September 30, 2020 Issue, Page 7 of 24

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PG8 HOMETOWN HEROES |Wednesday, September 30, 2020 DENTISTS USED TO ADAPTING TO CHANGE By Shonda Little, Contribut- fluenced by that silent killer and we were unnecessarily opening ing writer how it forever changed how den- ourselves and our patients up to Dr. Cathy Fuchs and her hus- tistry is practiced. disease by not wearing the gloves. band, fellow dentist Dr. Danny “At that time, we did what was ‘We learned that something as sim- Fuchs, aren’t strangers to sudden called ‘wet finger dentistry,’” she ple as wearing gloves can increase adaptions forced upon dentistry recalled. “In other words, we did safety quite a bit.” when a new and deadly virus many procedures without gloves. Two years after she complet- wreaks havoc upon a community. That's how almost all teeth were ed her education, her marriage Just as she and her husband cleaned. We only put gloves on brought her to Western Oklahoma. were finishing dental school in then if there was something like Her husband Danny was a Merritt 1983, the world was hit with a dif- a tooth extraction and we knew alumni and he had always known ferent unknown but equally terri- there would be a lot of blood. But that he planned to return home. fying virus. Patients were dying in then AIDS hit and we realized that While he was at home in the coun- large numbers as doctors and sci- ri entists struggled to even know ex- actly what it was, much less how to treat it, Though the Kithoffer Flooring Center medical industry DBA Bell's Carpet now understands “Quality at Affordable Prices” HIV/AIDS and Ss fain + Elk City, O 4 how it is trans- S Residential & Commerical idINK Dr. Cathy Fuchs and Dr. Danny Fuchs mitted, Cathy Fuchs is still in- 580-225-1291 == To all our healthcare he Mv Sm near and far. ~ We appreciat all that you do daily es =—s 3 S.Ma in, Elk City