It’s been three months since the pandemic has made dentists close their clinics. Emergency consultations are being done over the phone. Everywhere dentists are waiting for this pandemic to get over and they start with their practice again.
But, will it be this easy, this simple to just reopen the clinics. Let’s think deep into this before we even begin to understand the depth of the situation.
We are all active on social media now and are all observing how doctors and healthcare workers are staying away from their families just because they fear they might infect them and the fear is not unreasonable.
So many doctors who have just begun their families have kids or pregnant wives or geriatric patients back home. How are they going to cope up with this aftershock which will follow post COVID- 19 storms?
Here are a few things that come to mind:
- Travel History will be an integral part of History taking :
Previously we all used to write the complete history of a patient but never were we this attentive on travel history of any patient apart from the NRIs who used to visit us every year for their dental work because dentistry is “overpriced” abroad.
2. A disinfection unit might be a good option :
The government is considering using disinfection units in public places where the patient has to undergo disinfection before entering any public area like malls, theatres, hospitals, schools, and offices. Using a disinfection unit at the entrance of your clinic might be a safe option for your staff as well as patients. But then again the contradictory points that come down are: A disinfection unit cannot disinfect the oral cavity, Chlorine-based disinfection units are considered useless by the government. So we come back to the same point, how do we protect ourselves and our patients?
3. PPE kits for staff and the doctor :
Doctors all over the world are pondering over the fact that PPE kits will become an integral part of our safety system. But has anyone realized that the protocol for using a PPE is to have a separate disinfected room where a doctor can change and go straight to the operatory? The same kit gets provided to the assistant as well. Each PPE kit costs around 2000 rs. So will the dentist change a PPE kit per patient, per day, per week what will be the protocol, and do doctors have this humongous amount of liquidity to spend each day for their protection?
4. Inflation is Definite :
Have you come across suppliers who taking advantage of your fears have started charging more than 40% for the materials we used to purchase for peanuts, Here my reference is to gloves, disinfection sprays, hand sanitizers, mouth masks and other protective equipment which we used to regularly purchase. The question comes down to How are we going to fight this inflation (increasing treatment charges, using inferior quality dental materials )None of these thoughts are suggestions as to what is right and what is easy. But these are the questions that are leaving doctors all over the world pondering.
5. What about aerosols?
A few dental procedures produce aerosols and droplets that are contaminated with bacteria and blood. These aerosols represent a potential route for disease transmission. These aerosols get stuck to the mask, aprons, scrubs, and instruments and can cause further transmission of disease.
Only time will tell what lies in the future but it is always a good idea to be prepared and take on a challenge head-on than wait for someone (here I mean government or your peers) to take the reins and make decisions for you, after all, you know your practice much better than anyone, your patients will always understand even if you reopen your practice from square one or make changes that are both for you, your patients, your staff and your families.
