You’re at home and suddenly faced with a serious dental emergency. Realizing that social distancing is what you should be doing, you wonder if going to the dentist is a good idea. After calling the office and explaining your situation, they recommend you come in as soon as possible. But is it safe? How do you know you won’t contract it while having your teeth fixed? Before you begin to hesitate about taking the appropriate measures to address your dental emergency, hear from a local dentist who can explain what precautions are being taken to protect both staff and patients from the spread of COVID-19.
Protecting Patients Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
To safely and effectively function as a successful and licensed dental office, certain rules, guidelines, and precautions must always be followed. With dental offices being one of the cleanest establishments you can visit, it should come as no surprise that although most dentists are only seeing emergency patients, they are taking extreme measures to better protect both the staff and patients from the possibility of contracting COVID-19.
An infectious disease that results in respiratory illness, COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, has quickly spread throughout the world. Causing symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath, a dentist’s office could potentially be a hotbed for this disease to spread. Fortunately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have established additional guidelines for dental offices. Some of these include:
- Pre-screening patients over the phone to ensure they are not or have not been sick within the past 7 days.
- Seeing only one patient at a time.
- Avoiding procedures that require the use of aerosol-generating tools, as these can produce a spray that contains droplets of water, saliva, and blood that can travel to patients and/or staff.
- Wearing gloves, a gown, protective eyewear, and an N95 respirator mask (or surgical mask with a face shield) while providing emergency dental care.
- Ensuring all staff practice proper hand hygiene at all times.
What Emergencies Warrant a Visit to the Dentist’s Office
If you’re unsure which situations and dental emergencies are serious enough for the dental staff to recommend a visit, these typically include:
- Severe or extreme tooth pain, as this is usually a sign of a serious infection (abscess) and will require either a root canal or tooth extraction depending on the severity.
- Continuous bleeding from the mouth.
- A knocked-out tooth that requires immediate care for the tooth to be saved.
Otherwise, most dental injuries can be cared for without a visit. When calling your dentist’s office, if the situation is not severe enough to warrant a visit at this time, you can expect team members to provide step-by-step instructions on what to do to remedy the problem while at home.
Should you or a loved one find yourself dealing with a dental emergency that requires seeing a dentist, don’t be afraid to seek help. Trust that they are doing everything possible to keep you safe.
About the Practice
At Deer Park Family Dentistry, our team believes in providing the safest, cleanest, and most comfortable atmosphere for our patients. With the spread of COVID-19, we are taking extra precautions to ensure all surfaces, tools, and equipment are properly and thoroughly disinfected and sterilized. This continued level of commitment is our way of making sure both our staff and our patients do not have to worry about our office being unsafe in any way. By following all CDC guidelines, we can continue to serve both you and your family’s emergency dental needs during this time. If you or a loved one is experiencing a serious dental crisis and needs immediate attention, contact us at (281) 479-2841.