Raleigh, NC – The World Health Organization recently suggested that people routinely make appointments for dentists, at least until peoples have a better grasp on the spread of coronavirus.
So what should people do for a six month cleanse?
“It’s a personal choice, but I say absolutely [go], “said Dr. Jessica Lee of UNC Health.
“We really need to keep the controls in place to make sure our mouths are healthy,” Lee said. “If something is ignored, if you have not been able to see a dentist in the past three months, any dental disease will be lessened if it is not detected early.”
Current safety standards will keep branch workers and patients safe, she said.
Dr Tasha Hinton, for example, said she is working in full protective gear to ensure she and her patients are safe during the pandemic.
“I can not afford to get this thing, no matter how mild or not,” Hinton of COVID-19 said.
The WHO said that the proximity of dentists and hygienists to open mouths of humans increases the risk of the respiratory droplets that spread coronavirus from one person to another.
“However, urgent or necessary interventions for oral health care that are essential for maintaining a person’s oral functioning, managing severe pain or ensuring liveability,” the organization said.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have also updated their guidance for dentists, requesting eye protection, masks and N95 respirators.
“It really is an adaptation of what we have done,” Lee said.
“It’s a mess,” Hinton said of changing rules during the pandemic, noting that several groups are seen as more or less susceptible to coronavirus from one month to the next.
“We read it, we take it in,” she said of the guidance. “But I feel like everything I do is up and down, that I don’t stress so much.”
The CDC also updated the definition of fever in screening people for symptoms related to COVID-19, and reduced it to 100 degrees.
“Unfortunately, we had to turn one or two people away,” Hinton said. “They had a temperature, and luckily it kept my people protected, too.”
.
