Dentists See Surge Of Tooth Problems Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
ASHLAND (CBS) -- When Dr. Sandra Cove reopened her dental office in July, she donned her N95 mask and face shield and prepared to face a slew of dental problems. Since then, the Ashland dentist says she has observed what many dentists are seeing around the country: an epidemic of really bad teeth.
"This happens at Christmas and Thanksgiving because it's stressful times, but this just keeps going," Cove said.
The issues range from crack teeth due to grinding to thoroughly decayed teeth.
"I'm having to crown, I'm going to say, one or two teeth daily. And, bite adjustments, just because if you have porcelain rubbing on porcelain, I'm probably doing five adjustments a day, just from grinding," Cove said. "But now root canals: I was doing maybe two a month, now I'm doing at least two a week because of the aggressive decay."
Her best guess is that all of these issues are related to stress and lifestyle habits linked to the pandemic.
"It's probably a combination of not taking care of ourselves properly, not having the regular care, but also maybe not eating as well and our vulnerability is down," she said.
According to a survey conducted by the insurance company, Guardian, one in five adults have visited a dentist amid the pandemic but two in five adults have reported having dental issues since March.
Cove said the only solution is to come in and see the dentist. "Especially when the numbers are low, get in would be my advice."
