PULLING TEETH
Dentists set to reopen TODAY – but only a third will see patients face to face
DENTISTS up and down the country are set to reopen today for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic closed surgeries.
Experts have however said that only a third will be able to see patients face to face, while others are still lacking the correct level of personal protective equipment (PPE) to undertake many procedures.
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The British Dental Association (BDA) has warned that many patients will not be able to receive treatments that involve the use of a drill due to a shortage of PPE.
Under the coronavirus lockdown measures, dental practices were closed, with many patients being forced to deal with agonising pain at home.
Practices can now reopen as long as they adhere to a range of regulations that have been put in place, including social distancing measures and the use of face masks.
The BDA has produced a tool kit to help dentists get back to normal and to assist in undertaking face to face appointments.
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The group has also issued an open letter to health secretary Matt Hancock for urgent support with PPE and asking him to grant dentists key worker status.
Data from 2,053 surgeries found that just 36 per cent would be able to resume appointments with three quarters saying a lack of PPE would mean they could not perform “aerosol generating procedures”.
BDA Chair Mick Armstrong said practices will struggle to meet demand.
"Dentists returning to work still lack the support offered to our neighbours on the high street, and even clarity on key worker status when it comes to childcare.
Moment husband pulls his wife's tooth out with pliers after she couldn't get a dental appointment during coronavirus lockdown
"Ministers must change tack if dentistry is going to survive the new normal."
In order for surgeries to be able to open and to treat patients, dental teams must wear full face shields as well as a surgical face mask to protect them from the virus.
Dental practitioners may also wear goggles or a visor.
Under the new regulations, dentists will only be able to see a handful of patients a day as surgeries will be restricted as to the amount of people they will be able to let in.
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There are around 10,000 practices in England and across them they would usually carry out 3.25 million appointments a month before the pandemic rocked the country.
One expert told The Sun that some independent practices had not been given enough time to reopen to the highest standards.
Why smaller dental practices will struggle to reopen today
Dr Jaskaren Midha reveals the challenges dentists will face up and down the country
As many practices have reopened today an overwhelming amount have also remained closed.
Speaking to The Sun, Dr Jaskaren Midha, dentist and founder of said patients need to be flexible when it comes to the changing environment they will experience.
"There are several challenges that dental clinics and practices will face post lockdown - one being not having enough time to allow them to implement all the changes required to open safely.
"New policies needed to be drawn up and staff appropriately trained etc, all of which can take many weeks to prepare."
She added that it's also a huge challenge to source PPE and implement social distancing.
"Dental practices will need to ensure that all safety measures are in place before re-opening - this could prove difficult especially for those with smaller practices and with less space to move around etc.
"Many practices wont be able to operate at nowhere near full capacity, and will have a backlog of patients wanting appointments."
Dr Midha said emergency appointments will need to take priority and said the level of cleaning needed after each patient will mean longer waiting times.
"All dentists want to open and provide safe treatment for their patients. Their patients' health is their priority", she added.
Dr Catherine Tannahill, dentist and director of clinical dentistry at Portman Dental Care said: “When it was announced on the 28th May that dentists were reopening on 8thJune, this was the first most dentists in the UK knew that they were expected to be patient facing again.
“The Chief Dental Officer also only released specific guidance on how to reopen safely on 4th June, giving most practices only one day to prepare.
“The lack of time and guidance has meant that many smaller, independent practices may not have had the necessary support or time to train colleagues or get PPE in place, and so may not feel comfortable or prepared to open safely today."
Many practices have been hit with financial difficulties due to the closures and the BDA has now demanded “urgent action” from the government.
This morning Mr Armstrong said: "The Health Secretary must now take responsibility to avert the existential crisis facing a service struggling with sky-high costs and radically reduced patient numbers.
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“Without action from this Government access problems – on an unprecedented scale - are going to be visited on millions of patients, in every part of England."
He added that just 8 per cent of practices have said they can maintain financial stability in the long term.
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“We need the conversation to be realistic about how an NHS service, forced to operate to a contract based on activity, can operate in a context where previous levels of activity are impossible.
“There has been no clear message to patients and the profession about what reopening actually means in the light of what will inevitably be a vastly reduced service with minimal options to even maintain oral health, let alone improve it”, he added.
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