You know the drill. It is time to have your regular dental checkup but with the COVID-19 crisis, the idea of opening your mouth in the close — very close — presence of others is scary.

As states and counties open up businesses, dental offices are now ready to see non-emergency cases. Practices were largely shuttered since March after being advised by the American Dental Association (ADA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to see emergency patients only to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Now that most dentists are able to see you for routine care, is it safe to go?

According to NPR, dental offices are likely places for the transmission of the virus by their very nature, and the fact dentists use high-speed drills and other equipment that can send a "visible spray containing droplets of water, saliva, blood, microorganisms, and other debris" into the air that can land directly on others and on surfaces.

ScienceDirect explained an aerosol cloud is made up of particles and fluids produced during dental procedures using a rotary drill, an air syringe, or an ultrasonic scaler. It has been well documented infectious diseases are spread by aerosols "increasing the risk to patients and the dental team."

The spray could include small, aerosolized droplets of COVID-19 if a patient has the virus, according to NPR. Since those droplets can remain airborne for as long as three hours, it is critical the dental staff uses every precaution to prevent infection.

Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic and a spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America, told NPR it is inevitable that some infections will occur in dental settings.

"But the hope is that recommendations for their practices that all dentists should be following will mitigate that risk," he said.

In mid-May the ADA and the CDC issued guidelines for dental settings that are constantly being updated.

They include recommendations such as:

• Screening patients before appointments and when they arrive, checking for symptoms such as coughing and fever.
• Asking patients to wait outside or in their cars until the staff is ready for their appointment.
• Removing items such as toys, magazines, and coffee stations from the waiting room.
• Requiring masks for patients as well as staff. Patients can remove them during procedures but must put them back on immediately.
• Avoiding the use of power tools when possible.
• Using rubber dams over patient's mouth when possible during procedures to limit spray secretions.

Experts told NPR, delaying proper dental care can potentially turn a small cavity into a root canal or tooth extraction, increasing cost and treatment time.