Dental Visit During Covid-19: Things to Remember

Much like your overall well-being, our oral health needs attention too, irrespective of the prevailing situations of Covid-19. With the world adjusting to a new normal, it isn’t surprising that dental clinics and doctors are gearing up to get their services rolling back to normal.

However, this article intends to help the readers familiarize themselves with the current situation and not be afraid of it. The dental clinics make sure that visiting your dentist is safe.

Here, we have enlisted all the important pointers that you need to keep in check during your dental visit amidst a pandemic.

Table of Contents

Feel free to skip ahead if one topic catches your eye

1. Dentistry During Covid-19
2. When is it absolutely necessary to visit a dental clinic?
3. What precautions are doctors taking to avoid Covid-19 spread?
4. Guidelines: Patients Should Follow

Take Away

1. Dentistry During Covid-19

After the sudden halt to dental operations during Covid-19, the services have resumed around the hospitals as well as the clinics in the cities across India but with necessary restrictions and safety precautions.

But, what are the dental issues for which you can visit a dental clinic now?

To answer that, a patient can book an appointment for almost every service available in the dental clinics including:

• General consultation and check-up
• Dental implant restoration
• Denture and braces
• Any form of surgical procedures required

Hence, much like every other industry, even the field of dentistry is recuperating after the initial impacts of Covid-19. If you are struggling with pain or need to find the best dentist for dental implants in Gurgaon, everything is operational now with the mandatory precautions.

2. When is it absolutely necessary to visit a dental clinic?

While dentists normally suggest getting regular check-ups every 4-6 months, with the prevailing situation of the pandemic, people are often skeptical about visiting a doctor’s clinic. So, the imposed restrictions have made it extremely hard for people to bridge the gap between WANTING to visit a dentist for check-ups and NEEDING to visit a dentist for check-ups.

With all the uncertainty in the situations, it is always best to visit a dentist when you need it, especially at the moment when a new strain of a mutated Covid-19 virus has surfaced, which is considered a super spreader.

Some of the conditions that demand a dental visit immediately include:

• Severe pain in the teeth or gums along with swelling
• Fluid discharge from the gums include pus and blood
• Renewing braces or dentures
• Follow-up visits for dental implants and more

Delaying timely dental care can pose risks to one’s health, especially when it comes to chronic diseases like diabetes. With the government-imposed safety protocols in place, the best dental implant clinics in Gurgaon are ensuring to create a safe and virus-free environment for the patients.

The risks are primarily during the travel time to and from the clinic. Public transports can be risky and act as the main vector of transmission of the virus. It is thus extremely necessary for the patient to call and ask their dentist before visiting the clinic. If you are anxious about visiting the dentist, asking them whether it’s safe to delay the appointment is a good way out.

3. What precautions are doctors taking to avoid Covid-19 spread?

With the pandemic being around for a long while now, everyone has accustomed themselves to the “NEW NORMAL”. From constant sanitizing to maintaining social distancing, the precautions have become extremely important to avoid the fatal transmission of the virus.

Complying to the government protocols, the dental clinics and the dentists are abiding by the following precautions:

• Wear a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kit during the appointments with the patients
• Switching to telemedicine means conducting online consultations
• Noting down the body temperature of the patients entering the clinics using a contact-free thermometer
• Constant sanitization of the clinic with the EPA-approved disinfectants
• Dentists should wear a face shield and constantly sanitize their hands every 15 minutes
• Ask the patients to do a mouth rinse before the consultation
• Extending time between patients for sanitization
• If possible, conducting the consultations in a negative pressure room
• Consider getting an extraoral examination instead of intraoral procedures
• For surgical procedures, dentists are advised to use resorbable sutures to reduce the frequency of follow-up appointments

4. Guidelines: Patients Should Follow

Not just the dentist and the staff, even the patient needs to be extremely cautious during their dental appointments. This is not just necessary for their own safety but also for that of the dentist and the assisting staff in the clinic.

Some of the most important guidelines that the patients should follow before their appointments include:

• Avoid visiting anywhere before your appointment at the dental clinic. Try and reach the clinic directly from your house to avoid the risks of transmission of the virus
• If the patient has any signs of Covid-19 or even flu, in general, they should avoid stepping out of the house and instead opt for online consultations
• Instead of using the crammed lifts with people, switch to taking the staircase.
• Always wear a surgical mask, gloves, and face shield for personal protection before entering the clinic
• Maintain social distancing inside the clinic
• Take a time slot for your appointment and only visit during that allotted time to prevent crowding inside the clinic
• Keep a check on your temperature and oxygen levels before the consultation
• Be prepared to sign a Covid-19 declaration form while inside the clinic
• Carry an alcohol-based sanitizer and keep sanitizing your hands every 30 minutes to an hour

Take Away

Even though situations are hard and complicated right now, life has gone back in the full swing with the new normal or wearing masks and practicing self-hygiene. If you have a dental appointment that you have been dreading, we hope these clarifications and insights help ease your anxiousness a bit. If you have an appointment for getting dental implants in Gurgaon, follow all the safety precautions and go ahead with your appointment.

At Smilexpertz, you are assured of the best treatments with advanced techniques and optimal safety during the Covid-19 pandemic.

References:

1^ Dentistry During Covid-19 NCBI | January 11, 2021

2^ When is it absolutely necessary to visit a dental clinic? National Geographic | January 11, 2021

3^ What precautions are doctors taking to avoid Covid-19 spread? Dental Tribune | January 11, 2021