The side effect of Covid-19
Many of you are concerned about visiting your dentists because of the virus.
I’d like to explain why this can actually put you at risk:
⚠️ I’ve encountered many cases after the lockdown, where it broke my heart to have to extract more teeth than usual due to long neglect. It worries me to imagine that the people who came to my office needing treatment are just the tip of an iceberg.
⚠️ Some are severe cases such as benign tumors and malignant ones that could and should have been discovered / treated much sooner.
⚠️ Some cases of bleeding gums that became severe and also should have been treated earlier. Untreated periodontitis can lead to more serious health issues (a factor in mortality figures).
⚠️ Also, we’ve had seniors that couldn’t sleep well at night because of a toothache. High blood pressure was often present, too. I suspect that some patients had also delayed regular medical doctor’s visits. This is a health risk.
❤️ We truly understand your fear, but safety is our top priority. Especially the vulnerable and elderly population will be treated with utmost care.
Be vocal and ask your dentist about their office protocols for your safety before asking for an appointment. But do not be overly paranoid.
An untreated dental infection can be relatively worse than an infection with Corona, which the majority of the population survives without severe symptoms.
⚠️ A prolonged tooth infection however, can travel to other parts of the body and cause potentially life-threatening conditions also in healthy people.
⚠️ The difference is really that you can treat infected teeth or gums. During flu and other viral seasons, you want to be as healthy as possible.
There is much research on the mouth-body connection. But let’s be clear about one important point:
⚠️ In times of a respiratory virus season, periodontal disease for instance, may make pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease worse, possibly by increasing the amount of bacteria in the lungs. This is not something you wanna have at this time.
To take our high hygiene and safety standards even further, we have invested in the following equipment:
⚠️ Another reason why I’m reminding you to visit your dentist is that we are honestly struggling to survive this crisis. We’re going bankrupt soon.
⚠️ An epidemic of severe dental infections will rock the country when many offices can’t survive the continuous loss of patients. Other offices are hit even harder.
Of course, that’s up to the public and lawmakers to decide, when exactly the tipping point is reached in terms of threat of virus season VS collateral damage from lockdown measures etc. That’s not something we can comment on.
We can only submit a stern warning.
⚠️Our country cannot afford the loss of the dental-care providing community.
Covid is NOT a “sure killer virus”. Even though we take it just as seriously.
✔️ We have always, in all the years before, taken office safety as seriously as if each and every patient was a potential Ebola case.
✔️ It is the default way of preparing for us, so that you can sit in the dental chair without worries.
✔️ We are not overwhelmed by requirements on barriers, single-use, disinfection and sterilization.
- Dr. Maria Lourdes Mendoza