When will Dentists be back open?

[Logan]

I know all of them are closed and just treating emergency.

Does anyone know roughly when dentists will be back open in someway? Even if it is phone up to book an appointment due to being in pain.

 

[MattKW]

No effing idea. I'm guessing a minimum of 6 months (Australia) where we seem to have hit the peak. In the US and UK it is much more serious and still escalating. We are at Level 3 emerg treatment only, and are only booking emergencies up to 2 days ahead at a time.

 

[Logan]

No effing idea. I'm guessing a minimum of 6 months (Australia) where we seem to have hit the peak. In the US and UK it is much more serious and still escalating. We are at Level 3 emerg treatment only, and are only booking emergencies up to 2 days ahead at a time.

Thank you, I am in the UK.

I had a sharp shooting pain in a tooth that has a filling on it and since then I have had pain which is causing me to lose sleep and have hardly eaten.

from what I have read I can not see a dentist. I can only see an emergency dentist but i do not know what counts as an emergency. I have also read that all filling type procedures are not taking place either. I can not even contact my own dentist to ask.

I am taking painkillers, after eating using mouth wash and swishing around salt water. Brushing my teeth with sensodyne repair and protect toothpaste and at night putting some of the toothpaste on the tooth. Will that be ok?

The filling is still in place and can not see any cracks but it is a black filling and dont fully know what I am looking for.

 

[MattKW]

• Ring any dentist you can who is offering emergency treatment and they will prob ask you questions to see if you qualify.
• I attach the Austn Restrictions and we are at Level 3. You will see that you would be an Urgent case, " Urgent dental treatment involves managing conditions that cause significant pain, infection or impact on patient health and well-being."
  Emergency treatment is considered life-threatening.
• If you are not at risk of having been infected, then this would allow you (under Austn Guidelines):
  " Upon arrival at the practice reception, have the patient use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser and rub their hands for 20 seconds.
  When entering the surgery ask the patient to wash their hands (to conserve ABHR) in the surgery hand washing sink, prior to sitting in the dental chair. While the efficacy of this approach cannot be guaranteed to have a significant effect on viral load in a
  patient with COVID-19, we recommend that prior to commencing treatment all patients should be asked to undertake a 20-30 second pre-procedural mouthrinse with either:
  • 1% hydrogen peroxide
  • 0.2% povidone iodine
  • 0.2% chlorhexidine rinse (alcohol free)
  • an essential oil mouth rinse (alcohol free).
  Consider delaying non-urgent or elective dental procedures particularly those which will generate aerosols.
  Ensure that you use high speed evacuation for all aerosol generating procedures and the use of rubber dam for restorative procedures to reduce the aerosolisation of infectious agents. Consider using techniques that minimize aerosol generation (such as hand scalers instead of
  ultrasonic scalers)."
• So, using a rubber dam you might get a temporary filling, or a simple permanent filling. You might get a simple extraction. You might get a simple pulp extripation (under rubber dam). These are the sort of things I'm doing. I am not attempting extractions that might become surgical.

Your local Health authority might have similar info on their website, or perhaps the British Dental Association website.

 

[Logan]

• Ring any dentist you can who is offering emergency treatment and they will prob ask you questions to see if you qualify.
• I attach the Austn Restrictions and we are at Level 3. You will see that you would be an Urgent case, " Urgent dental treatment involves managing conditions that cause significant pain, infection or impact on patient health and well-being."
  Emergency treatment is considered life-threatening.
• If you are not at risk of having been infected, then this would allow you (under Austn Guidelines):
  " Upon arrival at the practice reception, have the patient use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser and rub their hands for 20 seconds.
  When entering the surgery ask the patient to wash their hands (to conserve ABHR) in the surgery hand washing sink, prior to sitting in the dental chair. While the efficacy of this approach cannot be guaranteed to have a significant effect on viral load in a
  patient with COVID-19, we recommend that prior to commencing treatment all patients should be asked to undertake a 20-30 second pre-procedural mouthrinse with either:
  • 1% hydrogen peroxide
  • 0.2% povidone iodine
  • 0.2% chlorhexidine rinse (alcohol free)
  • an essential oil mouth rinse (alcohol free).
  Consider delaying non-urgent or elective dental procedures particularly those which will generate aerosols.
  Ensure that you use high speed evacuation for all aerosol generating procedures and the use of rubber dam for restorative procedures to reduce the aerosolisation of infectious agents. Consider using techniques that minimize aerosol generation (such as hand scalers instead of
  ultrasonic scalers)."
• So, using a rubber dam you might get a temporary filling, or a simple permanent filling. You might get a simple extraction. You might get a simple pulp extripation (under rubber dam). These are the sort of things I'm doing. I am not attempting extractions that might become surgical.

Your local Health authority might have similar info on their website, or perhaps the British Dental Association website.

Hi, the dentists seem to just be doing phone advice.

I am taking painkillers, after eating using mouth wash and swishing around salt water. Brushing my teeth with sensodyne repair and protect toothpaste and at night putting some of the toothpaste on the tooth. Will that be ok?

What else can I do?

 

[MattKW]

Nothing else you can do.

 

[Logan]

Nothing else you can do.

Thank you. Will just keep doing that.

If some restrictions are lifted do you think dentists will be open again in someway?

 

[MattKW]

So many unknowns. Patients will have to have the money and job security to start coming back. So, some will restart ASAP but maybe with diminished staff numbers at first.

 

[Logan]

So many unknowns. Patients will have to have the money and job security to start coming back. So, some will restart ASAP but maybe with diminished staff numbers at first.

Thank you

My guess would be that they open up for people to phone up to get an appointment but only get seen if in pain and get asked questions about the virus to try and see people without symptoms or households without symptoms.

Hen they do open i will be making an appointment