Can anyone tell me why dentists are being so protected?

[Carrotcakeforbreakfast]

So my tooth cracked yesterday crown to root.
Called dentist and they said call back tomorrow.

Last night half of said tooth broke off but roots are still in the gum.
Im in absolute agony.
Called up and they said buy a temporary filling kit and gargle with saltwater as we are not doing any face to face.

I'm an ahp frontline too
I have to carry on

Face to face with suspected
Face to face with ventilated confirmed.

Why can't dentists do emergency only witn the ppe we are being told to wear?

On a practical note any advice on what I can do for the pain? I have clove oil and it hasn't done much

Co-codomal hasn't done anything
I'm meant to be back at work tomorrow too. They really need me but I cannot think straight for the pain.

Sorry * wouldn’t

Co-codamol won't do much for a toothache. Try codeine with ibuprofen as that should help. Salt water rinse after eating and try a heat pack on that side of the face

I've just had toothache similar to yours and although I did get seen, they wouldn't do any work as they've been advised against drilling at the moment.

Hope it gets better soon op!

My dentists are there for emergencies or phone consultations and they’re keeping all their staff on in case any of their patients need any errands...I think that’s bloody marvellous of them.

If lots end up in ICU, expect a huge class action. They were put in an impossible position - duties to patients to relieve pressure on the nhs. But not permitted to buy the only effective protective kit. Then not given self employment help employees get - all whilst being asked to volunteer to help the nhs now as they have clinical skills. My husband will be looking for a job elsewhere to try to keep us afloat financially, shame as those skills could have been used medically.

Dentists have been advised to not do any work unless they have appropriate PPE.

There is no PPE for dentists. And they are working inches away from people's faces with aerosols full of blood and saliva. You basically spend 8 hrs a day constantly in mouths surrounded by an aerosol of blood and saliva of about 20 different patients. Then again the next day and the next.

They are the opposite of protected actually. Very little information given to them for weeks, no PPE. Then advise is basically just shut with no way of making money

If you want to give some of your PPE to the dentists I'm sure they'd be more than happy to work.

It’s a very sad fact that the long term effects of COVID-19 will be felt for many years to come. One of the effects will be dental provision. The NHS as it emerges from this pandemic will jettison dentistry and a number of other core services on the basis of finance. It’s such a shame because the nations dental health has improved so much over the last 50 years despite the political scaremongering we have seen recently.

I work in dentistry. There are definitely supply issues and have been since early on. Happened with Swine Flu as well. Obviously it's not just Coronavirus that dentists are at risk from, it's HepC, HIV, HSV etc. as treatment causes an aerosol and you breath in blood/saliva etc.

But they should still be doing emergency/pain treatments unless they have run out of PPE. In which case I think they would be forced to stop.

DishRanAwayWithTheSpoon
They're welcome to my surgical masks but I believe they have 0% protection but that is all we have.

Thanks for all the advice. I've called around and spoke to a dentist who has prescribed antibiotics.
They've told me to call 111 if the pain gets any worse.
The pain is already awful.
I'm going to get the antibiotics and painkillers suggested on here and see how I get on.
My whole face just throbs. Of all times for this to happen!

Sorry the dentists are in such a predicament. I didn't realise.

Some guidance...

This thread has actually annoyed me a bit as so many of my friends were worried and scared last week that they still had to practice with no appropriate PPE.

Dentists have been drilling in people's mouths to get people out of pain without the proper PPE. Up until yesterday I think. They've had no support, completely forgotten about by the government

It's very dangerous. You say you still need to see patients, but with appropriate PPE. And you aren't creating an aerosol of blood and saliva all the time with just a dental mask

Some guidance 2...

2020 from a clinical standpoint currently we are trying to avoid ibuprofen for pain relief. By all means take it of your own choice but professionally I would not be advising it currently.

Some guidance 3

Ouch.

What I found helped was soluble aspirin in warm water and a swill around the area. I had a similar problem a couple of years ago.

Hope you get some help soon.

Hi Op,

If the pain is sharp a temporary filling might help. You can get from boots or a supermarket. Debtemp refilit, tooth-Gil (no mix) would help.

Try orajel for the pain or gently applying some sensodyne repair and protect toothpaste.

Use an electric toothbrush to gently clean and avoid sugar for now.

Ring 111 now

Sorry I cross posted with you OP

Hope you get it sorted! I feel for anyone with toothache at this time, it's horrible.

The only advise I can give is alternating cocodamol/ibuprofen (although I guess you don't want to take ibuprofen now). The only the other things you can try are things like anbesol gel or Difflam to numb the pain. Just rubbed all over the gum and tooth

I work in hospital and so we are looking at being absolutely swamped with massive abscesses that could have been dealt with in primary care.

Dishranawaywiththespoon

Sorry but we dont have appropriate ppe in the NHS. Not at all. So I'm sorry if I annoyed you. But I just wondered why dentists had downed tools so to speak but we are all still walking around with expired surgical masks.
I haven't even been fit tested yet.

I had an emergency dental appointment yesterday afternoon ( same reason as you) but it was with a private dentist 35 miles from home as that was the only one we could find.

I didn't have any treatment carried out just an x-ray and examination with antibiotics prescribed, I need to go back ASAP for further treatment but no idea when that will be now.

Is the co-codamol at least taking the edge off of the pain?

Dishranawaywiththespoon

I work in a hospital too and just said to the dentist who called me that I'm too worried about the amount of abscess patients we are going to have turn up.

Sorry for everyone that is going through the lack of protection and sorry if I came across grouchy to anyone.
I've come of a nightshift in massive pain and I'm like a bear with a sore head.

The co-codomal has helped a bit but my whole face hurts.
I'm hoping the antibiotics do something.

We are private. Dentists shouldn’t be seeing people currently unless they have proper full PPE masks, gowns and follow correct protocols. We would be open if we could. We need to earn money.

I'm a bit worried to take ibuprofen at the moment but I might have too.

I'll have a swill with vodka before bed too.
Medicinal vodka.

And despite being truly shafted by the government, dentists were doing a lot to help the situation. They weren’t even named as key workers

i don’t believe they have even set up the hubs yet so yes, by telling dentists to down tools, they have made the hospital situation worse.