Reopen Dentists

Find some way of reopening dentists.

Why the contribution is important

Although there are currently measures in place for attending to people with severe or urgent problems, people with non urgent problems cannot get dental care.

Assessing by telephone whether someone is in enough pain to be allowed dental care of frankly not good enough. There have already been reports of people practising home dentistry to get relief from chronic low level pain.

by dvd8n on May 05, 2020 at 02:06PM

Current Rating

Average rating: 4.8
Based on: 36 votes

Comments

  • Posted by Fifer72 May 05, 2020 at 14:12

    This should be left to the dentists profession to debate and see if they can manage the risk and allow reopening. A backlog of dental problems are building so a reopening subject to risk management would be beneficial.

  • Posted by CeeMcCee May 05, 2020 at 14:13

    I have a tooth that really needs to be taken out 🤷‍♀️

  • Posted by Ghart May 05, 2020 at 14:20

    Putting off a visit for routine work, e.g. fillings, can result in more extensive work being needed. Need to find a way of getting treatment - possibly checking health before admission would be needed.

  • Posted by Hmartin578 May 05, 2020 at 14:21

    I have a small filling which needs replacing and it is giving me periods of trouble About to put in my fourth toothy peg temporary filling as they fall out. Now have better testing so need to work out how to get treatment after firstly getting a negative Covid test

  • Posted by AMcD May 05, 2020 at 14:21

    Even the urgent care available is only limited to extraction - adequate PPE and processes to get dentists open needs to be a priority

  • Posted by Graeme100 May 05, 2020 at 14:27

    Agree. People need to have access to dental treatment to avoid a huge backlog of issues later on. Not getting the correct treatment is in itself a health issue. If its the corrrect ppe equipment required then surely dental practices should have them to treatment of fillings, for example, rather than teeth being extracted unnecessarily.

  • Posted by HelenO May 05, 2020 at 14:30

    I would have thought that with proper PPE in place working as a dentist is no more hazardous than working as a doctor. Social distancing can take place within waiting areas and in staff areas.

  • Posted by Sarahj May 05, 2020 at 14:33

    I agree with this one hundred percent.
    If people are in pain elsewhere then GP surgeries and A and E are still available.
    Tooth pain is debilitating and causes stress and anxiety at an already stressful time.
    I know PPE may be an issue, however this does need to be made a priority

  • Posted by Dogsbody May 05, 2020 at 14:58

    This is a serious health issue and dentists need to get back working as soon as possible. Further delay will cause problems in the future with delayed appointments.

  • Posted by deerhoundchris May 05, 2020 at 18:08

    This is vital. I am sure there is some way that it can be done safely.

  • Posted by Maggiesh1 May 05, 2020 at 22:26

    I understand it is frustrating if you have a dental problem and cannot have an appointment with your dentist, your dentist must provide an emergency triage service to determine if your dental problem is a real emergency and if so they will be able to refer you to your nearest emergency treatment centre.

    Dentists, Dental Hygienists, and Dental Nurses are in an extremely high risk category more so than Doctors, due to the close contact with a patients mouth, saliva and the aerosol spray produced from dental handpieces.

  • Posted by Sallymair May 06, 2020 at 09:47

    This is an important area to address. PPE is already in use at dentists along with good hygiene practice. These need to assessed and standardised and a way found to address the dental health of people. Health screening before entering the practice could be introduced. There may also need to be protective clothing provided for patients as well as staff.
    Lack of dental treatment is a financial as well as a health issue and lack of attention to small problems now is likely to lead to a need for more serious and costly procedures in the future.

  • Posted by Outragedoldbag May 06, 2020 at 13:03

    I think the best people to judge this are dentists. Their safety is vital. Dentists have died. Unless they have the PPE they require they should stick to the rule. NO PPE, no See

  • Posted by enya20 May 08, 2020 at 09:48

    Good dentists in scotland need and want to get back to work as soon as possible to their surgeries to treat many of their patients who have been suffering pain and discomfort for 6 weeks. The only option has been tooth extraction at dental hubs. Dentists provide a wonderful caring service for their patients....let's allow them to get them back to work as soon as it is safe for them to do so with the correct PPE equipment.

  • Posted by Ro2 May 08, 2020 at 13:23

    Even extraction of teeth does not seem to be available. My brother in law was left with a tooth going septic. One side of his face was swollen to the size of a melon. He was in agony for days, tried every dental practice and local hospital. No help other than painkillers and antibiotics.
    This is wrong.

  • Posted by Anonymous1 May 08, 2020 at 19:50

    These appointments are just as crucial as the majority of GP visits. Something must be done.
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