Wellness Tips | 17 September, 2020

Going to the Dentist During a Pandemic

Lets face it, 2020 has been a bizarre year.

First, there were natural disasters and then this little thing called Coronavirus appeared. From early this year life as we know it changed. We now all look at our hygiene habits a little closer, we’re avoiding any unnecessary contact with other people, we’re all becoming experts at measuring 1.5m with just our eyes, and for some of us, our movements are still restricted to try and stop community spread.

Whilst research teams around the globe are working tirelessly to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 there is no clear end to this global pandemic just yet. Your oral health is linked to your overall wellness and, although it may be easy to overlook in these uncertain times, it shouldn’t be ignored. As the virus continues to be part of our society your dental visits may look a little different.

What are the risks of visiting the dentist?

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“With correct precautions and procedures, there is minimal risk of patients contracting COVID-19 during a dental visit.” ?”

That’s the words of Maven Dental Clinical Advisor Alison Coates who, along with Clinical Director Dr Fred Calavassy and our Clinical Advisory Board, is navigating our network through this pandemic.

COVID-19 is mainly spread from person to person through respiratory droplets produced by an infected person. These little droplets can occur when a person coughs, sneezes talks or even breathes. From there people can inhale them, touch a surface that they have contaminated, or run them in their eyes.

But what is the risk at the dentist?

There's a number of pieces of equipment that are used in the dental practice that create aerosols.  When we talk about aerosols, we’re talking about water under pressure creating a spray that can be propelled into the environment around us. The risk is that such aerosols, when mixed with bacteria and/or the virus, can contribute to the transmission of infection.

“This is why we screen every patient before they come to the practice. If they do have or have had symptoms recently, it doesn’t necessarily mean we can’t provide treatment. We’ve looked at every scenario we can think of and provided our practices with procedures that align with our nation’s health agencies to ensure everyone can continue to access dental treatment.”?

Maven Dental COVID-19 compliance in practice

How has my dentist appointment changed?

Infection control has always been our priority and none-more-so now during this pandemic. As Alison says, at Maven Dental “we utilise evidence-based research to make decisions that keep our patients, our teams, and our local communities as safe as possible from COVID-19 despite the challenges which this global pandemic has provided us.”

Whilst the delivery of dental excellence and quality of care remains a priority there have been a number of additional risk mitigation measures implemented within our practice network.?

Those changes include temperature checks, hand sanitisers, social distancing, contactless payments and triage questions. For our dentists, you’ll notice that they may be wearing some extra Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and they’ll ask you to do a pre-procedural mouth rinse before they start treating you. Some of the equipment they use may change a little to reduce the risk of spreading aerosols and saliva splatter, again minimising the potential transmission of the virus if present.

Maven Dental COVID-19 compliance in practice
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“Probably one of the most important changes to the patient experience is triaging. We use this to gather information to make an informed decision about the treatment risk to the patient, the team and other patients based around both clinical and environmental factors.””

Screening questions happen 24-48 hours before your appointment, when you arrive at the practice, and once you’re in the surgery our clinicians will confirm your answers one last time. Seems like a lot but as Alison says “we want to be absolutely sure that we are wearing the correct clothing and using the correct instruments. We are asking these questions for the safety of yourself and others.”

Should I still be going to the dentist if it’s not an emergency?

Your oral health is connected to your overall health and wellbeing. As the wellness people, we believe that a healthy mouth inspires a happy life. Delaying dental care, even in more normal times, can pose a more considerable risk to your long-term health.

“We encourage you to continue seeing your dentist. We don’t want you developing a dental emergency, especially with the uncertainty of lockdowns and Government imposed restrictions that may limit the type of care that can be provided.” Alison says. “The focus of Maven Dental is to ensure every patient can continue to access dental treatment safely during this pandemic. Whether that be emergency dental, or standard/routine dental care we want to be there for our patients.”

All these measures have become a new norm not just for Maven Dental, but you’ll find similar protocols across the Australian healthcare landscape. With no end in sight to the COVID-19 pandemic just yet it’s important to continue to keep on top of your health and wellbeing. That includes your oral health.

If you have any questions or concerns about visiting a dentist during this pandemic get in touch with your local Maven Dental practice. We want to ensure you feel comfortable receiving treatment.