Coronavirus Forces Dentists To Only Treat Patients In Excruciating Pain
BOSTON (CBS) -- Until the coronavirus crisis is over, you might want to take a little extra time with your daily brushing and flossing routine because seeing a dentist is going to be tricky.
"Massachusetts was the first state to come out and recommend that all dentist offices close during the COVID crisis," said Dr. Janis Moriarty, president of the Massachusetts Dental Society.
Dentists are able to see patients for an emergency, but what you think is an emergency may not count. According to Moriarty, if a broken tooth or a missing crown isn't causing a good amount of pain, you are probably going to have to wait.
"Make a call to your dentist and talk it out over the phone and unless you are in extreme pain, have extreme swelling or bleeding, and maybe a trauma situation then we have to see you, but if it's not any one of those, we would direct you on how to try to manage for the short term," she said.
Their main issue is the risk to providers, Moriarty said. "One of the most risky things right now is creating aerosols, which comes directly from dental handpieces or the word nobody likes to hear, drilling a tooth."
The other issue is that a lot of dental practices have given much of their PPE, like masks and gloves to frontline healthcare workers battling the virus. Moriarty said she hopes dental offices will be back up and running in May, but she expects a shortage of PPE could be an issue.
Moriarty said her practice has been closed for three weeks and hasn't had many emergency calls although she referred two patients to oral surgeons who do still have proper PPE. She also said anyone who is COVID-19 positive will be referred to a hospital.
