5 THINGS TO OBSERVE IF YOU HAVE A DENTAL APPOINTMENT DURING THIS PANDEMIC
Now that countries and communities are easing on their Lockdowns and businesses are re-opening, so too are dental clinics. You may have held on to your routine 6 monthly dental visit or have a pending dental appointment BUT now with the threat of cross infection and the new Covid19 pandemic protocols, here are 5 essential things to observe and practice. Both for your safety and the dental team as well.
1) Sharing details of your need for an appointment
While in the past you would have just called and made a dental appointment, it is best to give the front office person or the dentist herself, a good idea of what your potential treatment entails. You will give the dental team a better idea and schedule you accordingly. and while previously you would or could afford to be fussy and even demanding on the choice of appointment slots, it is best to leave the front office to select the best and most suitable time for you. They would have good reasons, top of which would be to avoid a crowded waiting room.
2) Your current Health Status
Be mindful of your health status on that very day especially in the morning. While you would have been healthy and feeling fine the previous days, do you feel something coming up, maybe a bit of itchiness in your throat, a light cough starting perhaps or just a general ‘not feeling so good’. If you do, its best for you and all around you to re-schedule your appointment. Even if you are already vaccinated and feel vague symptoms that would be not related to Covid19 it is best to re-schedule. After all even a flu or head cold is still infectious and people all around are adverse to any form of cross infection.
However, be aware if you have dental phobia and dental anxiety and some symptoms could manifest due to the fear! But be conscious and ascertain with an open mind if symptoms are related to your fear. No matter the situation, your temperature will be taken at the time of registering in for your dental appointment.
3) Punctuality
While punctuality has always been important for dental visits even before the Covid19 Pandemic, it is now taken to the next level. You would be considered anti-social and stigmatized due to your tardiness when you arrive late and in the process the dentists appointment are staggered.
The reason being, Dentist don’t want their waiting room to be crowded. If you come late, the next patient may have to wait and a pile-up would ensue and this is not fair to the other appointments. If for some reason you are delayed, call and seek assistance from the dental team if it is OK if not offer the courtesy of rescheduling your appointment. The new normal standard is no more crowded waiting rooms at the dental clinic. Rule of thumb is if you are more then 10 minutes late call in and re-schedule or talk to the dentist’s receptionist.
4) Accompanying Persons
Taking the cue from Punctuality, any additional unnecessary person in the waiting room is a potential hazard. Unless you need physical assistance or are a dependent child person, make all attempts to be un-accompanied to the dental clinic. If you have to be driven by your parent or partner, they can wait in the car or a nearby café while you go in. Keep in mind, we want minimum traffic in dental waiting areas.
5) Physical Distance and Contact tracing protocols
Once in the dental waiting room ensure that you follow the dentists SOPs. Wear your face mask at all times till you are seated on the dental chair in the surgery. Make sure you get your temperature taken and follow protocols for contact tracing.
Once done, keeping the mask on keep as much distance between yourself and any other waiting patients in the waiting room. If this is not possible, check-in at the reception and wait outside and come back in when there is a seat allowing for the physical distance.
Once the dental consultation and treatment procedures are over, do not linger long in the waiting room. Make your payment ( if possible with contactless payment mode) and get your next dental appointment and leave promptly. If the receptionist is busy, you can always ask her to contact you on your phone and finalize the next appointment.
All over the world the long duration of the pandemic quarantine is causing what we not call quarantine fatigue. And the most serious consequence of this is people are taking the SOPs and precautions like washing hands and avoiding physical contact less seriously and getting careless. Already the 3nd wave has hit most of Europe as I write this article and we are not sure if that is going to be a reality even here in Asia. Vigilance now is just as important as when the pandemic first started - this is despite ever the increasing number of vaccinated persons. Stay safe and be vigilant at the dental clinic.
