At Lucent Dental, we understand that during these unprecedented times, the Coronavirus pandemic has influenced how we interact with each other, how we learn, how we share, and our overall way of life. Our association strives to continue offering services remotely, and we hope to soon provide direct services as soon as adequate protective measures are in place to protect both provider and patients in a field environment. Click here to learn more about Coronavirus.
What is Coronavirus?
Coronavirus is a type of virus that can cause respiratory infection in animals and humans. There are many different types of coronaviruses, but the recently identified strain is called SARS-CoV-2. This virus was first identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019. It is responsible for giving people a disease called COVID-19. The disease is highly contagious and has spread rapidly all over the world. There is currently no vaccine or cure for the disease, and that is why there is currently a global pandemic.
COVID-19 Symptoms
COVID-19 can infect anybody, regardless of race, gender, or age. The people who are likely to suffer most and at the greatest risk of complications are the people who are older or who already have other medical problems. Although serious complications are less commonly seen with children and healthy teens, it is still possible for them to get severely sick. That is why it is important to recognize the symptoms and help prevent the spread.
Most people who have COVID-19 may not show any symptoms at all. However, they can still spread the disease to others. COVID-19 symptoms include:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Trouble breathing or shortness of breath
- Body aches
- Sore throat or difficulty swallowing
- Loss or reduced taste or smell
- Diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting
- Headache
- Tiredness or lack of energy
- Congestion or runny nose
COVID-19 symptoms can be severe and have been shown to cause organ failure or even death.
Coronavirus treatment
This new coronavirus spreads very easily from person to person. The best way to know for sure if you have it is to get a laboratory test. Ask your doctor or medical specialist to order a test for you to confirm the diagnosis.
There are currently no vaccines or specific treatments for COVID-19. Many pharmaceutical companies are working on a cure, and clinical trials are in process to determine possible treatments. People who have symptoms are treated with supportive methods to make them more comfortable, and for severe cases, it may be necessary to go to the hospital emergency room.
Stopping the spread
Prevention remains the most effective way to slow the spread of the virus. The virus can be spread from droplets of fluid from one person to another. You can protect yourself and others from infection by regularly washing your hands with soap and water, use alcohol-based hand sanitizers and avoid touching any part of your face. It is important to avoid cough or sneezing directly at others. Wearing a cloth face covering has been showed to be effective in prevention and slowing the spread. Finally, even if you are not feeling symptoms, you should exercise social distancing, which involves staying at least 6 feet away from other people.
Dealing with the pandemic
If you have any fever or experience signs of respiratory infection, call a health care provider and explain your symptoms over the phone. If you have a medical emergency such as difficulty breathing or severe shortness of breath, call 911 and explain your symptoms.
Many people are trying to adapt to a new way of life during this pandemic. It is critical to take precautions to prevent the spread, and adapting to the situation involves taking special measures.
Special measures include:
- Stay at home and reduce the contact with people who do not live with you.
- Avoid traveling unnecessarily, and consider a vacation at home instead.
- When outside, practice physical distancing, by staying at least six feet away from others.
- Avoid contact with people who are sick or appear sick
- Stay in touch with friends and family via phone, text, and video chat.
- Ask your employer to work from home.
- Go out for essentials like groceries only during off-peak hours.
- Practice good hygiene by washing your hands regularly with soap and water, and by using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Wipe surfaces that may be exposed to the coronavirus with sanitizing wipes.
- When coughing or sneezing, do so into your elbow or into a tissue.
- Avoid touching any areas of your face with unwashed hands.
- Wear a face covering whenever you are in a public area.
- Contact your doctor by phone if you are feeling sick, or call 911 for a medical emergency.
Is going to the dentist safe during the pandemic?
Medical facilities and dental offices have been working hard to address patient care during the pandemic. Most facilities require testing or screening prior to entering. For the most part, it is safe to go see your dentists as long as they are taking precaution to protect their patients.
Protecting patients and the dental staff include:
Testing and screening all patients. Patients’ temperatures are taken prior to entering the clinic, and patients typically complete a screening questionnaire. For more invasive procedures like surgery, patients may be required to first get lab tested for clearance of the coronavirus. Staff members should be screened daily, and anyone exhibiting symptoms must be safely isolated from patients and other team members.
Protective equipment and masks. Everyone working or visiting the clinic is required to wear a mask or face covering at all times. Sometimes, exception may be made for children under 2 years who need emergency care. The office staff and dentist should wear N95 masks. During procedures, the dental team should wear complete personal protective equipment including liquid resistant gowns, gloves, and face shields.
Sanitation and cleanliness. All areas of the office should be cleaned and disinfected throughout the day, including the waiting room, restrooms, operatories, staff break rooms, etc. All exams rooms should be disinfected between each patient, and any item exposed to a previous patient should be sanitized. Each office should provide hand sanitizer hand washing stations.
Physical Distancing, and limited patient. In order to ensure sufficient physical distancing, the office should limit the number of staff as well as the number of patients into its facility. This usually means that fewer patients can be seen throughout the day, and all non-essential personnel or visitors should remain away from the office. Many dental offices will also limit the use of their operatories, allowing time for proper sanitation and cleaning.
Prior to making an appointment, ask your dentists and their teams to let you know what they are doing to take precaution for minimizing the spread of coronavirus. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that all the precautions will absolutely prevent contracting coronavirus, but for the most part, they have made visiting the dentist safe.
Comments are closed