dental dam?

elsien

MoneySeeker1 said:

brook2jack2 said:

Rubber dam is very commonly used. It should be used for all root canals and has many advantages 
it allows the field to stay dry and uncontaminated so fillings that need to be glued in stay in much better and root canals have a much better chance of success

it keeps chemicals used in root treatment and fillings out of the mouth Increasing patient comfort

it keeps saliva and aerosol contamination around the patient down 

it is by no means unnecessary it is gold standard dentistry in non covid times , in covid times it gives a measure of protection to the staff who are widely acknowledged to be at the highest risk and who have to follow covid protocols. 

I've never had and wouldnt ever have a root canal filling personally. Fingers crossed it will never come to that sort of situation. 

All I've ever had from dentists is inspection, polish and clean, fillings, the lowest possible amount of x-rays I can manage and that's that. My decision had already been made almost certainly never to have a root canal filling - and, if a dental dam is part of that procedure in Normal Times with any dentist, then that's my decision 100% made on that then. That being I will never have root canal fillings.

There must be lots of us that have never had root canal fillings and I would imagine that dentists can easily tell from visual inspection of our mouths whether we personally have or no and therefore the dentist would have already known I'd never had one of those and therefore there was a very good chance I'd never encountered a dental dam before. I've not had many people I know tell me they've had that type of filling and those that did never mentioned dental dams as being part of it.

Hence my total astonishment and horror - when they were trying to use one of them for the standard type of fillings like I'd had before.

All medical professionals must get "informed consent" before any procedure they plan on doing - whether in Normal Times or Covid Times. This "informed consent" must be given IN ADVANCE (ie in advance of the visit). I thought I was established finally with a dentist I was okay with - but am definitely reviewing this and wondering whether to swop again in the light of not having been told in advance and asked for my "informed consent" to this before I went there. It's definitely got me seeing that dentist in a new light and wondering whether to swop for future reference.

Not entirely accurate. Informed consent yes. When it needs to be gained and how much time the person needs to process the information depends on the person and the procedure. How does the dentist know if its informed consent without talking to you? It's in advance of the procedure itself, not necessarily in advance of the visit. 

You don't get given leaflets about the flu jab before you see the doctor, do you? You ask your questions  at the time and then decide whether to consent or not. Or go away and think about it. (Yes I know you're going to tell me you don't have the flu jab, this is for illustrative purposes only.) 

Gers

She's blooming lucky to get dental treatment! 😁

In Scotland dentists are still only doing emergency stuff. I broke a front tooth on day one of lockdown, no pain, no bleeding so still have to wait. Having to use a dental dam would be a very cheap price to pay for treatment. 

ripplyuk

I think your dentist was wrong to make another attempt when you’d already said no to the rubber dam. IMO, he should have refused to do any treatment instead. 

For anyone reading this and now developing a fear of rubber dams, I was exactly the same. So much so, I needed a hefty dose of diazepam just to go to the appointment. I was getting a repeat root canal filling and had read similar posts. Turns out, it made the whole procedure significantly more comfortable. It meant I could breathe and swallow as normal and it prevented all the spray hitting the back of my throat. The procedure took ages and I honestly don’t think I could have tolerated it without that rubber dam. 

Kim_kim

brook2jack2 said:

You do know that masks are to protect other people from you , rather than to protect you and that they will be compulsory in shops in England soon? By asking a hairdresser to see you and you don't have to wear a mask you are asking them at a financially very difficult time to put their business ahead of protecting their health and their other customers health, and all for a haircut.

Many people wear a mask all day with no problems at all and if you start acclimatising yourself now by wearing one for a minute at a time and then building up , you should be able to tolerate one pretty quickly rather than dismissing wearing it out of hand . You will then be doing your bit to protect other people the way you would expect to be protected yourself. 

Many people believe that wearing a mask cuts down on oxygen , which is a total myth see this https://youtu.be/vy7DlcCUBrk

I wouldn’t go to a hairdresser that was prepared to take risks with covid. 

People who are practice risky behaviour are why this virus is still dangerous for us months on.  

ancientofdays

I had to have root canal work done a couple of weeks ago. My choices were either that,  lose the tooth entirely or continue in pain from an infection.  

I knew that a dental dam would be needed as I had similar treatment a few years ago.  I wouldn't describe it as pleasant but a lot better than a mouth full of pain and if it protects the dentist and dental nurse from the risk of infection , so be it.

pollypenny

Having lost two large fillings, one at the end of February, one in March, I had temporary fillings the week before lockdown. 

They lasted a good while, before raspberry and strawberry pips led my tongue to probe and I lost them. The resulting sharp edges gave me a swollen, painful tongue. When I was able to get an appointment, over the border in Chester, I was damn grateful for all the protective equipment used for the dentist, his nurse and me. 

barbiedoll

A bit off-topic, but OP says in her second post, that her “friend” had a coil fitted and wasn’t warned about “pain”, and wasn’t offered anaesthetic. I’d just like to point out that, in the vast majority of cases, a coil fitting is as easy and painless as a smear test. It may be a little uncomfortable but you certainly wouldn’t need anaesthetic for it. These horror-story posts annoy me, there are enough people putting off dental or gynaecological treatments and tests already, without drama queens like OP putting the fear of god into everyone. 

I hate going to the dentist, but I’m happy to put up with whatever makes the staff, and me, safe. If I couldn’t cope with a particular procedure, I’d apologise for wasting their time, and leave. It’s hardly “medical rape” now, is it? 

thepurplepixie

Barbiedoll, you are right.  I missed that.  I've had coils fitted more than once and never had, or even thought of having, an anaesthetic.  I think the main thing is to relax, I did my breathing exercises that I learned in ante natal classes and that worked for me.

Ms_Mop_123

Just found out you don't have to wear a mask at the hairdressers, it's your choice, that's really shocked me.  Someone I know had just been to where I have my hair done and she said it was up to her whether or not to wear one.  I've googled it and she was right, really can't understand why hairdressers are exempt.  

Toothsmith

Ms_Mop_123 said:

Just found out you don't have to wear a mask at the hairdressers, it's your choice, that's really shocked me.  Someone I know had just been to where I have my hair done and she said it was up to her whether or not to wear one.  I've googled it and she was right, really can't understand why hairdressers are exempt.  

It's more up to the hairdresser really. It's their premises, business & staff.

A lot of hairdressers now seem to just be wearing visors. The BMA today have described this as 'illogical' as a visor is secondary to a mask and not that much good just on it's own.

I would be a bit uncomfortable going to a hairdresser where mask wearing wasn't generally enforced.