To be so anxious about what dentist did?

[TeaBoots]

Today I had dental treatment for an abscessed tooth. I was in the chair for over an hour. I was in a lot of pain and have a huge dental phobia at the best of times. I’ve only just realised since being home that the dentist wasn’t wearing a face mask.

My DS (aged 3) and my DH both could be incredibly unwell if they picked up any kind of virus and I feel terrible that by the dentist breathing in my mouth for an hour I will have picked something up and could pass it to them.

I will admit that in my anxiety addled brain I am thinking about coronavirus.

AIBU to be so concerned? And WIBU to phone the dentist tomorrow and tell them how disappointed/ upset I am. Surely they have to wear some kind of face protection?

YAB totally daft.

In any case, there's no evidence to suggest face masks prevent the spread of viruses through breathing.

Probably ran out because of everyone else buying them thinking they'll prevent Coronavirus.

Surely the face mask is for the dentists protection?

They are supposed to wear disposable face masks. But I always assumed that was to protect them from patients!

The face mask is to protect the dentist, not you. In any case, all it really does after the first few minutes is stop bits of your abscessed tooth and saliva, splatting in the dentists face. YAB 100% U.

Do they even wear them all the time? Is it not just when they're drilling or similar to stop them inhaling tooth dust?

I am a massive catastrophiser but knowing that my DS is immunocompromised and could become very unwell indeed just makes it worse.

The risk of the dentist having coronavirus is so low that it wouldn't even cross my mind.

Unless your dentist is chinese.. in which case, it would be quite racist to immediately assume he/she has coronavirus

You're catastrophising. You're more likely to have picked up something in the waiting room. People are rife with bugs this time of year. Did he sneeze in your mouth? Cough in your face?

Mrsmorton yes, saliva was splattering everywhere. I just have never seen a dentist without a mask. I guess I thought it was the law they wore one, and that it was for both patient and dentists protection.

Masks are used solely to protect dentists from, to put it bluntly, physical spatter of bodily fluids from patients. They’re nothing to do with preventing the dentist from infecting patients with anything.

There was a item on the BBC that there is a shortage of masks. Dentists were saying they were going to run out next week.

Unfortunately, normal face masks don't prevent coronavirus.

The masks are to protect the dentist more then you. The concern is salvia/blood being transferred into their mouths inadvertently, or dust/chemicals from treatments. They don't wear them to avoid transferring airbourne viruses you - otherwise they should keep them on for the whole appointment - even when just talking to you.

babychange12 my dentist is British. I’m just really overly maybe concerned about coronavirus and any other flu type thing doing the rounds.

Sunshinelollipops1 but surely you are more likely to get their viruses if they are essentially breathing into your mouth for an hour instead of breathing into a mask?

Are you worried about the well-being of the dentist?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51493492

@Teaboots no, unless you have someone breathing into something like a scuba mask, air will be able to get in and out, and so will the viruses. You can't totally seal someone's nose and mouth off. At least, not without suffocating them. There is no evidence that masks make any difference in the prevention of airborne viruses.

The only way these masks prevent the spread of illness is that they discourage touching your face with your hands, which is a common way of spreading disease.

Lockheart I was under the impression masks did offer some protection to other people but were less effective at protecting you. Might have that the wrong way round though.

I'm a dentist. We are only allowed to order two packs a day at the moment ( 100 masks) as there is a shortage.
Did your dentist wear eye protection or a visor?
Normally if a visor is worn a mask isn't necessary. Masks do very little in my opinion apart from mask bad smells ( from both dentist and patient)...
you would be unreasonable to complain due to the mask shortage at the moment....

Andrews21 dentist wore eye protection goggles but nothing protecting mouth or nose.

Glad dentist had eye protection.

YABU, and don't make a complaint about the poor dentist.
Like others have said, the mask is there to protect the dentists from you 😷

Yabu but undertsndable. My dentist didnt wear a mask last week. Its not an issue. As everyone said a dentists mask is only to protect them from anything flying into their face. It wouldnt protect you from viruses if indeed he even had a virus to begin with.

There is a shortage of masks at the moment! We nearly ran out!

They protect dentists from splatter. They don't protect from airborne viruses.

The masks are purely to protect the dentist. Yabtu.

YABU.