Is It Safe to Visit the Dentist after Taking the COVID-19 Vaccine?

I’m presuming that by now, you and your family have taken the COVID-19 vaccine. If not, I’d highly recommend you take the vaccine as soon as you are eligible. It’s my standard advice to all my patients as to my staff, all of whom are now vaccinated! 

COVID-19 is a serious, threatening global pandemic, and the sooner we all get vaccinated, the sooner things will return to the normalcy that we knew of in the pre-pandemic times. 

Around 50% of Americans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 40% are fully vaccinated to date. One of the most common questions that we get asked is if it is safe to visit the dentist after getting vaccinated. 

The answer is two-fold:  

• It's absolutely safe to visit your dentist after getting fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 
• It's also recommended that you visit your dentist even if you did not get the COVID-19 vaccine. 

We continue to follow the latest CDC, ADA, and OSHA COVID-19 safety guidelines and recommendations in addition to the standard infection control procedures in our facility to minimize our patients’ chances of getting infected, including the ones who are unvaccinated. 

At Blue Turtle Dental, we continue to require all patients, dentists, and staff to wear masks inside our premises. This holds true whether you are vaccinated or not. Read more about our safety protocols here.

How do you know if you are fully vaccinated?

In 2-dose series such as Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, you are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after the second dose. 

In a single-dose vaccine like Johnson & Johnson’s, you are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after the shot. 

What are the precautions to take if you’re fully vaccinated? 

Congratulations if you're fully vaccinated! You have played a vital part in making our communities safer. 

Beginning June 15th, you are exempt from a lot of COVID-19 safety precautions in the State of California, such as mask-wearing when gathering indoors with other vaccinated people or a group of unvaccinated people who reside in the same household, unless someone in the group is at a higher risk of severe COVID illness. But there are some safety measures you need to pay heed to even when you are fully vaccinated. 

If you’re fully vaccinated, follow the latest CDC and state public health department guidelines on COVID-19 safety measures. What this means is: 

• You can venture outdoors without a mask or social distancing except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance where you need to follow the guidelines. 
• You can be in contact with those who have COVID-19 and there is no need to get tested unless you have the symptoms. 
• If you reside or work in enclosed spaces such as correctional or detention facilities, homeless shelters and come in contact with someone with COVID-19, you need to get tested even if you do not have any symptoms. In that case, you must follow a 14-day self-isolation along with the testing procedure. 
• If you have a chronic condition or are taking medications that weaken your immune system, you may not be fully protected against coronavirus even after being fully vaccinated. Consult your primary care doctor about the precautions you need to take to prevent COVID-19. 
• You should protect yourself and others by wearing a mask on public transportation vehicles such as trains, buses, planes, and travel hubs like stations and airports. 

Things to note if you are not vaccinated against COVID-19

The COVID-19 vaccines are safe, well-researched, and show a 95-98% success rate to date. Adverse reactions to the vaccine are rare, and in most cases, they are treatable. The vaccine shows an almost 100% effectiveness at preventing hospitalization and death from COVID-19. 

It’s an essential vaccine, and it’s why my staff, family, and I have taken the full COVID-19 vaccination dose. I feel better knowing that we’ve taken the vaccine, and that includes my patients too. 

It would be best to take the COVID-19 vaccine like any other dental treatment you seek at the dentist’s clinic. I urge my patients to talk about the COVID-19 vaccination as it’s a critical public health concern. 

The California Dentist Association says,

 “As trusted health professionals, dentists are positioned daily to discuss COVID-19 vaccination with their patients and the public, instill confidence about the COVID-19 vaccine and ultimately influence their patients’ decision-making about the vaccine.”

If you are unvaccinated, here are some facts that you know about COVID-19 vaccines.

• The COVID-19 vaccines might have been developed within a shorter time frame than the other vaccines, but they were not rushed. Several trials were conducted on thousands of people to check for its safety and effectiveness. The CDC continues to monitor the safety standards in real-time via the V-Safe smartphone tool. 

• The vaccine doesn’t give you COVID-19, but you will experience minor side effects and even symptoms that you’d get if your body contracted the actual virus. This is a good sign as it indicates that the vaccine is working. 

• You should still take the vaccine if you’ve recovered from COVID-19. The natural immunity might not last for long, and hence the CDC recommends you take the vaccine even after getting COVID-19 to prevent the chances of a re-infection. 

• You need to complete all the doses and get fully vaccinated to reach maximum efficacy and protection against the coronavirus. So, take both the doses in the case of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines within the stipulated window period. Or the single dose in the case of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

• The COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for anyone above 12 years, including those planning to get pregnant or who are pregnant. 

You can easily find a vaccine nearby to you with CDC’s easy-to-use tools - 

• Visit Vaccines.gov and search by vaccine type and zip code.
• Text GETVAX (438829) for English or VACUNA (822862) for Spanish to receive vaccine sites on your phone.
• Call the National COVID-19 Vaccination Assistance Hotline at 1-800-232-0233.

If you have any questions or concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine, you should talk to your Palo Alto dentist or physician. 

Conclusion 

Visiting your dentist’s office is completely safe irrespective of your vaccination status. However, we recommend you get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you are eligible for it. The only way to overcome this pandemic and return to normalcy is through vaccination and following the CDC’s recommendations to prevent and spread COVID-19.