 Hello everybody, Andrew Myeski here with dental elves. So let's talk about masks. So it is currently May the 12th I had to double check the date because it's so easy now to forget the date I don't know if I'm the only one who does that but hopefully not We will be talking about masks and even by the time you watch this video things might have changed So take this video with a grain of salt. This is just currently what's happening today Everybody's asking about masks and what masks are acceptable. We can still not go back to work here where I am They're open for emergency dental care only but even where I am Not all dentists are doing emergency care So there's actually a list of dentists that are and then patients are to call them and go from there But you might be wondering well, you've heard so much about masks Well, what if you can't find those N 95 masks? What if you can't find those level 3 masks because they are being sold out everywhere? So I'm just going to do a brief video to talk about the different types First off, this is obviously a reusable mask that I had purchased here From a local shop here in St. Thomas very nice, right? And there's actually room for a filter apparently as well hand wash only but they are Reusable do not heat up your reusable masks or any masks in the microwave That just will not do so do not do that. It can actually Hurt the mask and I mean who would think about doing that anyway But apparently there's something going around Facebook saying it's recommended to heat up the masks in the microwave to keep them Stereo don't do that. So what they're currently saying and I'm prepared for when I can open up So that's why I did buy some reusable masks. What they're saying right now at least where I am Here in Canada is they want you to wear an N 95 mask that has been Properly fitted. I don't have one to show you because I have not been able to get my hands on any of them They're either sold out or I'm worried to just kind of purchase one off of Amazon if it's not a proper and 95 mask Plus I've heard they're extremely uncomfortable and hard to breathe Not saying that that does make a difference if we're supposed to wear them We're supposed to wear them, but if we can't find them, we can't find them So what they're also saying is there's another mask out there and I meant to check the name before I did the video I believe it's K95 K94 something like that. Okay, so we'll probably look up the correct name and then I'll let you guys know in the comments below But apparently that is sourced out in China. It's not FDA approved here But they have now approved it for use for emergency Situations only and in extreme circumstances and that would be if you can't find an N 95 mask or a level 3 mask or something You can wear those because they are a lot easier to purchase and a lot easier to find Of course That's probably not going to last because once people hear that they can purchase that and use them And they're a lot more comfortable than the N95 masks That's probably going to be now hard to find as well But going back to the N95 masks they have to be as I said Properly fitted meaning you have to find somebody or a company that comes to properly fit those masks for you I saw a little flyer somewhere saying that they charge like $200 or something to properly fit The mask, but I don't know if that's correct I just sort of saw the flyer and then when I went to go find it again online. I couldn't find it But again, if you don't have the N95 masks, there's no sense booking an appointment to be fitted if you don't have the mask So they're also saying what they want you to do so that you can wear the N95 mask all day long Because it's supposed to be of course Not meant to wear all day every day, but that's what we're doing now They say that you can actually wear the N95 mask and then put over top like a level 2 or a level 3 mask to protect The filter of the N95 mask, but also wear a face shield So I do actually have one of the actually I have a couple of those as well Because that's again better than nothing you guys But they're also saying if you cannot get your hands on those N95 masks Even the K95 if I'm saying that number correctly, I still have to look up K95 You can wear a level 2 or a level 3 mask with a face shield So obviously these reusable masks, I we don't know what level they are But you guys it's better than nothing. Am I right? It's better than nothing So if I can't find enough level 3 masks or or level 2 masks the N95 the K95 I am I am going to wear these reusable masks one per patient because obviously they're a lot easier to purchase and A face shield over top of that Do I feel comfortable doing that? Absolutely, but that's just me. That's just my personal Opinion on that because I'm protected I would not be seeing a patient who had active sick symptoms But as we know somebody could still carry the virus and not know it But I would be wearing this literally the entire time I'm seeing the patient before I walk into the room I will have this on with the shield. I will not be doing anything to create unnecessary Aerosols they will be wearing a pre pre procedural rinse. So you guys that's what I am doing So a little help with the masks. I do hope that helps Again, even by the time you're watching the video things might have changed, but that's just kind of putting all of the masks Confusion to make it a little bit easier for you guys because there's so much out there I still see so many questions about what mask are we supposed to wear? What do we do if we can't find an N95 mask as a side note you guys There's a lot of offices that have opened in the States I do know a few dental assistants and dental hygienists that I talked to on a regular basis who do work in those offices And they have said that those N95 masks are so so uncomfortable. It's hard for them to actually Breathe properly in them. There's like like this this mark around that will go away I'm sure but it seems to be permanent there right now because they are literally wearing it all day long They're not taking it off, which is probably for the best But they're extremely uncomfortable and hard to breathe in them So something to keep in mind if you're thinking or are able to return back to work If you have difficulties breathing as it is, let's say you're pregnant Let's say you have a condition that just sort of makes it harder for you to breathe such as asthma You probably don't want to be returning back to work just a little side note and that's my opinion So thank you guys for watching. Let me know if you have any questions about the masks and I will see you guys in the next video