COVID-19 Essential Dental Services: Why Are There Restrictions?
COVID-19 essential dental services may be difficult to identify without a little bit of education (since one could argue that everything a dental office does is essential.) However, per an official
statement issued April 1, the American Dental Association (ADA) called on dentists nationwide to postpone non-urgent dental procedures.
Furthermore, Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis issued
Executive Order 20-72, mandating the prohibition of any medically unnecessary, non-urgent or non-emergency procedure or surgery in the state of Florida until May 8th. This mandate required all dental offices to immediately cease performing
elective services. However, dentists are still required to see emergency patients.
Restricting Non-Essential Procedures Saves Supplies and Prevents COVID-19 Spread
All non-essential elective medical and surgical procedures, including dental procedures, are included in order to conserve medical supplies and resources, preserve essential resources and control the potential spread of COVID-19.
Florida-area dentists postpone treatment until May 8 in order to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Concentrating on emergency and urgent dental care only during this period will allow dentists and their teams to care for emergency patients and reduce the burden that dental emergencies would place on hospital emergency departments.
Dental Care You Can Reschedule for Another Time
In order to support the nation-wide mandate on dental care, the following dental services are not considered “essential.” Therefore, appointments of this kind can be rescheduled:
- Regular visits for exams, cleanings and x-rays
- Removal of teeth that aren’t painful
- Treatment of cavities that aren’t painful
- Tooth whitening
However, that being said, the following symptoms/conditions DO necessitate a visit to your dentist without delay.
COVID-19 Essential Dental Services
While patients may harbor some reservations about visiting the dentist during a pandemic, the consequences of NOT going to the dentist with the following conditions could be even more dangerous. If you are experiencing any of the following, call us at 813-576-0200:
- Bleeding that doesn’t stop
- Painful swelling in or around your mouth
- Pain in a tooth, teeth or jaw bone
- Gum infection with pain or swelling
- After surgery treatment (dressing change, stitch removal)
- Broken or knocked out tooth
- Denture adjustment for people receiving radiation or other treatment for cancer
- Snipping or adjusting wire of braces that hurts your cheek or gums
- Biopsy of abnormal tissue
Don’t Go to a Hospital Emergency Room for a Dental Emergency
There has been some confusion on what patients should do if they are experiencing a dental emergency. Remember, dentists ARE open to treat defined COVID-19 essential dental services. Moreover, patients should not go to a hospital emergency room for dental treatment. According to the American Dental Association, most hospitals don’t have the facilities or staff to provide comprehensive dental care. Still, some patients are turning to hospital emergency rooms for their dental care because they are unable to find an open dentist. However, this is not the case with our office. Please reach out to us if you are in need. Our nation’s hospitals need to care for COVID-19 patients at this time.
Do Seek Out Treatment If You Need It
Dental anxieties exisit even without the added fear of a lurking virus. However, your oral health, and your overall health, could be in even more danger if you don’t seek dental treatment when you need it. Don’t ignore tooth pain, swelling, bleeding, mouth sores, or tooth injuries out of fear of the virus. Our team is taking extra precautions to make sure you are safe when you receive treatment at our facility.
In accordance with the ADA COVID -19 guidelines, our office is doing the following to help prevent the spread of disease:
- Screening patients for international travel, signs or symptoms of infection when we update their medical histories.
- Including temperature readings as part of our routine assessment of the patient prior to performing dental procedures.
- Ensuring the personal protective equipment we are using is appropriate for the procedures performed.
- Using a rubber dam whenever possible to decrease possible exposure to infectious agents.
- Using a high speed evacuation for all dental procedures producing an aerosol.
- Autoclaving our handpieces after each patient.
- Having our patients rinse with 1.5% hydrogen peroxide or commercially available rinses that contain 1.5% hydrogen peroxide just prior to beginning treatment.
- Cleaning and disinfecting public areas frequently, including door handles, chairs, and bathrooms.
- Allowing any symptomatic staff members to stay home from work without fear of penalty of loss of work.
If you have more COVID-19 dental questions that haven’t been addressed in this article, please call us at 813-576-0200. Together we will make it through this time!