Dental treatment - the Megathread

Tropicalaa

I seen that they asked the government for guidance, not exactly sure what they expected the government to do for them.

Look like they wanted to make the government the fall guy for closing shop or wanted some icing on their cake for staying open during the crisis

ceadaoin.

Dental procedures are extremely high risk for spreading infection. They are being responsible by closing.

I'm sure some will be available for true emergencies but they most they can probably do is a temporary fix. Any tools that use water are not allowed because of the amount of aerosol they produce.

Tropicalaa

ceadaoin. wrote: »

Dental procedures are extremely high risk for spreading infection. They are being responsible by closing.

This was my issue

Are they not able to put a safety plan in place that allows an emergency service to be maintained

harr

ceadaoin. wrote: »

Dental procedures are extremely high risk for spreading infection. They are being responsible by closing.

Exactly was reading a report today which was saying that the PPE dentists wear was no where near good enough to protect them from picking up the virus especially when using the aerosol on a persons mouth. You can hardly blame them considering the amount of saliva produced.

martingriff

My dentist rand me to cancel my appointment and I say they will be doing again as they gave me April 3rd. She was very apologetic but said if there was an emergency they would be available

Beasty

As I understand it the HSE have told dentists they cannot do most procedures and can only undertake emergency treatment. If they fail to follow HSE instructions I assume their insurance may then be an issue. I don't think the dentists have had much of a say in this

CIARAN_BOYLE

Tropicalaa wrote: »

I seen that they asked the government for guidance, not exactly sure what they expected the government to do for them.

Look like they wanted to make the government the fall guy for closing shop or wanted some icing on their cake for staying open during the crisis

I believe they were expecting clear guidance. Specifically a message that they were going to get an allocation of the top ppe available so that they could provide an emergency service or to shut up shop.

Tropicalaa

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

I believe they were expecting clear guidance. Specifically a message that they were going to get an allocation of the top ppe available so that they could provide an emergency service or to shut up shop.

So what happens now

osarusan

'abandon public'....ludicrous thread title.

ceadaoin.

harr wrote: »

Exactly was reading a report today which was saying that the PPE dentists wear was no where near good enough to protect them from picking up the virus especially when using the aerosol on a persons mouth. You can hardly blame them considering the amount of saliva produced.

Yeah pretty much all the surfaces in the room would be covered with the spray produced. Impossible to maintain proper infection protocol in those circumstances, not just for the dentist but all the following patients too.

CIARAN_BOYLE

Tropicalaa wrote: »

So what happens now

Well the dentist's association seems to be quiet clear.

They don't have the ppe to keep their clinics working. They have put a suggestion before the HSE which includes dentists working on a voluntary basis if the HSE put facilities in place.

There has been no public response from the HSE.

So the nations dental health is put on hold until the national crisis is resolved.

Beasty

osarusan wrote: »

'abandon public'....ludicrous thread title.

It is, and I'm going to change it now

Tropicalaa

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

Well the dentist's association seems to be quiet clear.

They don't have the ppe to keep their clinics working. They have put a suggestion before the HSE which includes dentists working on a voluntary basis if the HSE put facilities in place.

There has been no public response from the HSE.

So the nations dental health is put on hold until the national crisis is resolved.

Where does everyone go in the meantime that's in pain

Beasty

Tropicalaa wrote: »

Where does everyone go in the meantime that's in pain

I've been in a lot of pain all over the weekend. I was advised they would consider emergency treatment. As it is I've now got a prescription for antibiotics and a likely referral to a maxiofacial surgeon because of an underlying issue. Oh and the dentist did all this for me when he was having to self-isolate - communicating via his receptionist and telephone. He did everything he possibly could in the circumstances. I still have a massive swelling in the jaw but I'm entirely happy with the way this has been handled

CIARAN_BOYLE

Tropicalaa wrote: »

Where does everyone go in the meantime that's in pain

I would imagine they consult over the phone and get the pharmaceutical answer to stall the problem and suffer til either the end of the national emergency.

splinter65

osarusan wrote: »

'abandon public'....ludicrous thread title.

IM not getting a service I WANT and I don’t want to hear any excuses!!!!!

Tropicalaa

Tropicalaa wrote: »

I seen that they asked the government for guidance, not exactly sure what they expected the government to do for them.

Look like they wanted to make the government the fall guy for closing shop or wanted some icing on their cake for staying open during the crisis

Unfortunately this is what happens when ill informed people make wild assumptions.

As a poster quite rightly posted, the risk to Dentists and staff is much higher than other professions. We have to find a balance between concern for the public over the spread of the virus, concern for our staff and ourselves, and our obligation and responsibility to treat those in pain. The easiest thing for us to do would be to lay off all staff and close down completely, limiting exposure and costs. But that is not what we are doing, in most cases Clinics are staying open, at their risk, to treat people like you.

In relation to your comment about looking for a “fall guy”, we were in the unusual situation last week where the Givernments Chief Dental Officer and the HSE were giving conflicting advice, one was saying carry on as normal, the other saying reduce service to emergencies only, so please, don’t criticise for Dentists asking for consistent advice from both.

In relation to cross infection, Dentists have extremely high levels of cross infection preventation protocols. We have done since HIV was identified in the 80s, these have been strengthened over the years, failure to adhere to them carries huge penalties. What makes this different is that it is so virulent, no one has seen anything like this before. So right now we are having to use different barrier protections against infection, not more, different masks, different gowns etc. The risk is ours, not yours.

biko

Tropicalaa wrote: »

Where does everyone go in the meantime that's in pain

Check local dentists or ask in your regional forum.
Galway has a dentists thread

For instance Smiles will accommodate you if it's an emergency https://www.smiles.ie/covid-19-notice/
but also warns:

Please do not visit the practices if:
• You’re self-isolating or in self-quarantine as per the Government guidelines
• You have any of these symptoms: cough, fever or shortness of breath – even if they are mild
• You fall into the ‘at risk’ group as defined by the Government

Ring first!

biko

biko wrote: »

Check local dentists or ask in your regional forum.
Galway has a dentists thread

For instance Smiles will accommodate you if it's an emergency https://www.smiles.ie/covid-19-notice/
but also warns:


Ring first!

And please, do not bring anyone with you, they will not be allowed inside the Clinic. We want to apply safe distancing in the waiting rooms, only those who have emergency appointments will be allowed to be seated there. As the poster above said, phone first. We have giving appointments 30 mins apart so that each patient does not have to sit in a room with others, we are not accepting walk ins, there has to be planned treatments.

sonofenoch

I'm loathe to see a dentist at the best of times but think I now need treatment for an abscess ....dreading it, what a time

Away With The Fairies

Use some clove oil if you're in pain until you see a dentist

Polar101

They should be open for emergencies at least, check with your local dentists. If nothing else, maybe they can prescribe antibiotics which would help with the pain (at least it has in my experience) until they can see you.

ebbsy

Docklands Dental in the IFSC are doing emergencies.

sonofenoch

No real tooth pain now, did have a couple weeks ago ....but I've noticed some swelling in my cheek that's tender to touch and can feel it pressure into the same area where I did have tooth ache .....will have to get it checked

Check with your regular dentist, assuming you have one. Mine does emergency only but some don’t do that- a friend of mine had to visit over last few weeks- she eventually found someone- if you have VHI they’ll probably guide you also

Beasty

Threads merged

ebbsy

sonofenoch wrote: »

No real tooth pain now, did have a couple weeks ago ....but I've noticed some swelling in my cheek that's tender to touch and can feel it pressure into the same area where I did have tooth ache .....will have to get it checked

Infected I would say with possible underlying cause.

Had it a while back, Wisdom tooth issues.

ismat

I was listening to the rep from the dental association on newstalk earlier today. He had an issue with PPE for dentists being too expensive rather than not being available and seemed to want the HSE to pay for whatever PPE is required. Is it possible for dentists to work if they can get the appropriate PPE ? I wouldn’t mind paying extra if necessary to cover the cost of same

ismat

ismat wrote: »

I was listening to the rep from the dental association on newstalk earlier today. He had an issue with PPE for dentists being too expensive rather than not being available and seemed to want the HSE to pay for whatever PPE is required. Is it possible for dentists to work if they can get the appropriate PPE ? I wouldn’t mind paying extra if necessary to cover the cost of same

Actually getting the PPE is difficult, not just expensive. The Hospitals/GPs get it from the HSE, but that is not an option for Dentists. We have to buy from private supply companies who have limited stock and charge a lot more. Also, as sole traders, we would be liable for staff H&S unlike HSE staff whom the Governmemt/HSE are responsible for. It leaves us more exposed to liability. Certainly prices will rise when Clinics reopen and costs increase. the PPE is supposed to be single use even though HSE staff are having to wash/autoclave clothing for reuse due to shortages. I got a couple of caseloads of gowns before the pandemic arrived here, they cost €12 per gown, multiply that by number of patients a typical clinician sees in a day, you can see the issue.

ismat

Dav010 wrote: »

Actually getting the PPE is difficult, not just expensive. The Hospitals/GPs get it from the HSE, but that is not an option for Dentists. We have to buy from private supply companies who have limited stock and charge a lot more. Also, as sole traders, we would be liable for staff H&S unlike HSE staff whom the Governmemt/HSE are responsible for. It leaves us more exposed to liability. Certainly prices will rise when Clinics reopen and costs increase. the PPE is supposed to be single use even though HSE staff are having to wash/autoclave clothing for reuse due to shortages. I got a couple of caseloads of gowns before the pandemic arrived here, they cost €12 per gown, multiply that by number of patients a typical clinician sees in a day, you can see the issue.

Hopefully supply will normalise over the next few weeks. If costs go up so be it. I’d just like to see my dentist back open as I’ve a number of issues to be dealt with

AliceandJim

Can anyone advise if any dentist is providing emergency service during Covid in Waterford r the South East? Checking online it would appear as if there are 1 or 2 in Dublin and elsewhere. Many thanks

biko

South East forums search https://www.boards.ie/search/submit/?forum=207&subforums=1&sort=newest&date_to=&date_from=&query=dentist

Beasty

Threads merged

RandomName2

Try as I might I see nothing on the roadmap indicating when dentists are reopening (private hospitals and clinics too).

Is there any plan in relation to this, or is it wait and see?

ednwireland

http://www.dentalcouncil.ie/covid.php

phase 1 for dentists may 18th

My dentist has reopened for non emergency treatments. They rang me yesterday.

RandomName2

That was a fast response!

I don't think the private hospitals have any time-frame though..

RandomName2

RandomName2 wrote: »

That was a fast response!

I don't think the private hospitals have any time-frame though..

The Government effectively took over nearly 20 private hospitals at the beginning of April to provide additional capacity ahead of an anticipated surge in demand due to Covid-19. They won’t reopen for private treatments until they are released back to their owners.

Planet X

I work in a referral dental practice.
Opened last week (18th.) and have been open for emergencies most of the time by appointment.

leche solara

I got a call from my dentist on Monday confirming an appointment for today that was made months ago before the pandemic. I told them I thought my appointment would be cancelled but they said they were fully reopening from that day.

It was only a cleaning with the hygienist and I went to it this morning. Hygienist could barely be seen under all the ppe - scrubs, overalls, gloves, mask, visor, hairnet. I'm sure the poor girl was baked in all that gear. With all the protection around her face I could barely understand a word she said. Price had gone up significantly and when I asked about it was told that they had to put the price up temporarily to pay for all the ppe. Seemed like they wanted me to pay for it all. I wonder how "temporary" it will be. Probably part of the new normal.

owlbethere

leche solara wrote: »

I got a call from my dentist on Monday confirming an appointment for today that was made months ago before the pandemic. I told them I thought my appointment would be cancelled but they said they were fully reopening from that day.

It was only a cleaning with the hygienist and I went to it this morning. Hygienist could barely be seen under all the ppe - scrubs, overalls, gloves, mask, visor, hairnet. I'm sure the poor girl was baked in all that gear. With all the protection around her face I could barely understand a word she said. Price had gone up significantly and when I asked about it was told that they had to put the price up temporarily to pay for all the ppe. Seemed like they wanted me to pay for it all. I wonder how "temporary" it will be. Probably part of the new normal.

I hate going to the dentist but I really like my dentists accent. Listening to him talk to his assistant or nurse makes the dental visit a little bit easier. Fairly disappointed reading this that his accent might be drowned out on me. I'm due a cleaning soon.

reg114

Beware the Covid Tariff .. Smiles Dental are applying a 6 euro fee to the price of a basic check up and any basic procedure that doesn't produce aerosols (tiny droplets)

They are applying a whopping 18 euros to the price of any procedure that produces aerosols .. some extractions / fillings etc .. basically anything that might involve a drill ...

Plusd I would love to see a before covid price list and compare it to now to see if the price of their procedures have increased in addition to the 'covid tariff'

Polar101

reg114 wrote: »

Beware the Covid Tariff

That's disappointing to hear, but I guess it's not surprising that it's the customer who is paying for the extra costs.

reg114

reg114 wrote: »

Beware the Covid Tariff .. Smiles Dental are applying a 6 euro fee to the price of a basic check up and any basic procedure that doesn't produce aerosols (tiny droplets)

They are applying a whopping 18 euros to the price of any procedure that produces aerosols .. some extractions / fillings etc .. basically anything that might involve a drill ...

Plusd I would love to see a before covid price list and compare it to now to see if the price of their procedures have increased in addition to the 'covid tariff'

As long as there is a risk of contracting Covid 19 in the community, PPE will be necessary, so it is here to stay until a vaccine is found. The PPE is expensive and like every other industry, if costs of providing a service increase, the price increases. This is not particular to dentistry. Some Clinics are not charging extra, I have decided not to for the time being as I believe the optics aren’t great straight after we open, but as I order more PPE, I will be charging the additional cost of the PPE.

By the way, you can check website pages/prices using Wayback Machine.