Dr. Andrew Chang of West Coast Oral Surgery installs a plexiglass guard at a local dentist’s office. (courtesy of West Coast Oral Surgery)
Oral surgeon helps dentists
Dr. Andrew Chang of West Coast Oral Surgery, 9855 Erma Road, suite 100 in Scripps Ranch, is extending a helping hand to area dentists by installing protective Plexiglas shields on their counters during the coronavirus pandemic as they serve patients.
“When I first noticed the protective shields going up at Costco and the local grocery stores, I thought of going to Home Depot and seeing if they had Plexiglas that I could customize. … Then I went home and designed some brackets that would hold the shields in place at the front desk counters and any other counters,” Chang said.
He ran the idea by a dental colleague who liked it, so Chang installed a shield at his office.
“It was so well-received that I felt I should reach out to my other dental colleagues and offer them the same thing,” Chang explained. “So, I’ve been systematically going to dentists in the Scripps Ranch/Mira Mesa area and installing as many of these shields as I can.”
Since he started this project, he noticed Plexiglas has become rather rare, so he continues to scour Home Depot stores to find more.
As an oral surgeon, Chang has developed relationships with numerous local dentists, he said.
“I just wanted to do anything I could to help them reopen safely to protect not only patients, but themselves,” he said.
West Coast Oral Surgery, which remains fully open as an essential service, received a shipment of additional N95 masks from the U.S. Dental Triage Network, which they then donated to a local fire station.
“It was surprising how much it was needed. … They were really, really appreciative,” Chang said.
Learn more about West Coast Oral Surgery at oralsurgerysandiego.com or call (858) 536-2900.