A Mask is not a Barrier

This is me at work. I have a fit-tested N95 mask on underneath a Level 3 surgical mask with a headcover, my loupes, a face shield, gown, and gloves. This I wear every day for every patient.  Does this make me unapproachable? Have I lost my ability to be compassionate because of all this PPE?

A new patient to my practice thanked me yesterday for my compassion, understanding, and patience.  If we see masks as barriers, we treat them as such. If we think that we cannot connect with each other because we are wearing a mask, we will cut ourselves off from one another.  In my office, I am able to work and provide dental treatment for my patients because the mask keeps me and my patients safe. My patients feel confident coming into the office because they see the mask as a symbol of the concern I have for their well-being.  If we change our attitude towards the mask and see it, not as a barrier to connection with one another, but instead as the means that allows us to move forward with in-person gatherings and the opportunity to share time with loved ones, this piece of cloth becomes the gift of community.

We wear a mask not to protect ourselves. We wear a mask to protect the others in our community. Wearing a mask is the gift we give to those around us.  Franklyn shared a story with us today where one of his neighbors commented on his beautiful smile. He was wearing a mask. He was shining that big beautiful smile up through his eyes. We all communicate in so many different ways. Smiling is a wonderful gesture of welcome and when you smile, remember that you smile with more than just your mouth. Your whole face smiles with you. And the world smiles back