlorous water fogging at a 200ppm concentration and 5-20 micron particle size to create a fine mist. This particle size and concentration surrounds and deactivates airborne pathogens safely. I believe this combination is safer and more effective than other airborne disinfection techniques in a dental office such as: ozone, ionization, electrostatic spraying, uvc light, vaporized hydrogen peroxide, or chlorine dioxide. This only addresses airborne particles and I will discuss other disinfection/sterilization techniques in future posts. I'm certainly not an expert on any of this, but would be happy to discuss my findings. I wish you all health and safety.

To our Patients, Friends, and Families, We hope this letter finds you all in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. We anticipate The San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) will lift all restrictions on dental treatment soon and while many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety. Infection control has alwa...ys been a top priority for our practice and we've upgraded our protocols even more to create one of the safest spaces you will encounter outside of your own home. We want to tell you about these infection control procedures that we follow to keep you safe. Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as many other agencies. We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example: 1) Our office will ask a series of health screening questions during your confirmation via email/text/call. We will ask these questions again when you are in our office. 2) Hand sanitizer is available throughout our office as always and we ask that you use it on entering. Your temperature will be measured at check-in, then we ask that you observe social distancing while waiting to be seen. 3) We've added some new equipment to filter and disinfect the air, hard surfaces, and instruments. Countless hours have been spent evaluating the efficacy and safety of this equipment. We would be happy to discuss this with you further. 4) Despite the wealth of technology available to dentistry, we may not be able to perform certain services at this time safely. We will let you know what these are and when they will become available. 5) We may not be able to see you at your regular appointment interval. We will do our best to see you in a timely manner, but the new protocols are more time consuming and there is a backlog of postponed appointments. Let us know if you have a greater urgency to be seen. We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you and every patient safe in our practice. Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming you all back. Sincerely, Kenneth Fong DDS

To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colors of a rainbow. -Maya Angelou To all mothers, we wish you a Happy Mother’s Day.

May the 4th Be With You! Happy Star Wars Day!

Our office is still closed due to the quarantine. We are seeing emergencies. So don't hesitate to call. Stay healthy!

Just wrapped up another office meeting. Hot topics on the agenda: CDC and SF Dept of Public Health recommendations, CDA updates, and a game plan for reopening the office, whenever that will be. We miss you all and will see you again soon. What have you done during the shelter in place?

Happy Earth Day! Let’s do all we can to take care of this beautiful planet.

Both are essential. Hope all of you are staying healthy. We will see you again soon.