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Dentists anxious to get back to filling cavities and examining your bite won’t be opening shop Tuesday, says the B.C. Dental Association, which is awaiting guidance from the province and its regulatory body.

Phase 2 of the province’s restart plan is scheduled to begin May 19, which has led many patients to wrongly assume dentists’ offices will return to regular service then, says the association.

Since March 23, dental offices have been limited to tele-dentistry and emergency care.

Dr. Alastair Nicoll, association spokesman, said dentists want to ensure their practices are appropriately set up to comply with physical-distancing and other requirements designed to reduce the transmission of COVID-19.

To do that, they have to see the guidelines that will be determined by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and articulated by the College of Dental Surgeons of B.C.

“This is all uncharted territory,” said Nicoll, who is cautiously optimistic the association will know more by the end of the day Friday. “But that would likely not be in time for most to ramp up by Tuesday, so I’m hoping for some kind of easing [of restrictions] next week.”

Nicoll said dentists are anxious to serve their patients “and get on with it.”

“We know that the health needs of people living in British Columbia have not have not been met over the last few months with only taking care of emergency situations,” he said. “And we sense from patients, too, that they’re anxious to have their treatments completed or done, or any of the urgent things that don’t really qualify as an emergency, taken care of.”

At the same time, dentists know protecting the health of British Columbians is a priority, and Nicoll said the provincial health officer has been managing that extremely well.

“We are happy to defer to the judgment of her office.”

Until they receive guidance on the easing of restrictions, dentists are only permitted to provide emergency and urgent services, said Nicoll.

On Wednesday, Premier John Horgan said WorkSafe B.C. and public-health officials are finalizing the details on guidelines for medical services such as dentistry, chiropractic services and face-to-face counselling. He said if there’s a perceived hold-up, it’s because the province wants to “make sure we get it right.”

“For those practitioners who are awaiting those guidelines, I think they can take some fairly educated guesses on how they can protect their patients, how they can protect hygienists and other dental assistants, to put in place the parameters that make them comfortable as health care providers to deliver that service,” said Horgan. “If they’re waiting for WorkSafe to tell them how best to do that, then they’ll be waiting until the regulations — pardon me, the guidelines — are in place.”

Nicoll said there are “some fairly important nuances” that need to be clarified.

When dentists’ offices do open, they will operate differently, says the association. Chairs, magazines and toys will be removed from waiting rooms, for example, and the receptionist may be sitting behind a plexiglass screen.

Patients will also be asked health-screening questions when making their appointments and on the day of their appointments.

ceharnett@timescolonist.com