Dr. Michael O’Toole has been working in the Dental Industry as an Orthodontist for over 10 years. Floreani O’Toole & Dool Orthodontists located in Sault Ste. Marie has been operating for over 30 years. Dr. O’Toole first reached out to Dentec Safety in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic hit and just like so many other businesses, his practice was heavily impacted. According to an article written by Oral Health:
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the dentistry industry from the initial lockdown in March 2020 to present day, nearly one year later. According to our survey results, the largest impact of the pandemic on dental practices in Canada has been the drop in revenue. With dentists unable to practise during the initial lockdown, that is when revenue took the biggest hit. However, as we approach nearly a full year of living with the pandemic, it has been proven that dentistry is an essential service and practices have been able to remain open despite additional lockdowns across the country.
(source: https://www.oralhealthgroup.com/features/the-biggest-impact-of-covid-19-on-dentistry/)
Dr. O’Toole and his practice were no exception to this fact. According to Dr. O’Toole, things changed dramatically overnight. Sourcing became an immediate and ongoing issue since the start of the pandemic. Suppliers who were forced into lock down could no longer stay open or get their materials from overseas. This included everything from elastics, wires, and even brackets for braces. More importantly was finding and maintaining proper PPE for staff just to stay open.
“I was scrambling to find a solution and it was just by sheer luck that I was researching respiratory suppliers that I came across Dentec Safety in an article. Explains O’Toole, “I began communication with the President & Founder Claudio Dente and shared with him the dire situation I was in trying to secure PPE (specifically mandated N95s). Originally, Dentec was able to provide us with the 100 Series Silicone Respirators which fortunately allowed us to keep my practice from shutting down.”
With lack of disposable N95’s available on the market Dr. O’Toole was becoming frustrated with having to conduct multiple fit tests with disposable respirators due to the same model not being in consistent supply. Concerned for the current state of disposable N95s, Dentec worked hard to pivot the business and develop the ideal solution to address the safety and pain-points specifically for front-line Health Care Works. Fast forward to spring 2021, Dr. O’Toole was one of the first adopters of Dentec’s NEW Comfort Air-Nx®MD, an Elastomeric rubber reusable respirator WITHOUT an exhalation valve.
“COVID-19 has been unlike any pandemic our generation has experienced. It affected not only our health but our supply of critical PPE and most importantly respirators. Due to north America’s dependency on foreign supply of disposable N95 respirators, many workers contracted the virus and died as a result. CDC reported not to use respirator protection with an exhalation valve as it allows unfiltered air to exit the mask. Our goal was to develop a respirator that was reusable, safer, more comfortable and more economical than disposable respirators”, says Dentec Safety President Claudio Dente.
Now, all 16 employees at Dr. O’Toole’s office (as well as his wife’s group practice) have adopted the Comfort-Air®NxMD and they couldn’t be more satisfied.
“One of the biggest issues I had when using other N95 masks, was the beak on them. As an Orthodontist, I am constantly looking down on my patients, and I just couldn’t see! The other respirators completely obstructed my view. In dentistry, if you want your back to last your career, posture is important. The Comfort-Air®NxMD’s design is sleek and the filters are more centralized so it fits comfortable under a visor. The other reusable respirators I had tried were more obtrusive and the cartridges just didn’t last as long (plus you can’t get them as they are sequestered for the States). The cartridges for the NEW Comfort Air last much longer, up to 3 months before I have to change them. Also, the Comfort-Air®NxMD is white! In our profession this is a bonus, as we are patient facing and it aesthetically more appropriate with a more sterile and professional look.”
O’Toole continues, “In terms of comfort, the fit is much gentler on your face, more comfortable and just miles ahead of any disposable option I’ve tried. As Health care workers we all know too well the harsh effects of wearing masks for long periods of time, but with the Comfort-Air®NxMD, face rashes/ acne are no longer a constant issue for our staff.”
When asked in his opinion what is the most important benefit or feature of the Comfort-Air®NxMD O’Toole says, “Comfort-Air®NxMD is so much more cost effective! I would pay $3-$4/ per disposable mask and in Dental office you are easily going through 40 a day. If you start crunching the numbers for a medium to large office, you could be spending $30K or more on disposable respirators a year! And then there is the whole environmental impact from a waste diversion point of view. This is where I have really noticed a ROI and something I feel very strongly about. The environmental impact of disposable respirators and overall PPE is quite disgusting. When you’re going through so much disposable clothing/ PPE daily, how many garbage bags do you want to fill? Should your dumpster be emptied weekly or daily, it’s unbelievable. Environmentally, the Healthcare industry must move this way towards reusable respirators like the Comfort-Air®NxMD. It doesn’t make sense with the sheer volume of waste from disposable masks, we can’t keep doing this. We have a moral responsibility to make a shift.”
The New Comfort-Air®NxM D has proven a 95% reduction in waste and 90% reduction in money spent on a NIOSH approved Respirator.
When it comes to his experience with Dentec Safety and the New Comfort-Air®NxMD respirator, Dr. O’Toole sums it up by saying, “The Comfort-Air®NxMD is easy to source, easy to stock and maintain, comfortable and unobtrusive, much more cost effective and most importantly a smaller output on the environment. A Great Product and Great Customer Service! Thank you Dentec Safety!”
