The pandemic has taken over the world since early 2020 and continues to paralyze economies across the globe. Should you visit a dentist during the COVID Pandemic?
Patients have been postponing dental treatment to visit a dentist during COVID pandemic. Dentists have also been cutting back on their routine work schedule to prevent spread of infection among their patients and employees.
Australian Dental Association, American Dental Association, and Canadian Dental Association as well as other dental organizations have developed their own guidelines for their members. The guidelines dictate when and who can visit a dentist during COVID. However, they are constantly changing due to local rates of infection.
Dental offices are implementing health and safety protocols when patients visit a dentist during COVID; here are some general criterias to look for before visiting your dentist’s office.
- Is the clinic properly screening patients for health status and possible symptoms of COVID?
- Are they asking patients to disclose their travel history or if they have been to high risk areas?
- Is the clinic taking temperature of incoming patients or have they installed thermal scanners?
- Is wear masks required for patients and also clinic employees (except when a patient is having a dental procedure)
- Are there physical signs of social distancing in the office?
- Is everyone required to use a hand santizer or an alcohol gel upon entering the clinic?
- Are patients being scheduled in time intervals to avoid crowded waiting rooms and enough time for the dental team to break down rooms and disinfect rooms between patients?
- Has the clinic cleared the waiting room from old magzines and unncessary decoration?
- Is everyone wearing a disposabel gown , head and shoe cover in addition to mask and face shield?
- Has the clinic equipped itself with a face suction during aerosol producing procedures?
- Does the clinic have a formal documented workflow for the pandemic?
- Is the dentist and the team willing to answer questions regarding their safety procedure?
Are patients safe when they visit a dentist during COVID ?
Yes. Patients are generally safe when they visit a dentist during COVID. Dental clinics implement patient safety measures known as “Universal Precaution” to prevent cross-contamination of other contagious infections even prior to the COVID19 pandemic. The idea behind Universal Precaution is to treat everyone as if they are already infected. The practice of wearing PPE, air filtration, covering dental surfaces, disinfection of dental rooms, and sterilization of dental instruments between patients are all part of the safety guidelines practiced by best dentists and best clinics near your home or overseas. To ensure the safety of patients’ visits during COVID, many dental clinics have upgraded their normal infection control procedures. So as a patient you must feel very safe when you visit a dentist during COVID.
What services can I expect when I visit a dentist during COVID?
Dentists can determine which services are best to offer during a visit to a dentist during COVID. However, as a general rule, most elective dental treatments are postponed until after the conditions have returned to normal.
The following is the list of services that are most often you could expect to receive when you visit a dentist during COVID:
- Dental Emergencies such as pain, swelling or abnormal bleeding
- Teeth or jaw fracture
- Broken crowns, veneers, or dentures
- Dental implant failure or infection related to dental implant
- Rooy canal treatment dure to sever pain or an infection
What are my alternatives if I don’t want to visit a dentist during COVID?
If you are planning to consult a dentist to receive a treatment estimate or a bid, we recommend you get a bid online by using our platform. You can get bids from local or overseas dentists and you don’t have to physically visit a dentist during COVID.
DentistConsultationHub is an online platform connecting patients to dentists. Patients can post a treatment request to receive multiple bids from dentists near home or overseas. The platform offers a source of information for patients and both dentists and patients can order the various products through our affiliated partnerships.
There are a number of products we recommend for you to consider buying whether or not your are planning to visit a dentist during COVID:
