Dentist visit?

LandM1

I have an All on 4 implant secured bridge and I have check ups and a clean every 3 months. I’m due one next week and can’t decide what to do. I’ve had the implants for 4 years, no problems with them,,I’m tempted to cancel and rebook in 3 months as I’m 68 and really don’t want to take the risk of getting the virus as the hygienist sees lots of people and there must be lots of water droplets floating around. I’m very careful how I care for my implants so what would others do?

brook2jack2

The appointment will probably be cancelled anyway.
the advice for Welsh and Scottish dentists is check ups on under 70s , non vulnerable people and emergency treatment only, no routine fillings , crowns,Bridges,root treatment , hand scaling only.

England is expected to follow suit today. 

Shortly it will be emergency treatment only.

Undervalued

brook2jack2 said:

The appointment will probably be cancelled anyway.
the advice for Welsh and Scottish dentists is check ups on under 70s , non vulnerable people and emergency treatment only, no routine fillings , crowns,Bridges,root treatment , hand scaling only.

England is expected to follow suit today. 

Shortly it will be emergency treatment only.

Thanks for that as I was going to have asked a similar question, although in my case only about a routine checkup in a couple of weeks. 

A friend went to the same practice I use on Monday and was concerned to find that one patient had brought several children with her (apparently for childminding purposes only)! So the little waiting room was full of children despite there being no obvious reason why they weren't at school!

Only afterwards did my friend question whether it was wise to have gone....

brook2jack2

The advice now is only patient in practice , only non aerosol proceedures ie no drilling , etc

Very soon it will be emergencies only , with people waiting outside in car etc until practice is ready for them. Even then no drilling etc unless absolutely unavoidable. 

I would ask , on behalf of all practices, that people bear with us at this time , we are trying to protect the public and our staff who are at the highest risk of Corona infection yet are still committed to providing as safe a service as they can in difficult and uncertain times.

Keep cheerful, keep carrying on. 

Toothsmith

I'm moving to emergencies/concerns only over the next few days. Me & skeleton staff on a rota of all staff, just being there fielding phone calls and just getting in those we feel we need to.

For past week we've been strongly suggesting over 75s cancel routine check ups ( but some of them are pretty stoical up in Yorkshire!) and my hygienist has only been hand scaling for a week. 

Now - more patients are cancelling off their own initiative, which is helpful. I've been prioritising finishing treatments that are essential, and now I think I'm in a position where I can move to 'concerns' only (I don't like to say 'emergencies' - as If someone has a filling out or cusp break, it's technically not an 'emergency' but it's not nice. They can be fixed temporarily quite easily and safely with good precautions. 

My patients have been very loyal. I owe it to them to keep them safe, but also don't want them suffering or worrying over tooth matters when there are other more important concerns. I am lucky in that I run a practice where most my income comes from patients on a monthly plan - so as long as they pay that plan my staff jobs are safe, my practice is safe and I can make my plans on what is best overall for my patients, and my staff. 

Dentists on the NHS face huge pressure - especially with what seems like the alien abduction of the Chief Dental Officer for England, Sara Hurley who is giving zero guidance to English dentists, the NHS England who are not reassuring dentists that there will be no penalties if they miss their contract targets this year and even private dentists who operate on a mainly fee-per-item basis, who will be facing huge pressure too.

Keep safe everyone. Wash your hands properly and regularly ( is it really is a major factor in stopping this) Be nice to people, help your neighbours, only buy what you need and brush your teeth!