Fielding., et al. The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly altered the inherent ways we conduct ourselves and interact. The way that human beings work and play has changed across the globe. The virus has ravaged economies and healthcare systems, leaving no aspect of patient care untouched. As oral and maxillofacial surgeons and residents, our unique position in the hospital setting puts us at the interface of dentistry and medicine, and as a result, we have witnessed this virus' devastating effects

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... firsthand. While maintaining a positive outlook during this trying time is difficult, we have learned that there are silver linings in the darkness of a pandemic. As the physical effects of COVID-19 become more fully understood as the weeks pass, so does a subsequent understanding of the intangible aspects of health that have been impacted by this virus. As healthcare providers, we have the fortune of being "essential." With unemployment rising, we still have the privilege of going to work every morning as we continue to treat patients. Even so, the economic pressures that the virus has created has impacted our practice by reducing the flow of elective surgeries and proce- dures. In an effort to minimize exposure and maximize the use of personal protective equipment and availability of hospital staff in a time of scarcity, hospitals and clinics have cut back on elective cases at the direction of state and local health departments. This has forced us to develop creative ways to serve our patients in North Philadelphia. Inspired by our medical colleagues at Temple University Hospital, who have supplemented their outpatient clinics to telemedicine, we developed and implemented a teledentistry system that appropriately triaged our patients' dental concerns and minimized the risk of exposure to our patients and our staff. After identifying truly urgent patients, we saw them at our outpatient clinic, which was one of the first to be retrofitted with negative pressure capabilities in Philadelphia. Additionally, we have been able to procure N95 masks, face shields, and procedural gowns through the generosity of donors. This has allowed us to meet some of the needs of our community by providing much needed emergency dental extractions and drainage of odontogenic infections without overloading the Emergency Department.