The Power of Prayer

Years ago I read a Reader’s Digest Summary of a scientific study on the Power of Prayer which had been published in a medical journal. The patient records of cardiac patients from several hospitals were compiled and then divided into two groups, to make each group (the test and the control) equal by severity of illness and types of treatment.  The names of the patients (with some personal information about each of them) in the test group were given to strangers with the instructions for each person to pray for his/her assigned patient “in any way you see fit.”  None of the patients or hospital personnel were told who was in the study group.  At the end of the study there was a statistical difference between the groups, as if the test group was given a “miracle drug.”(Note that this study would have been illegal in today’s world because of HIPAA privacy laws.) 

We are living in a unique time.  Every continent in the world, except Antartica, has been affected by this COVID-19 pandemic.  Our hospitals are overwhelmed with the sheer numbers of infected patients who need care. There are not enough respirators and personal protective equipment to meet the needs. Businesses and schools have been closed to limit the spread of the illness. Routine medical care has been put on hold. Dentists cannot deliver needed care to our patients because the illness is spread by both breath and saliva; Dental procedures aerosolize the virus, and the virus stays airborne for up to three hours. Dentists do not have hospital air filtration, hospital gowns, and N95 masks which would be necessary to deliver care in our offices. 

We need to slow down the rate that this virus is infecting people, and we need to limit the number of people who are infected- both those that are ill and those that are asymptomatic carriers. Social distancing is one tool we are using to limit the spread of the virus, but it is not enough.  We all need to pray, in whatever way is comfortable for us. Pray for a speedy end to this pandemic, for a speedy and complete recovery for the people who have been infected, for the mental health of all of us living in social isolation, for the return of a healthy economy, and for the return of our normal lifestyles, before the virus took over.- A personal note from Dr. Judith Okun

One Day, A Corona Virus Update

Dear Patients,

Once again, I need to stress to you that the New York State "stay at home" law has deemed all of dentistry “non-essential business”. This law only permits dentists to see emergencies of pain, infection, and trauma that might cause you to go to the emergency room. New York on Pause was put in place to enforce social distancing to slow the spread, and hopefully decrease the total number of Coronavirus cases. All of us should be doing our part in this social distancing effort.

The Governor's original “'stay at home” mandate extended through April 19, 2020 and was soon extended to April 22. As of today the American Dental Association is recommending that we extend the policy to only see emergency procedures through April 30. The end date seems to change every few days as they learn more about the spread of the virus and its impact. Since we do not know when we will be returning to work, we are delaying rescheduling patients for at least another week, in hopes of not having to call you every week to reschedule your appointments.

It causes me much distress to tell any of you that I cannot see you to adjust your braces, take care of your loose brackets or poking wires, or keep your treatment on course for a timely debond (removal of braces at the end of treatment.) Some of you have been worrying about what impact this delay will have on your treatment. To set your mind at ease, I want you to know that if the NY Stay at Home law continues only until the end of April it should not have a dramatic impact on most of your treatments. 

If it extends longer it will mirror the experience of our patients who attend sleep-away camp, and the impact will be related to how well you took care of your orthodontic appliances. This means, those who followed the rules about avoiding sticky/chewy foods, cut food thin, took smaller bites and kept up with oral hygiene will usually not prolong the time it takes to successfully complete their case. Those who don’t keep their mouth and orthodontic appliances clean, don’t wear their appliances as recommended, eat food they shouldn’t or in ways unsafe for their braces will need to be “put back together” after this unforeseen delay and may very well extend their treatment time. 

The social distancing law does not, prevent us from having virtual treatment visits. Some of you have already taken advantage of tele-dentistry by emailing to me a photo and brief description of your orthodontic problem (along with your phone number) so that I can call you back to discuss your issue. If we are not back at work by the beginning of May and you wish to have a virtual visit, you can email me at drj@okunortho.com and provide me with your cell phone number for a “What's App” or “Facetime” call. For some patients this will only give them the assurance that their treatment is on track. For others I may change the direction of elastics or the force of the headgear. If you are running out of elastics, please let me know so that I can mail more to you.

In the meantime let's use our stay at home time productively. I am forever hearing people say “one day” I will have time to do this or that. As this Coronavirus Pandemic has shown, we don't know what tomorrow will bring. Instead of waiting for “one day” to have less time at work and more time with our families (the two most common end-of-life regrets), let's take advantage of this unexpected opportunity to bond with our families and make special memories. If your family is still working in an essential business, thank you for all you are doing to keep all of us safe at home.

“One day” we will all be back at school and work. Hopefully it will be soon, and we at Okun Orthodontics can get back to giving you the orthodontic and TMJ treatment which you deserve. I look forward to hearing from you,

Dr. Judith A. Okun