- DJ Khaled wore a full hazmat suit for his trip to the
dentist on June 20. - The Grammy award-winner showed off his dental outfit on Instagram with the caption: "Play wit it if you want () I got kids I don't play games First day out the crib in 3 and half months "
- As dental offices across the US are reopening for business, many are considering what the safest way to re-enter public spaces may be.
- Khaled isn't the first celebrity to turn to
hazmat suits during the pandemic, as Naomi Campbell made headlines after being spotted wearing one to the airport in March.
Plenty of people hate the dentist, but taking a trip to your local dental hygienist during a pandemic is a whole different nightmare scenario. Dental offices across the US are reopening for business and many are having to weigh to safest ways to get to their appointments.
In the photo, the Grammy award-winner is wearing a white hooded hazmat suit, black face mask, complete with booties and black latex gloves.
He also shared a video of the emergency dental procedure to fix a root canal he had been having trouble with from 15 years prior.
"I want to thank The office BLUM-Nico Oral Surgery Associates Dr.Nico and team who was excellent! Taking out the root canal very grateful for your help," he wrote in another caption.
Khaled isn't the first celebrity to sport a hazmat suit during the pandemic. Naomi Campbell made headlines after wearing one to the airport for a domestic flight in March.
You don't need a hazmat suit to keep safe at the dentist, but goggles can be helpful
According to Dr. Sandra Kesh, an infectious disease specialist and Deputy Medical Director at WestMed, you really don't need a hazmat suit to go to the dentist.
"Covering the skin is not the thing you really have to worry about," Kesh told Insider. "It's the oral pharyngeal exposure, and the mucus membranes, the eyes, nose, and mouth."
Because patients have to remove their masks to have their teeth and gums checked by a dentist, Kesh said this provides the perfect ground for coronavirus transmission.
"The main risk in going to the dentist is your mouth is open, they're there right in front of you, it's close proximity, it's a prolonged period of time, it's all the things we know are the real risk," Kesh told Insider.
Instead of a hazmat suit, Kesh recommends patients should call ahead, ask what precautions their dental office is taking to minimize crowded waiting rooms, high touch surfaces like clipboards, and if hand sanitizer is readily available.
Goggles are also a good idea to bring if your dentist does not already provide them because they can minimize mucus membrane transmission.
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