New Connections and making the most of N95 Masks

Making memories

We’ve all had to learn to love each other from a distance over the past two years, but newly available high quality face masks are lighting a way forward. In this photo: Mandi and her sister Kathryn meet their new niece for the first time.

Hello from the Fiddlehead Front Desk!

My name is Mandi, and I'm so glad to meet you! I'm joining the Fiddlehead team as someone who is new to dentistry but not new to the idea of taking care of my community in the greater Saint Albans area. I grew up in Franklin and spent my childhood making music and artwork, and waiting for the Maple Festival Talent Show every year. When a big metal dinosaur appeared on Congress street, I wondered why... now I know all about Fern, and you can learn about her here in the Doctors’ bio!

I wanted to share with you some information about re-using N95 Respirators. How strange is it that almost every single person now knows what is meant by the acronym PPE? Before 2020 I don't think I could have identified the difference between a basic dust mask and and N95 Respirator. Now we have casual conversations about what are the most comfortable choices, and what makes a good fit!

This year many of us will have access to N95s which offer the best protection and are far more effective than gators or even multiple layer fabric masks. I purchased some KN95 respirators (comparable to N95) for my family recently when we met my brand new niece. Wow, they are not inexpensive, and I wondered how I was going to work a recurring purchase into my budget.

The heroes in the medical field to the rescue yet again! They have long been devising methods to get the very most use out of every bit of equipment available. Thankfully, the supplies of masks and respirators aren't as low as they were during 2020, but we can use the information and lessons learned to make smart decisions about how we in the general population can get the most out of our N95 respirators. I recently read an article that talks about one such way to safely get multiple uses out of each mask. I hope you find it helpful, and I hope we get to see each other soon!

"Fortunately, for most people and in most situations, you don’t need to chuck your mask after each use, or each day…

You can re-wear a mask after you have stored it in a paper bag for a few days, according to the CDC and multiple experts we’ve interviewed for our respirator guide. The agency provides a simple strategy for healthcare workers that involves rotating used masks in brown paper bags, a variation of which was employed during the N95 shortage in the early days of the pandemic."

You can learn more about this strategy in the link below!

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/how-to-reuse-n95-kn95-and-other-disposable-masks/

For more information about the different types of masks:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/types-of-masks.html