MASON CITY, Iowa - As we hit the height of the coronavirus pandemic, dentists are taking proactive steps.

"As oral surgeons, based on where we work in the mouth, we've always been aware of blood borne pathogens standards. And given that patients breathe in our faces on a daily basis, we're aware of flus and colds."

Dr. Lyell Hogg and the staff at the North Iowa Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center are following the latest developments closely. Pandemic or not, they are wearing proper attire like gloves, long arm sleeves and masks, and thoroughly cleaning exam rooms using industrial-grade disinfectant after each patient.

"We're stepping up our game a little bit. We're even starting to go out through the entire office on a daily basis to clean door handles, because we know that not only is this transmitted through air droplets, but potentially by touch, and maybe survive on surfaces a little bit longer."

He says the extra care is necessary.

"We're lucky we have a group of fairly young, healthy individuals and maybe they'd be less affected by this particular virus. But based on the patient population that we see, a lot of elderly folks, a lot of immuno-compromised and medically compromised individuals, the last thing we want to do is spread this any further."

If you are feeling ill, Hogg request patients to reschedule appointments.