The answer in short is YES! Dentistry is one of the most high risk occupations due to aerosols created during treatments inside patients mouths.
As mentioned on our previous blog post, most dental clinics have invested a lot of time and energy into make sure their clinics are safe and open to help all their patrons.
At the same time we want to protect our loved ones and our vulnerable family members also who have been isolating.
It is a very strange time as many patients who really need regular dental care are not attending out of fear and lockdown measures. While this is totally understandable there is a growing concern of the damage to peoples oral health.
The following could be considered:
- Will oral cancer diagnoses be missed or delayed as a result?
- Will decay that could be easily restored turn into root canal treatment or tooth removal?
- Will gum disease that is not properly maintain lead to deterioration of someones oral health?
- Could dental clinics close due to the inability to financially cope leading to lack of care?
- Will more emergency home dentistry be carried out leading to dangerous outcomes?
- Will child decay and infections increase due to poor diet and cleaning at home?
The above is just some of things we must consider. There is by no means an easy solution to our current pandemic, it will no doubt take time for the population to recover but at least there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Rest assured if you are in pain and it is an emergency all dental clinics should now be open and be able to help. The only caveat is that in some situations the demand is so great that being seen quickly maybe somewhat tricky. Nonetheless every dentist I have ever known or taught has always gone out of their way to help as many people as possible, so I am sure that in this current climate that will not have changed.
Thankfully our clinical team have all started receiving vaccinations. In time, some form of normality will eventually resume but I do believe there are some very important lessons to be learned from this pandemic.
Good luck and stay safe :)