Vancouver dental clinics reassure about new protocols

We have all been through an incredibly stressful and uncertain year given the global pandemic, but it seems like we are slowly starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. Now that summer is in full swing and vaccine drives are giving us glimmers of hope for normality to come back to our lives, there are still some ‘normal’ things that can give us anxiety.

Something as simple as a dental emergency can get our heartrate to go through the roof because of Covid anxiety and being uncertain on how treatment can be performed. Even now that businesses and all types of services are beginning to reopen, many people are still anxious about seeing certain health providers due to the new protocols and general uncertainty about this new phase we are entering.

Emergency dentistry was one of the main services dental clinics could provide during the height of the pandemic. These unavoidable situations needed to be treated urgently and still maintain some safety measures against Covid to keep patients and dental staff safe. Many clinics began to adapt to the Covid situation by providing virtual appointments for urgent and non-emergency clients. These virtual appointments began with consultations and are now able to provide dentists with incredible amounts of information using AI to ensure each dental appointment is efficient as possible when a clinic visit is necessary. When appointments are necessary, dentists wear full PPE throughout the urgent treatment to ensure all staff and patients were protected. Many of these measures have been kept in place as they provided safety to all involved in the clinic as well as reducing anxiety about actually going to the clinic when needed.

As of recent, and a way to continue this easing of anxiety about dental appointments for this reopening, the Ontario Dental Association prepared a set of guidelines for dental clinics for Covid safety. These guidelines include asking all patients Covid screening questions prior to and for securing an appointment in the clinic, waiting outside, longer spaces between clients to allow for air filtration and cleaning, and maintaining the usual social distancing, mask wearing and disinfecting protocols. Some clinics use these guidelines along with their own protective measures so that new and existing clients feel safe to come in for their urgent treatment but also to utilise this reopening to check up on their oral health after such a long time of closures and restrictions.

One of the best ways to avoid a dental emergency such as an infection, broken tooth or a lost filling is by visiting your dentist regularly to maintain good oral hygiene. Many urgent dental appointments were also able to recognise oral problems which left untreated would have ended up being emergency room visits. Therefore, it is crucial to make use of this new reopening phase to catch up on your dental appointment and give yourself peace of mind. There are multiple new guidelines to keep Covid at bay and to give everyone the chance to put their health on top priority.