Can you still see a dentist during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Now that most dental practices have had to either close down or only see patients for emergencies, routine dental work can no longer be performed. You can read all about the Level 3 restriction information from the Australian Government here.
This basically means that if you don’t have a dental emergency serious enough during the COVID-19 pandemic, your dentist might not be able to see you. You may be left with no choice but to wait until the Government changes the level of restrictions and dentists can re-open safely.
Examples of routine dental work that may have to be post-poned indefinitely:
- Fillings that are not causing pain
- Crowns and veneers for cosmetic reasons
- Teeth whitening
- Scale and polishes
- Orthodontic treatment such as Invisalign, braces
- Elective dental implants
- Dentures
- Examinations
Examples of dental problems classed as ’emergency’:
- moderate-severe toothache
- loose, painful, wobbly tooth/teeth
- wisdom tooth pain
- dental infections causing facial swellings and abscesses
The other important thing to note is that even if your emergency is something that must be attended to, dentists are also restricted in HOW they perform treatments.
According to the Government we must:
- not do any treatment that causes aerosols. This means no drilling or using ultrasonic cleaners
- avoid doing any surgical extractions, you may have to see an oral surgeon
- avoid any elective dental implant treatment
As always, it’s best to check with your dentist. Some practices are closed entirely, whilst others are still operating to see emergencies only. Other practices have chosen to close because they do not have sufficient PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to safely stay open at this time.
At Dental Quarters, we have temporarily closed the practice, but remain contactable via telephone and social media with our patients should they have any concerns.
Stay posted, as we will also be posting up some helpful tips and recommendations on how you can get through this closure WITHOUT further damage or getting problems with your teeth.
