Gee, I wonder how my old office is coping without water. Must be hard since we rely on water so much for most of the procedures.
[DIV class=titleimage][img id=storyphoto height=210 alt="THE CITY COPES: DAY 7: Dental hygienist Deanna Ngo uses a syringe filled with bottled water as she works on patient Walt Mager at the Kitsilano dental practice of Dr. Wayne Okamura Tuesday. The continuing boil-water advisory means dentists cannot use equipment connected to the city water supply." src="vny!://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/canwest/111/vs_water_top_221106_210.jpg?size=l" width=210 border=0]
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[DIV class=first align=center][SPAN id=storyphotocaption]THE CITY COPES: DAY 7: Dental hygienist Deanna Ngo uses a syringe filled with bottled water as she works on patient Walt Mager at the Kitsilano dental practice of Dr. Wayne Okamura Tuesday. The continuing boil-water advisory means dentists cannot use equipment connected to the city water supply.[/SPAN]
[DIV class=view align=center][SPAN id=storyphotocredit]Photograph by : Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun[/SPAN]
[DIV class=clear] [/DIV][!-- end of photo --]
[H2]Dirty water costing us millions[/H2] [H4]Economic sting ranges from restaurants to dentistry, board of trade says[/H4]
Among the many businesses affected by the boil-water advisory are local dentists, who rely on tap water and do not have separate systems allowing for access to their own distilled water. Many dental offices are using bottled water or have taken other measures to ensure patient safety, according to Dr. Tony Gill.
"Obviously there have been some [cancellations] because some offices don't have a separate water system," Gill said. "As health care providers, we err on the side of caution."
Dr. Wayne Okamura, a Vancouver dentist, said Tuesday he has switched to using bottled water to rinse the mouths of patients, which is taking a bit longer than normal.
"It's adding about five minutes to every appointment," he said, adding he hasn't had any cancelled appointments.
Dr. Heather Stewart of the Seawall Dental Group in West Vancouver said her office has cancelled patients and reduced the types of procedures undertaken. "It's been brutal," said Stewart, noting that dental-supply companies that sell separate water systems can't keep up with the sudden demand. "Everybody and their dog wants one."
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