The Covid-19 news are becoming overwhelming and people are tired for hearing the same thing over and over again. Every newsfeed is full of it. And it’s a ‘must’ dinner conversation.
Since our country is taking more serious measures in quarantining and self-isolating in these difficult time in order to minimize the spread, you also need to think about your overall and dental health.
The connection between your overall health and dental health is undeniable. Once has impact on the other and vice versa. Because of this, we’ve put together a short guide in order to answer some basic questions.
Change in dental visits during Covid-19
Cities, states and the CDC put in place different measures in order to deal with the epidemic so dentist need to be a bit more creative in how to see and treat their patients. So here are some policies put in place:
Closed waiting rooms – Most dentists are closing their waiting rooms so patients can’t gather in one confined space. Instead, when you arrive at your dentist, you get take straight to the treatment room so there’s no waiting. Which is good. But this means that you definitely need to call your dentist in order to confirm the appointment. Also, since there are no waiting rooms, there will be no magazines, no toys in order make the time fly by faster.
Treatment and checkout
The aim of the news policies is to minimize movement and bring down the contact between patients. So each and every patient will be brought directly into the treatment room and will be discharged from the treatment room.
Door handles
Since door handles are something that every patient touches, and can be a potential source where the infection spreads, many dentists have decided to install foot handles on the front doors. This way, the patient won’t need to touch the door handle at all.
Sanitation
We know that dentists were very sanitary even before the epidemic. Dental offices were spotless. But this precaution has been taken to a whole new level. The door handles were wiped constantly and the use of gloves during your dental treatment were a must. But now, they are further increasing these measures in order to stop the outbreak from spreading.
Screening of patients
When you call your dentist to schedule and confirm your appointment, your dentist will most likely ask you a few routine questions like if you recently travelled any of the countries that are a Covid-19 hot zone or maybe had contact with someone from those areas. In case that you were in those places or had contact with someone, but you still need urgent dental treatment, don’t let that discourage you. Feel free to call your dentist and find out what measures you need to take.
Handling Dental Emergencies
At the moment, dental offices across the US will be ready to see patients that need emergency dental treatments. These dental emergencies include:
- Cracked or chipped teeth
- Knocked out tooth
- Tissue injuries or
- Toothaches
So if you or anyone in your immediate family is experiencing some of these, make sure to contact your dentist and schedule an urgent appointment.
