dentist

[brindle1]

Has anyone with a mechanical valve gone to a dentist for a dental cleaning ? My dentist is open and my appointment is next week. I am considering cancelling. I am very concerned about this corona virus.
I have not been to a store in over 6 weeks. Husband does shopping.

 

[Protimenow]

If you don't want to leave the house for a tooth cleaning, don't go. It may be a while before you can get another appointment.
Your dentist/hygeinist probably goes to great lengths to be certain that he or she doesn't get COVID-19 from patients. If you choose to keep your appointment, you should be premedicated (usually 2 grams of amoxicillin), but check with your dentist/hygienist for a prescription.

 

[Warrick]

Protime is bang on, my dentist rung me yesterday having just reopened as NZ has just downgraded its lockdown to level 2, so Ill be seeing them next week.. premeded with antibiotics of course

 

[ATHENS1964]

I have a company with dental products, my advice is that if it is not necessary do not go to the dentist yet.
Ιf possible ask for the first appointment of the day to have passed the time of the aerosolization of the previous appointments
and be disinfected from the previous day .
https://www.ada.org/~/media/CPS/Files/COVID/ADA_COVID_Int_Guidance_Treat_Pts.pdf

 

[Thomas]

I got lucky and had the appt. on the last day before shut down. I'll admit to taking a second thought about going as I knew shut down was imminent but I had confidence in my dental office. When I got there it was very evident they were taking all precautions.
Agreed, first appt. is best. Make sure to take your meds.
I'm sure the office will be taking all precautions as well.

 

[Keithl]

My dentist called to tell me they won;t treat me unless an emergency as they feel my valve makes me a risk. I laughed and told them I was not planning on coming in unless there is a pill to cure or vaccine to prevent the virus or my tooth is hanging out of my mouth.

That said I believe the ADA is recommending that they use a N95 mask covered by a ASTM level 3 mask and should be wearing a face shield on top of that.

I actually work for a dental chain here in US and I know that is the procedure we are following and we have been following ADA lead. Rather ironic that I hope our patients come back so I can stay employed, but you could not pay me enough to go to a dentist right now.

My dentist is asking patients to call from car and stay in it and call from there. They will call you when your appointment is ready as they have closed their waiting room.

These are all good practices, but in the end the thought of laying there, face up, mouth wide open as a catch basket for whatever is flying around in the air is not a risk I am willing to take. I am paranoid, I double mask and glove when out in public, gloves, etc. I keep masks and dozens of gloves in the car just in case. I am anal on how to take the mask and gloves off and dispose of them.

As ATHENS1964 said if you must go take first appointment. I have echo for my heart and I waited until June to get the first appointment of day. I still may cancel that sincethey are still using their waiting room, I asked about waiting in car until my appointment and they said that is not the process currently.

 

[tom in MO]

Has anyone with a mechanical valve gone to a dentist for a dental cleaning ? My dentist is open and my appointment is next week. I am considering cancelling. I am very concerned about this corona virus.
I have not been to a store in over 6 weeks. Husband does shopping.

I have a mechanical valve and went to the dentist yesterday. I was screened for temperature and with questions at the door of the medical building. They gave me a mask and a sticker that showed I was screened. I had to wear the mask while in the building. You could only enter through one door (there are many).

Que my technician had on two masks and a face shield. One was the N95. I had a cavity at the base of a crown so was happy to have gone. Good teeth health is preventive action against endocarditis.

You can always go and back out if you are worried. They way I looked at it is dentists deal with the possibility of infection all the time. They have practice. If your dentist is a good one you should be OK.

Oh I also had the first appointment of the day and that made me feel better. Any sanitization had all night to work

 

[Keithl]

Que my technician had on two masks and a face shield. One was the N95. I had a cavity at the base of a crown so was happy to have gone. Good teeth health is preventive action against endocarditis.

Oh I also had the first appointment of the day and that made me feel better. Any sanitization had all night to work

I believe that is the ADA guideline, a N/KN95 mask covered by a ASTM Level 3 mask and then a face shield. I would be shocked to find any dentist not doing that as it would likely open them up to litigation if someone gets sick as a good lawyer would have a field day then.

 

[pellicle]

Has anyone with a mechanical valve gone to a dentist for a dental cleaning ?

I go once every 6 months, so that's about 20 times since my mechanical was placed

I always (and indeed my dentist insists) take prophylactic antibiotics (yes, I swallow them in a condom ;- )

.. I am considering cancelling. I am very concerned about this corona virus.
I have not been to a store in over 6 weeks. Husband does shopping.

this is relatively unrelated to your mechanical valve ...

you'll notice that decent dentists wear masks and use rubber gloves. I think the supermarket is probably more filthy (IE US store guard killed after mask row with customer )

 

[Keithl]

And I don’t go to supermarket either. I do either curbside contactless pickup or delivery. Also at a supermarket I would wear a mask, not site with my mouth open as a catch basin. The valve itself is not as much an underlying condition as the risk if you get the virus badly. The balance between clots and bleeds becomes difficult. Look at Nick Cordero, he would up losing his leg because they had to decide to stop blood thinners do to internal bleeding and sacrificed his leg due to clots. With us the blood thinners are necessary and the trade off would be clot stroke risk or bleeding out.

 

[egar]

I just went in for a dental cleaning a few days ago. The dentist started seeing patients for non-emergency procedures this week.

I was a bit uneasy about it, not because of my mech valve, but just the exposure risk of someone having their hands in my mouth for a half hour.

As usual, I took my previsit antibiotic dose, then went in. The dentist office took all of the recommended precautions and, in the end, it was no big deal. I felt safe.

 

[Paleowoman]

I was a bit uneasy about it, not because of my mech valve, but just the exposure risk of someone having their hands in my mouth for a half hour.

From what I understand it is the dentist who is most at risk - the patient is open mouthed, and, if asymptomatic, could be breathing Covid-19 virus towards the dentist….but the dentist has, hopefully, good protection from a mask

UK dentists not seeing patients for non-emergencies yet.

 

[AZ Don]

Ιf possible ask for the first appointment of the day to have passed the time of the aerosolization of the previous appointments

I had not thought of this but think it is a good idea, thanks. I looked up to see what is known about the spread of Covid-19 via aerosols. There's a good article in Scientific American here. Like so much else about Covid-19, there is more to learn but there is evidence that virus particles can remain in the air for up to a few hours and anecdotal evidence that they can infect people even when following social distancing. It is not believed that aerosols are a primary route of infection, but now I am leery of entering a room without a mask where someone has just been lying mouth open without a mask for an extended period of time.

 

[pellicle]

but now I am leery of entering a room without a mask where someone has just been lying mouth open without a mask for an extended period of time.

keep away from politicians then ...

 

[Protimenow]

Yes, but all that hot air should rise towards the ceiling, and, presumably be vented out before the virus drops back down.

Of course you'll have to watch your step...

 

[honeybunny]

I went for a cleaning exactly two weeks ago. I’d had the appointment for six months and my dentist had just reopened. I thought seriously about canceling then decided, as Paleowoman wrote, that I was more of a danger to the staff than they were to me. My temperature was taken, They gave me a screening questionnaire, I was seen immediately, the hygienist wore a mask and face shield, and gloves. Two weeks later I am fine. But if you feel uncomfortable don’t go unless it’s an emergency.

 

[dick0236]

I went to my dentist this past Monday for my twice annually cleaning. Like "honeybunny" the dental office took many safeguards to protect my health......and theirs.

 

[catwoman]

My husband and I had appointments for May 5. We got a call 2 weeks before that they were reopening and had to reschedule us. Earliest date they can get us in at the same time is Sept. 30. My husband no longer drives, so I have scheduled dentals at the same time, different hygienists.

 

[Carnelian]

Has anyone with a mechanical valve gone to a dentist for a dental cleaning ? My dentist is open and my appointment is next week. I am considering cancelling. I am very concerned about this corona virus.
I have not been to a store in over 6 weeks. Husband does shopping.

Is this a routine cleaning or a deep cleaning? A routine cleaning takes half an hour or less and a deep cleaning an hour, much more severe. You can skip the routine cleaning
for now (unless you have a problem) and take the antibiotic whenever you go as I do,
regardless of what the dentist says. I had a tissue replacement. I don't know where you live, but my advice is not to let the virus situation scare you from going out and enjoying fresh air, a walk or store. I saw my dentist 2 weeks ago for a root canal.

 

[GaryMc]

Has anyone with a mechanical valve gone to a dentist for a dental cleaning ? My dentist is open and my appointment is next week. I am considering cancelling. I am very concerned about this corona virus.
I have not been to a store in over 6 weeks. Husband does shopping.

My Wife is a dental hygienist and I just had AVR 4 weeks ago. Her advice is not to go to the dentist right now unless it is an emergency. Her office has installed a new HEPA air filtration system and an extra-oral suction (sits outside the patient's mouth to catch aerosols) and they are using N95 masks and shields. Good precautions for the staff. The problem is there is no way to really screen for asymptomatic patients who you might be exposed to in the office.