Dental care during COVID-19

Dr. Firoz Lalani

Medically Reviewed By Dr. Firoz Lalani

Table of Contents

There is very little around us that have not been affected in a small or large manner by the COVID-19 virus (Coronavirus). Almost all walks of life have seen some form of change or the other. This holds true even for those aspects of our life that were once seen as never changing or dare we say taken for granted. One such thing that is a part of our life and may have seen changes is dental care.

teeth CareThere are some aspects of this that have not changed at all and then some that may have drastically. Let us look at both sides.

  • Regular at-home dental care has not changed in the slightest as per dentists. You still need to brush twice a day, floss, rinse before and after all meals, and all that was a part of your schedule before corona virus. In this aspect, there has been no change at all to your dental care routine.
  • However, what may have changed is the need for the care you need to take when following this routine. Many people form routines or habits where the at-home method of care may lack due to the understanding that a dentist can easily be visited for a cleanup or similar work. The coronavirus pandemic has made stepping out difficult in most places, if not impossible, due to health risks. This means you need to be very particular and certain of dental care at home.
  • This is the best time to invest some time finding the best brush, flosser, paste, etc. for yourself. You may want to take the time out to find which dental care processes you have been overlooking daily due to your dentist visits and make those a part of your daily habits and routine

Tooth Brush

Care for babies and the elderly

  • When it comes to babies, the general understanding with respect to dental care remains. There are clear and set ways to take care of teething babies or kids with their temporary teeth. The general rules for brushing, flossing, rinsing, etc. are still in place as they were before the pandemic struck.
  • What may have seen a change for babies and kids is that their scheduled dental visits may get postponed or cancelled. This means that it becomes primarily essential for the parents to ensure that their child is not facing any dental troubles. A child may not know best what it is they are feeling, and thus parents and caregivers need to be extra cautious and consult a dentist remotely if necessary. Emergency services are open at all times if the need reaches that point.

For the elderly, their dental care often involved dentures and a helper. For dentures, it is essential to remember to take them off at night and clean them regularly so as to have them clean and allow the mouth tissues to breathe. Having your helper with you in such times may be difficult, and if one is indispensable, a solution should be worked out with the right permissions and people so that the helper may stay with you. Adjustments in terms of schedules and living may need to be made for the same

Senoir dental care

Dental Emergencies

  • Emergency services have never stopped anywhere, even during the pandemic. All major dental facilities and dental care hospitals have provisions for people to come in when needed. All dentists still advise that in case of a serious medical, dental emergency, one must visit dentist and not ignore it. Call your dentist if you have pain, numbness, inability to bite, and all such problems.
  • What does qualify as an emergency may have undergone some slight change from the viewpoint of the public. As mentioned earlier, there were many regular aspects of dental care for which people went to a dentist. With the possibility of stepping out drastically reduced, one needs to make a decision either themselves or through virtual consulting with a dentist as to what qualifies as an emergency. With the fear of health and life so high in these times, making visits to the dentists when not entirely necessary is a health hazard. In that sense, emergency services have seen a change in so much as the definition of what is an emergency has narrowed down.

Looking at this, we can surely say that dental care is one area that has only seen a change with respect to the dentist’s actual visit. The most significant part of dental care is care-at-home, and that has only amplified but not changed even a bit. The part of dental care that was taken care of outside the house is the aspect that has most seen a change. It is believed that this change is temporary during the pandemic, but no one can be sure that these do not go on to become the new norm.

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