We are currently living in a new era. While COVID-19 and social distancing have caused a lot of delays in people’s lives, there is one thing that is probably never coming back: handshakes. Given all the talk about hand hygiene and everyone’s new focus on staying healthy, it’s a practice that likely won’t reappear as things get back to normal. Thankfully, your orthodontist in Powell has put some thought into this! The next time you and your child come in for a visit, you may encounter these new greetings so the team can welcome you and ensure everyone stays safe.
The Elbow Bump
As a result of the Ebola outbreak in 2014, many people in Liberia and the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo adopted The Elbow Bump as a way to welcome one another and keep their hands clean, and it’s becoming very useful all over the world these days! All you do is hold your elbow parallel to the ground and bump the point of the other person’s elbow.
Wakanda Forever
You saw Marvel’s Black Panther, we saw Black Panther, you loved it, we loved it…why not start saying “Hello” to each other using the “Wakanda Forever” gesture? It’s literally the safest greeting ever because the two parties don’t touch each other, and it makes everyone look like they are about to go off and fight invading aliens (which we’re all kind of doing at the moment anyway!).
The Wave
Sometimes the best answers are the simplest ones. The next time you see the friendly faces at your orthodontist’s office, just wave! You can do a normal wave or something fancier like “The Queen of England” or the wave’s flamboyant cousin, jazz hands.
Tele-Visits
Thanks to modern technology, you can see your orthodontist without even stepping foot into their office! Tele-dentistry allows patients to have one-on-one time with their orthodontist, and using a combination of the camera and pictures, an orthodontist can give someone a quick progress check or confirm that they really need to be seen in person. This minimizes contact and can be a tremendous timesaver (particularly for parents with children spending all their time at home these days).
Thanks to these practices and numerous enhanced safety and health protocols being implemented by offices around the country, you can trust that it’s safe to visit the orthodontist, whether it’s for yourself or your child. The road to a straight smile might have some twists and turns these days, but you can trust that your team is working hard to provide what you need and keep everyone healthy at the same time.