When are dentist reopening? Any ideas?

[FridayAddams]

I was wondering when dentists will open again. I know they are open for emergencies, but only for severe, life threatening ones. When do you think they will go back to routine procedures?

[FridayAddams]

Wow do you realise how dangerous aerosol generates procedures are? Until it's safe to do so I hope practices don't open for a long time

Then you better than me hoe important dentistry is for most people. It's not just a cosmetic need like Botox.

How can dentistry not be considered a priority when it comes to people's health? It's not a matter of being heartless or cruel, but lots of people are in pain or are resorting to pulling their own teeth out.

[iVampire]

They’ll only go back once PPE supplies are good.

Snag is that hospitals are being prioritised such that there still isn’t enough for the dental hubs for urgent procedures. And PPE for doctors/nurses/care homes is part of the 5 tests for lifting lockdown; needs of dentistry just aren’t featuring as a national urgent priority.

So it’s going to be an age until a typical dentist can reopen, for anything other than advice and possible referral

The reason there’s no outcry on MN about these closures is because of a very informative thread earlier in, and most MNers are not so heartless as to expect people to work in a hugely risky environment without PPE

[20viona]

Wow do you realise how dangerous aerosol generates procedures are? Until it's safe to do so I hope practices don't open for a long time. I work in hospital dentistry and the change had been drastic. When we do reopen some areas such as orthodontics it will be 6 patients per day per clinician to give time to properly put on and remove PPE and disinfect the room correctly. General dentistry will have a very very long backlog.

[FridayAddams]

I have read on the website of a local practice end of May, but it seems a bit optimistic. Hopefully it will happen soon, I can't believe nobody talks about it! Boris Johnson speech didn't mention it.

[bluestarsatnightfall]

I spoke to mine yesterday and they were hoping the end of June which I can't see happening.

[FridayAddams]

By the way, Italian dentists are opening again these days, it's so horrible the Gov doesn't realize how important dental care is. I might as well start saving for a dental bridge.

[FridayAddams]

@cealewis I was having treatment for gum disease, deep cleanings, so I guess by the time they will reopen it will be worse. Flossing and brushing meticulously, and not eating sugary things, is not helping, I still get lots of buildup.

[cealewis]

There are some emergency dentists open but the options they can provide are pretty medieval. If you are in pain? You have to either grin and bear it with painkillers or have a tooth extracted. Anything that requires ANY sort of drilling I'd not allowed, so if there's a bit of tooth decay, it cannot be treated and will mean that by the time dentists reopen, the tooth will be in a bad condition.

What could have been a routine removal of decay and a filling, if untreated for several months could mean either a root canal or worse, extraction if the decay has spread.

So, it's pretty grim, best advice is try not to bake too many sugary things!

[FridayAddams]

@Ghostlyglow yes, received an email yesterday saying they will open in July. Aren't able to schedule any appointments until then.

[Ghostlyglow]

I had a check up scheduled for last week. It's been moved to July.

[Othersvoices]

Well practices are supposed to be doing phone triage and AAA- advice, analgesia and antibiotics. Mine certainly is.

Mine certainly isn't.
Luckily. We've not needed anything and I only looked because I needed to check an appointment was cancelled.
Will probably look to move after this.

[FridayAddams]

@Paddingtonthebear I see. My practice is private and their are aiming to increase their daily hours when this is over (they already work 6 days a week, 8am to 7pm). DH dentist is NHS and is not possible to reach him atm (but tbf even before was hard to get an appointment).

[Chrisinthemorning]

Well practices are supposed to be doing phone triage and AAA- advice, analgesia and antibiotics. Mine certainly is.

[Othersvoices]

We were told we had to stop working by the Chief Dental Officer. The GDC and the CQC backed this up. We are not allowed to do any face to face at the moment or we could be struck off.

I think it's right that face to face consultations are stopped but at my families practice (private) there is a one sentence message in the website telling us to call 111 for advice.

Why can't we call the practice for advice? I don't understand that! They are the ones getting £50 p/m in fees. Not the NHS!

I understand that if, after a a phone consultation, I were to need to be seen, I would have to go to a hospital but they are offering nothing even in terms of advice and are passing everything over to an already stretched NHS.

[Paddingtonthebear]

No just normal nhs practice

[FridayAddams]

@Paddingtonthebear was it with a hospital? My husband was meant to have a tooth extracted in April, but it has been rescheduled for september.

[Paddingtonthebear]

I had an appointment due this week, they have rescheduled it to August and said that’s the earliest any appointments are being scheduled

[FridayAddams]

@TeacupDrama yes, by the end of June, hopefully, dentists will be allowee to happen, maybe seeing less patients and with appropriate N95. I think most private practices are suffering this situation and obviously fear they won't be able to reopen.

I blame the government, this has been really poor judgement on their side, dentistry is extremely important, just as any other branch of healthcare.

[Chrisinthemorning]

We were told we had to stop working by the Chief Dental Officer. The GDC and the CQC backed this up. We are not allowed to do any face to face at the moment or we could be struck off.
There is some Dentistry going on as Urgent Dental Care hubs have been set up. The NHS have been very disorganised and slow in getting these set up which has been frustrating for dentists.
Dentists do not want to be helpless when someone rings them in pain- but they are.

[TeacupDrama]

Dentistry was banned from the top down, it was not really an individual dentist choice. in the weeks before lockdown it was almost impossible to get even ordinary masks. Dentistry is still only allowed at a specific dental centre set up in each health area.

[Oblomov20]

"so until there are enough N95masks for the dentist, hygienist and dental nurse to wear a new one for each patient seeing 250patients per day , "

This is what I don't get. Thus attitude of.... there's not enough ppe to see 250 patients per day.

No of course there isnt. We get that. But you could have seen SOME. You could have got hold of some ppe and seen patients who were in bad pain.

But no. None has been done. Practically none. This is what I don't understand.

[Oblomov20]

I too can't understand why dentists can't work. Or some of them. Not for routine. Not for someone wanting to take their 2 kids for their annual checkup. But anyone in pain. Should have been seen. Surely SOME PPE could have been got hold of? To cover emergencies, and those in pain.
I think it's been very poorly done. By dentists. I'm sure quite a few more people could have been seen, and their toothache sorted.

[Torvean]

I can underststand not seeing routine patients. However i had an infection in a tooth. I had to have 2 lots of antibiotics. 2 weeks after the 2nd lot my tooth snapped. My dentist said i had to use temporary filling kits you get at the chemist and to use anti bacterial mouthwash. They wont refer me to get seen til ive had a further 2 courses of antibiotics or if i get an abcess.
I find the idea of 4 courses of antibiotics to be ludicrous when there's Corona virus going round. And if i need painkillers i have to see my gp....
He said that they were expecting to reopen in 2-3 weeks. When there will be an influx of people who have had to do DIY dentistry

[FridayAddams]

Don’t let that stop a good dentist bashing thread though. the thread wasn't meant to be dentist bashing. I had started a treatment and was wondering when practices will reopen and since I don't work for one had no idea.

[FridayAddams]

I was having deep cleaning done every 3 months before covid. My last was luckily in March, so was hoping to have my normal dentist open in July. A practice in my area announced they will open on May 18th, so was wondering if they have equipment.