Dental Considerations During Lockdown
Your Burton dentists offer some food for thought during the current lockdown
On the 4th January, the inevitable happened and we were told, once again, that we were going into lockdown. This is a similar one to the first lockdown and is certainly stricter than the previous Tier 4 restrictions. Most of us would agree that however unpleasant this lockdown is, it is essential to control the rapid increase in cases and deaths from Covid-19 that we have seen recently.
We don’t know yet how long this will last, but some commentators believe that it will continue possibly into March, with restrictions being eased more gradually than before. One big difference between the first lockdown and this one though, is that dental practices are allowed to continue treating patients and Mike Allen’s Dental Practice will be open for patient appointments as we have been since we re-opened in June.
We hope that patients understand that we are still having to implement a lot of restrictions due to Covid, and that means we are unable to see as many patients as before this all started. Your oral health is important though and we are doing our best to ensure that essential dental care is carried out as quickly as possible.
Daily oral care
We have covered much of this in previous blogs but it is always worth reiterating that you have a lot of control over the health of your teeth and gums. Your lifestyle choices and the care that you take in cleaning your teeth and gums will go a long way to avoiding most dental problems. This doesn’t mean that they won’t necessarily occur though and professional care is still important.
During lockdown, do try to avoid eating too much sugar, and make sure that you clean your teeth well, both morning and night. This is also a good time to introduce flossing to your daily routine if you don’t already do so.
Essential and emergency dental treatment
Although looking after your teeth well at home will help you to avoid dental problems, they can still arise. Some things, such as accidents, are often out of our control and there may already be ‘slow burning’ issues that you may not have yet noticed. For example, tooth decay can occur for some time before you start to notice any discomfort. Once it is established, although cleaning well may slow down the problem, it will not reverse it and you are likely to experience a toothache in the not so far off future.
To this end, it is important that you don’t let small problems grow into bigger ones. Contacting one of our local Burton dentists when you first notice a symptom will help us to treat it early. In the case of tooth decay, this may mean that all that you require is a straightforward small filling, possibly using our white fillings to leave a natural look.
Failure to contact us at this stage and leaving the problem, hoping that it will go away (it won’t!), will almost certainly mean that more extensive treatment will be needed. In many cases this is likely to be a deeper filling but may also require the use of a crown to restore the tooth. For the unlucky ones, the bacteria may have even entered the root canals of the tooth and you may need a root canal procedure to correct the problem. Ultimately, it may even be necessary to extract the tooth, although this should always be a last resort. If you are in doubt, please contact us for advice.
Planning ahead
Frustrating though this current lockdown is, it is not always bad news for everyone. In most adversities there are opportunities and some of you may be in the fortunate situation to be working from home on your usual salary. With fewer opportunities to spend money in restaurants etc, it is quite possible that you may have saved some money during these restrictive times.
One thing that keeps many of us going is thinking a few months ahead when, with the aid of the vaccine, life should start to return to some sort of normality. Once again we will be able to socialise with our friends and even go on holiday again. When this time arrives, we will want to be looking and feeling our best. With money saved, you might wish to consider how we can help you improve your smile with our range of cosmetic dental treatments?
From a straightforward teeth whitening procedure to give you a brighter and whiter smile, to veneers to improve the appearance of chipped and cracked teeth, we have procedures that can really give your appearance a boost for when the better times arrive.
Whilst we are in lockdown, you might wish to give this some thought and please feel free to contact us if you are interested in a consultation to discuss this or to even ask questions about particular treatments.
In the meantime, please stay healthy and take good care of your teeth and gums!
Mike Allen’s Dental Practice can be contacted using the form on our website or calling us on 01283 845345.
Peter Reece – Associate Dentist – GDC number 59019