Stopping the spread of the virus – and keeping you and our team safe

We wanted to let you know the reasons we have taken the unprecedented decision to temporarily close Drayton Dental Care.

Despite the claim made in Sunday evening’s government press briefing that “every single GP practice, dental practice and community pharmacy” has had a delivery of PPE protective facemasks, this is certainly NOT the case for dental practices.

In order to keep our practice running for as long as possible, our clinical team have been making do with wearing thin facemasks, often for far longer than they should be worn, or doubling them up in a bid to stay safe. But, as we are sure you will understand, this could not continue indefinitely.

The evidence is that the more often a person is exposed to the virus, the worse their body responds. This is why healthy doctors and nurses – with no underlying health conditions - are dying from Covid-19.

Because the work we do focuses on mouths, our dentists and dental nurses are continually exposed to saliva. And as you are probably aware, not everyone shows symptoms of the virus. This means that the risks of contracting the disease and then spreading it are far higher.

This is why NHS England and the Department of Health have instructed dental practices to prioritise urgent treatment where possible. This guidance is to reduce the risk of virus transmission to you and our staff.

You need urgent dental treatment if you have:

• Facial swelling extending to your eye, neck or floor of your mouth
• Bleeding following an extraction that does not stop after 20 minutes of solid pressure with a gauze
• Bleeding due to trauma
• Severely broken tooth, or tooth fallen out with pain
• Toothache that is preventing sleep, eating combined with swelling or fever that is not manageable with pain killers

Please call us if you have any of the above and we will do all we can to advise you.

Go straight to A&E if you have:

• Facial swelling affecting your vision, breathing or preventing your mouth opening more than 2 fingers’ width
• Trauma causing loss of consciousness, double vision or vomitin

Non-urgent dental care

Please note we are unable to accept the following as urgent treatment however we can give advice over the phone:

• loose or lost crowns, bridges or veneers
• Fractured, rubbing or loose dentures
• Broken, loose or lost fillings
• Chipped teeth with no pain
• Loose orthodontic wires
• Bleeding gums

Pain management – over the counter painkillers can help. Please take in accordance with the instructions on the packet. Patients who believe they have Covid-19 should take paracetamol in preference to ibuprofen.

Sensitivity – if you have extreme sensitivity to hot or cold, sensitive toothpaste can help. Rub toothpaste directly on the affected area and don’t rinse afterwards.

Wisdom tooth pain – most flare-ups can be managed with good homecare:

• Thorough cleaning, even if painful
• Corsodyl mouthwash (max 1 week use)
• Soft diet
• Warm, salty mouthwash
• Painkillers

If you have difficulty swallowing or have swelling in your cheek, you may need antibiotics. Please call us

Rubbing dentures – denture adhesive like Fixodent may help secure a loose denture. Sharp edges can be filed using an emery board.

Mouth ulcers – most ulcers heal within 7 to 10 days. To ease the pain, use the tips advised above for wisdom tooth pain. You can also try Difflam (Benzydamine) spray or mouthwash.

Bleeding gums – this is usually due to gum disease and requires improved brushing techniques. Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste for two minutes. Concentrate on the areas that are bleeding. Use floss or TePe brushes to clean between your teeth.

We appreciate your patience and understanding at this very difficult time.

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