Consider your options before you head into the
office.
Kat
Eschner June 30, 2020
After months of
stress-eating,-drinking, and having a valid excuse to avoid the dentist, your
teeth are probably ready for a cleaning. Dental offices, which have been closed
for non-emergencies since early March, are starting to reopen under new CDC guidelines. But there’s a lot to consider before
heading back in for routine work—and if possible, you might want to just
wait.
You shouldn’t assume that
your personal dentist is following all of those guidelines to the letter, says
JoAnn Gurenlian, a professor of dental hygiene at Idaho State University and
chair of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association’s COVID-19 task force on
the return to work.
“I don’t think you should
assume that every office has put all the new measures that are in our guidance documents in place,” she says. Before you
head in for your regular cleaning, call and ask about how they’ve changed their
practices. If they’re still adapting—or if, as in some cases Gurenlian says the
ADHA has been informed of, they’ve chosen not to change their
practices—consider putting your visit on pause until changes have been
made.
For starters, she says,
dental practices should be screening patients for COVID-19 specifically. The
waiting area should be sanitized and physical distancing measures should be put
in place. Gurenlian recommends calling to confirm this has been initiated. When
it comes to your appointment itself, she suggests asking about whether staff
will be wearing the new recommended levels of PPE, whether hygienists will be
using hand tools to clean your teeth rather than ultrasonic tools, which create
more aerosol particles than hand tools, and asking about sanitization
procedures on the dental suite between patients.
Even if all those criteria
are met, not everybody is ready to return for routine dental work. The New York
Times spoke to a number of infectious disease specialists
and dental health professionals who are “skeptical about going to the dentist
for anything that is not urgent,” according to reporter Maria Cramer.
The CDC’s new advisories
also might make routine visits daunting for some: For instance, the government
body has made the use of dental dams mandatory for any procedures
that require more than hand instruments. This would include routine fillings
and sealants as well as more intricate procedures like extractions and root
canals. Typically, dental dams, which cover the entirety of the patient’s mouth
other than the area or tooth being worked on, have been reserved for these
complex issues only
Patients also need to be
mindful of their own health, she says: While the CDC’s new recommended
procedures include a vigorous phone screening beforehand, and temperature
checks for patients coming in the door, members of the public have a duty to
each other and to health professionals to actively practice social distancing
measures and avoid any situations where they might contract COVID-19.
Doing your due diligence
protects both you and your dental professionals. For the people who look after
your teeth, COVID-19 constitutes a new and very real threat, Gurenlian says.
“They are face to face, in close proximity, with patients who are breathing on
them.”
Having to return to work after
months in isolation and become frontline workers is taking a mental health toll
on the hygienists that ADHA represents, she says. They are contending with the
new realities of their jobs, like wearing N-95 respirators, extra protective
equipment, and enhanced cleaning, while trying to avoid getting sick
themselves. So, if you do go get your teeth cleaned, spare some extra courtesy
for the people doing the cleaning.
Whatever you decide, taking
excellent care of your teeth at home will help reduce the burden on the dental
system. Brushing, cleaning between your teeth with floss or alternative
methods, and using an antiseptic mouthwash after every cleaning are all
important maintenance, Gurenlian says. And don’t be afraid to pick up the phone
and call your dentist, she says. “If you have a question about something, or
something doesn’t feel right in your mouth, that’s perfectly appropriate to
do.”
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