BATON ROUGE - Dental providers and their support staff are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. They are prioritized in part of Phase 1B of the state of Louisiana's vaccine roll out plan.

Dr. Isaac House is a dentist and the president of the Louisiana State Board of Dentistry. He received his shot Wednesday.

"I had heard that people could feel bad for a day or two. I was prepared to accept that, but in my particular case I just had a sore shoulder," House said.

He and his staff depend on gloves, masks and other protective gear to keep themselves safe in their office. But now, they're relieved to have an extra layer of protection.

"Dentistry in the state has been focused on safety and cleanliness, sterilization, and protecting ourselves and the patients with masks and personal protective equipment."

Dr. Arthur Hickham is the Executive Director of the Louisiana State Board of Dentistry. He's urging Dentists and their staff to get the vaccine.

"Even though dentists are very successful in avoiding getting COVID, they are in danger. It's a dangerous profession of catching COVID. So, I would urge every dentist to get it," Hickham said.

Dentists continued to treat patients through the lockdown in the spring and through the current surge. Now, the gears are shifting toward a more permanent sense of safety.