We Are All In This Together

I have been holding off on writing this blog because honestly, I wanted to wish everyone a safe (physical) return to school, fall sports, etc. But unfortunately this is going to be delayed for a while. The other reason is that I really found myself with some writers’ block. To COVID or not to COVID – that is the question.

I am happy to report that we have caught up with our patient load and I am truly amazed with how well our patients have done throughout the pandemic. I want to personally thank everyone (patients, families, staff) for their cooperation with the new protocols that allow us to provide care in a timely manner and safe environment. I have been pleasantly surprised that some of the extra “home time” has actually allowed some of our patients to improve their oral hygiene, as well as rubber band and Invisalign tray compliance (how about that for some silver lining?)

As we move into the fall, most of our patients are learning/working from home. Others are on hybrid schedules. And parents are splitting time between parenting and educating, which is obviously going to put a strain on everyone. Here in the office we are constantly looking for ways to create a schedule that is accommodating to these changes, while maintaining proper protocols as required by law. I wish I could say that everything will go perfectly smooth, but in reality I know that it won’t, and my hope is that we keep in mind that we are in this together and we need remember that we are all doing our best to make things work as we navigate these uncharted waters.

One of the great things about orthodontics (and there are a lot 😊) is that much of the work that needs to be done can be done while social distancing. It doesn’t matter if it’s braces, Invisalign, retainers, or virtual consults, we are generally able to continue to provide care without any major interruptions. In fact, some reports are that the demand for orthodontics has actually risen since the pandemic hit because people are home more and have the time to commit to orthodontic therapy.

Moving forward, I am hopeful that the brilliant scientific minds of the world will continue to work diligently to study this virus and work toward a vaccine. I am hopeful that we are able to function in this dynamic environment and that our children are able to learn, our adults are able to work, that our families are able to continue to enjoy time together, and that in the near future we are able to return to life as we knew it.

In the meantime, be sure to take the time to take care of yourselves, but more importantly, take care of each other.

— Dr. Beyer

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