Who's more "in your face" than your dentist? Are appointments really safe in the age of Covid-19? High virus Covid rates led to another warning: the World Health Organization recommended postponing routine dental visits in areas with severe virus transmission rates. But many Nevada dentists say that advice sends the wrong message.
At his dental practice in northwest Reno, Dr. Steve Sims does all he can to put patients at ease. There's a new routine here: “When the patients come in, before they sit down, we'll have them rinse with an antimicrobial rinse.” After that, a good 30-second hand washing, "Which certainly cuts down on the number of bacteria that they bring into the chair." Elsewhere, equipment and chairs are wrapped in plastic. "We've removed the cloths chairs in the reception area. We have plastic chairs so we can wipe down between patients."
Dr. Sims says with this extra personal protective equipment and the precautions that both doctors and patients are taking, going to the dentist is safe. But Nevada dentists were experts at protection and sanitation even before Covid. Many dentists have bulked up in other ways. Dr. Rhonda Everett of the UNLV School of Dental Medicine says, “Now we've amped it up a bit. We're doing head covers, we have face shields, and even some of us wear shoe coverings."
And they've gone back to basics. Dr. Sims uses manual tools again instead of the high-tech ultrasonic which he says “creates an aerosol mist, and that's a potentially risky thing, spreading germs and viruses so we're cutting way back on that. We’re basically not doing it."
But the WHO says routine dental visits should be put on hold, because dentists work very close to patients' faces and there's exposure to saliva, sometimes blood. Among some patients, the fear is real. Dr. Mark Funke, President of the Nevada Dental Association says "Some people are not concerned, but you've got others that I still haven't spoken to that haven't left their house yet. You know, it's devastating."
Dr. Sims has had his share of postponed appointments, which sadly, often result in a jump in dental emergency treatments: "Root canals, extractions...so tooth losses have definitely increased."
Something else he says to consider is the correlation between dental health and overall health: "You've got heart issues, you've got fetus issues. If you're pregnant, it’s not good to have gum disease."
But if you are still concerned, there is "teledenistry." Yes, virtual dentist visits. Dr. Amy Tongsiri DDS, Nevada director of the Liberty Dental Plan says, "Now we are definitely looking at teledenistry as another resource for access to care. If people are still worried about going in, we definitely want them to utilize this service."
But Dr. Sims says something like that will need a bit more technology to really work. "I do a lot of phone calls and talking to people, but it’s pretty hard to do dentistry over the phone."
