With reinforced biosecurity protocols, Clínica Dental Champsaur are encouraging patients to come back for routine care.
With the proper precautions in place, Clínica Dental Champsaur know that the risk of patients catching COVID-19 during dental visits is minimal—and delaying routine care is a major health concern.
Your visit to Clínica Dental Champsaur will look quite different from the dental practices that you have visited in the past.
Risky Environment for Spreading Covid-19
Dental work is a uniquely risky environment for spreading Covid-19 since medical practitioners work face-to-face with open-mouthed patients for extended periods of time.
Yet delaying routine care is a major health concern that can lead to problems outside the mouth. Gum disease is linked to other chronic conditions, such as heart disease.
What are the Risks at the Dentist?
Covid-19 spreads through the mist emitted as people breathe, talk, cough, and more. People may inhale these globs or touch contaminated surfaces and then rub their eyes, nose, or mouth.
Common tools in dentistry, such as drills and ultrasonic cleaners, can also generate tiny particles, known as aerosols, that potentially harbour infectious coronavirus and can linger in the air for minutes to hours.
In March 2020, when information about Covid-19 was scarce, dentists delayed non-emergency care to limit possible viral spread. The move also helped preserve personal protective equipment for frontline hospital workers amid severe shortages.
After studies on how to reopen safely, routine dentistry recommenced at Clínica Dental Champsaur with new recommendations for safety.
Should I go to the Dentist if it is not an Emergency?
In general, you should visit your dentist, as delaying dental care poses considerable risks to long-term health. Not only can non-severe conditions, like a cracked filling, dramatically worsen if ignored, but even simple cleanings are vital. For example, there is a link between gum health and diabetes, as well as a connection with heart disease.
Dental cleanings can also stabilize gum condition.
The prolonged period at home has also meant a turn for the worse in people’s diets—with increased intake of tooth-decaying foods, such as sweets and carbonated drinks.
The greatest risk of patients catching Covid-19, is while traveling to and from an appointment. Patients, particularly those with pre-existing conditions, travelling on the Panama Metro or on crowded buses are places where viral transmission is high.
People with concerns should consult Clínica Dental Champsaur before coming to our dental practice. Delaying a cleaning for a few weeks or a month is probably OK but it is not good to wait for 6 months or more.
What does a ‘safe’ Dentist visit look like?
Since people can spread Covid-19 even if they don’t have symptoms, and inexpensive rapid testing isn’t available, Clínica Dental Champsaur have initiated many precautions.
Your dental appointment at Clínica Dental Champsaur will start even before arriving at the office with a pre-screening questionnaire which is check of your health status that includes questions about recent coughs or fever and potential contact with people infected with Covid-19.
To limit risks once in the office, we at Clínica Dental Champsaur are seeing fewer patients at a time and asking people to enter alone, reducing each patient’s potential number of interactions. Soon after you enter the office, a nurse will take your temperature. The waiting room chair setup is different to allow ample social distancing.
The dentists at Clínica Dental Champsaur also now wear many layers of personal protective equipment, such as N95 masks. These not only reduce the aerosols they breathe in during the procedure but also limit what could escape from their own mouths.
Our dentists minimise the amount of discussion to avoid spreading the virus and wear face shields to prevent any saliva or blood-laced spray from landing in their eyes.
In case of any question related to How to go to the dentist safely during the pandemic?, contact us at 261-6650