Until recently, all New York healthcare providers have been considered “essential” and exempt from bans or closures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. However, since Tuesday, dental offices all over the state have temporarily closed for all but emergency procedures.

On Monday, the New York State Dental Association, under guidance from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state health department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Dental Association released a recommendation that dental offices “provide only emergency dental care for patients” and that “elective and non-emergent services should be postponed for a minimum of three weeks.”

While this guidance is not a mandate and dental offices are not required to take action, the NYSDA said, “It is intended to help dental offices make sensible and safe decisions for the benefits of the public.”

“On Monday, we got the email with the recommendation,” said Antoinette Lukasik, D.D.S., of Fredonia Pediatric and Adolescent Dentistry. “We closed on Tuesday, and I had to lay off many of my employees. It’s very, very upsetting. … I have 14 employees, so it’s really hard to say we have to shut down. But you want to make sure that everyone is safe.”

Lukasik noted that she and her staff have been taking many precautionary measures right along. “The last day we were open, we went from 24 chairs in the waiting room down to 10 and separated them by six feet,” she explained. “We have a lot of grandparents who bring their grandchildren in for appointments. We told them to stay in their car, and when we’re ready to see the patient, we’ll let you know to come in.”

Lukasik said that patients will continue to be updated. “We’re praying that we’ll be able to open by April 16,” she said. “We’re open three days a week from 9 a.m. to noon with someone at the front desk answering calls. We have a 24-hour answering service that myself and my partner, Dr. Tiffany McCarthy, take turns responding to. If we do have to see a patient for an emergency procedure, we’ll do our precautions and disinfect everything as recommended, in addition to what we normally do.”

Dr. Russell J. DiPalma said that he, too, is only seeing patients on an emergency basis at his practice, located at 195 E. Main St. in Fredonia. While DiPalma does not have a target re-opening date, he said, “We’re taking it week by week and being observant of what’s going on locally, statewide and nationally. I encourage people to be mindful of where they are and how they’re interacting with people and take precautions.”

He told the OBSERVER that his patients can call or leave messages if they are experiencing a dental emergency. Those who had elective or non-emergent procedures scheduled for the near future will be contacted by his office to reschedule at a later date.

“This is a very unique situation,” DiPalma said. “In over 40 years of practice, I’ve never experienced anything quite like this. The only time similar was the Blizzard of ’77 when I was in dental school. I actually put on my cross country skis to make it in to school because everything had shut down.”

Dunkirk’s North Chautauqua Dental located at 744 Central Ave. is closed except for emergency procedures for at least the next three weeks, according to office staff. Patients experiencing a dental emergency can call between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday or leave a message with the answering service.

Katie Caraballo, assistant office manager of Dunkirk’s Aspen Dental on Vineyard Drive, said that from now until at least April 6, patients will be seen for emergencies only. “We’ve limited our staff and are giving them the option to come in if they feel comfortable,” she told the OBSERVER. “We’re not seeing any patients for hygiene. No regular check-ups will be scheduled until May 1.” Patients can continue to call between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays or from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursdays if they need emergency care.

“We’ll continue to keep our patients updated and are contacting them to reschedule,” she said. “We want everyone to stay healthy and protected to limit their exposure and ours. We’re trying to keep the burden off of hospital emergency rooms by seeing patients for things like extractions and procedures that require antibiotics.”

The NYSDA, too, noted the importance of preserving resources to combat the spread of COVID-19 in their recommendation to New York dental offices: “We believe by taking these extraordinary precautions, dentists can make a difference in helping to preserve the limited supply of personal protection equipment critical for emergency dental care and frontline healthcare personnel responding to the pandemic.”