In today’s world of universal insurance, one would believe that everyone would have access to high-quality dental treatment. The problem is this part of our overall health that we neglect. We focus more on medical issues that we only see dental problems once they require complex treatment. This is where community dental clinics become necessary. Learn how community dental clinics work in making people realise how dental care matters.
Dental Health in Australia
Oral health has an impact on your life in ways that are frequently overlooked. Your mouth may be a window into your general health, revealing indications of injury or condition before you notice other symptoms. It’s an often overlooked part of health care, yet it’s critical to your overall health. Especially now that we are still recovering from the pandemic, simple dental treatments become no biggies. What Australia, and other progressive countries, do is tweak dental services so they could fit the standard health protocols to prevent the spread of the virus.
Community Dental Clinics During Pandemic
With so much as a glance thrown toward ‘what will dental services look like if we can begin treating patients,’ much of the attention seemed to be on high street dentistry at the time of writing. These are, for the most part, patients who can attend a dentist’s office with no hassle.
Patients who receive dental treatment through community dental services do not have access to the same amenities as those who receive treatment from a “normal” dental clinic. In the hospital, kids patients with severe caries have their teeth extracted under general anaesthesia. Patients who live at home have extremely unique requirements. Patients with special needs may demand additional time and flexibility during their appointments. The same is true for elderly folks who are feeble.
Even still, if dentistry starts, the fundamental techniques to treating these groups are likely to appear very different. Is it possible that after the COVID-19 pandemic, the problematic nature of treating patients in community dentistry services may become even more difficult?
Changes in Community Dental Services
How can one afford to get emergency dental care in the time of COVID? With the dental clinics closed, how can a person avail basic dental services? People suffering from homelessness, pregnant women, refugees, and kids – how can one experience relief even if they gained priority access to healthcare. Even if you have private health funds and other dental benefits that you can utilise, what good could they give if you cannot access dental care. As they say, nothing is constant except change, so public dental services began thinking of ways to reach out to people in need of dental emergency or even disability services.
Wearing PPEs
A dentist who started opening his public dental clinic that can offer private services should don personal protective equipment (PPE) standardised by the FDA and the CDC. They prepared outfits consisting of a jumpsuit coverall, N95 face mask, and protective goggles, apart from the usual sterile gloves that they use.
Kids dentists and dental experts providing dental care and services to patients with special needs would prepare a video explaining their look so they would not feel afraid and overwhelmed. Now, whatever health services you require would touch on your mental health.
Fewer Visits
Aside from the obvious worries regarding the availability of PPE – for both patients and practitioners – dentists reiterated a health worker’s perspective that based on the duration of the pandemic’s influence on dentistry, there would be numerous sections inside the society that can be impacted. In the case of dental operations, this allows us to pick and choose operating approaches that deliver predictable results in fewer visits and with the least amount of aerosol exposure.
Reassuring the public
Take a peek at how difficult it may be for our young children who are suffering from tooth decay. These youngsters may be too apprehensive or uncooperative to have dental care while awake. Local health communications teams can reassure the elderly that if they need urgent dental care, infection control and physical separation will be in place, reducing their chance of getting COVID-19. Many public communications are distributed via social media and the internet, and elderly persons may lack access to smartphones or computers.
If you are in need of dental services that private health funds accepted as necessary health services, come and visit us to avail of our basic dental services. Our dental clinic opens its doors to patients who need public dental services so as to improve their overall well-being.
References:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41404-020-0426-4
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-020-08673-x
https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/dental-health
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