CARBONDALE (WSIL) -- The State of Illinois has revised it's social distancing guidance to allow for routine dental care.
Dr. Geoff Partlow, at in Carbondale, says he's more than happy to be back at work on a daily basis.
"Most of all, we're happy to be able to be back treating our patients."
As much as they've missed the office, Dr. Dan Massie is concerned for his patients.
"One of the biggest things that we're concerned with is all these people we've had to put off for a couple months."
"You know, it can be a problem going for a long time with a dental issue. It's not good for a lot of reasons." said Partlow.
Massie adds, "If they didn't have emergencies, are probably going to end up with, we're going to have a higher rate of emergencies now that we're able to be open again."
"It's unhealthy, and you know, the fact that we're not having to limit ourselves to emergency procedures any longer is a benefit," said Partlow.
The Illinois Department of Public Health revised it's guidance to allow dental offices to resume routine care beginning Monday.
"We did not do that, we just saw emergencies Monday, and then met to make sure we had everything in order so that we could see people safely," said Massie.
That regrouping mostly included making plans to require patients to wait in their car, and enter and exit through separate doors. In the check-up room, Dr. Massie says, not much has changed.
"Luckily, all these cleaning procedures that people are saying they're doing now, It's what we've always done, we always wipe down, we always clean between every patient. That part is not different, the biggest difference for us is the level of mask that we have to wear, and the level of eye protection."
Doctors are asking their patients to work with them to keep safety a priority.
"We do ask for a little bit of extra patience from our patients, just to make sure that everybody is safe, and we're doing things in the safest manner possible here in the office," said Partlow.
Before you visit your dentist in a post COVID-19 world, doctors recommend calling ahead, and arriving early.
