To tell you all to take care over your dental hygiene!

[Cheapprimarkbra]

Folks... Please look after your teeth extra carefully over the next few months! Part of my molar randomly fell off this afternoon. Rang Dentaline (out of hours dentist) and no dentists are able to work in the lockdown, even for emergency treatment for the most severe pain! Totally understandable of course, but scary nonetheless. The lady on the phone literally quoted this: "You are either critically ill on a ventilator or you won't be seen". Very sobering and brings home again how much we take for granted. 🙏

What the op has said is correct, my partner called 111 earlier in the week and spoke to a dental nurse. All dentists have been told they can only conduct telephone appointments and prescribe painkillers on antibiotics. No face to face consultations can be carried out. You have to be referee to the dental hub which was being set up as on 1st April.

You needn't get the thread removed, Cheapprimarkbra, it's a timely reminder what with everything else going on at the moment, I wasn't thinking of my teeth.

There are some posters who just can't wait to leap down somebody's throat. I imagine they're dyspeptic or something but whatever it is, it's their problem not yours.

Thanks for the reminder. Stitch in time and all that... :)

It's a useful reminder OP, dental pain is the worst. My partner just got told a week before lockdown he needs an Op to remove his wisdom tooth, goodness knows when that will happen now.

@Costalatte

What the OP said is correct for her and for YOU, but not for everyone.

STOP THE SCAREMONGERING!

pleaseplease Why are you posting so aggressively? OP's post was made in good faith. Other posters have given their perspectives and experiences of their dental practices.

Didn't need a pile on from you.

Is your 'caps lock' stuck or are you just copying what the other attention-seekers do?

@pleasepleasepleasehelp The guidelines released yesterday were explicit in that we, in general practice, can not see ANY patients at all.

The only place they can now be seen is in one if the recently set up urgent care dental hubs.

Well this is correct for the area which I live in as I know more than one other person that has been told the same thing so you can believe what you like.

Urgent care is not available.......a life threatening abscess probably will be. But major toothache isnt. My friends dad has been rolling round in Avon week with exposed nerves and no one will see him. They don't have the PPE. And don't have any criteria in place.

My dad had emergency dental work yesterday.

I just checked my dentist and the emergency dentist I used last year at a weekend. Both are closed, not seeing any patients at all. They can give email advice only. There's a link to a couple of hospital based emergency treatment options, two are phone only, one is a first come first served walk in dental A&E option.

OP
Some of what you've said is correct,
currently dentistry is advice, analgesia and antibiotics prescribing remotely.
As for emergency dentistry, this will fall into the category of aerosol generating (drilling-to open up/extirpate a tooth & compresses air) and non-aerosol generating (extractions and incisions).
The first category can only take place in

the new hubs or urgent care dental centres, as far as I know, none are completely set up & running yet.
That's not scaremongering, that's a fact.
The latter category is fraught with complications, as Covid symptomatic and Covid asymptomatic patients need seperate facilities for infection control and different PPE. The FFP3 masks are mainly reserved for NHS trusts atm, although the new dental hubs/UCDs will be getting them.
This is all a bit up in the air atm, OP is correct in many ways though.

OP, I think it's good that you have raised the issue of dentistry, I am concerned about this and I'm sure many others are too!
Thanks to those who have added info to the thread:)

@ TeaAndBiscuits thanks you.

@pleasepleasepleasehelp I think you owe some apologies

Oh and it was for an exposed nerve.

Many dentists are sick, self isolating or redeployed and retrained to support ventilated patients.
The overall message is a good one.

The op is right.
The cqc have advised that unless you are a "hub" or dental hospital you are not allowed to carry out any type of dentistry.
This is down to
1: most dental Practices don't have the right type of ppe
2: the 3:1 and hand pieces generate airflow which has been advised not to be used.

The cqc will shut down any dental practice seen to be seeing patients

This is not to say if you have an emergency they can't help, but will be able to advise/refer you in to the local emergency hub/hospital

@1976Bo thank you for putting it much more eloquently than I could!

Ops @TeaAndBisquits cross post with you

@pleasepleasepleasehelp
I can assure you what I've posted is 100% correct as of the Chief Dental Officer England's webinar at 5pm yesterday.
Since 16th March we ( dentists/DCPs ) have had a continuously changing series of guidelines.

@1976BO Thank you - this was so clear and helpful! I may have a cracked tooth, but I'm thankful that it's only painful because of the sharp bit against my tongue, and I obviously don't have an exposed nerve or anything like that. I can't even imagine what it would be like to have extreme pain and have no relief in the form of physical treatment.

Actually this isn’t scaremongering. We have been given very strict guidelines. All face to face consultations have been banned from most practices. Consultation is via phone and if treatment is deemed necessary you will have to travel to urgent dental treatment centres.
All patients are currently being classified as infected. You may receive advice regarding painkillers or prescribed antibiotics but face to face treatment is only available in designated centres.
Dentists are being warned against treating patients outside of these centres ( may have professional ramifications). It’s all very serious.
So look after your teeth.
I’m not sure what the reference to ventilators was about but the risk of picking up the virus if you attend a dental surgery that are not following the extremely strict guidelines will be high.
There was a webinar by the chief dental officer on Friday evening and they made it quite clear that we were not to put our staff, our patients or ourselves at risk.
Most of us are to be deployed over the next few weeks. Although it is on a voluntary basis the only way will will be payed is to “volunteer”.

I’m using that expensive mouthwash with the chlorhexidene in it to ensure no nasty surprises. Worth getting some in if you can

Salt water mouthwashes are probably just as effective and much cheaper. It doesn’t stain your teeth brown either.

The woman on the phone was a total dick. How would a critically ill person on a ventilator get to a dentist? Absolutely stupid thing to say.