Coronavirus & Visiting The Dentist

With all the information currently circulating in the media regarding the spread of the Coronavirus, we know that many people in the community are concerned by what they are hearing and some of our patients have asked whether a trip to the dentist poses a greater risk of exposure to the virus.

The good news is that based on currently available information our understanding is that, in the absence of direct contact with an infected individual, a trip to the dentist poses no greater risk of exposure to the virus than other normal daily activities, such as going to work or school, going shopping or participating in sports activities.

Because dentistry is a highly regulated industry, we already have in place a comprehensive range of Health & Safety and Cross-infection protocols that we must observe to ensure the well-being of both our patients and our staff. For example, this means the sterilisation of dental tools, the appropriate use of personal protective equipment such as surgical gloves and masks and ensuring our treatment rooms are appropriately cleaned in between each patient.

In order to reduce exposure to and transmission of the Coronavirus, the advise to the general public from the World Health Organisation is the same as that for a range of other illnesses such as the flu:

• Frequently clean hands by using alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water;

• When coughing and sneezing cover mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue – throw tissue away immediately and wash hands;

• Avoid close contact with anyone who has fever and cough;

• If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing seek medical care early and share previous travel history with your health care provider;

At Brisbane Dental we’re taking some extra precautions to help ensure the continued health and well-being of our patients and staff. This includes actively encouraging our patients to make use of our hand sanitiser on both arrival and departure, talking to our patients regarding recent medical & travel history and, should the need arise, asking any patient with a risk of exposure to postpone their visit if it is non-urgent.

We have also briefed our staff on the continuing need to uphold our very high standards of cross-infection risk mitigation to ensure the health and well being of and our patients, staff and their families.

Please note, the information provided here is intended to be of a general nature only. If you have any concerns regarding your health, please talk to your health care provider. Of course, you are more than welcome to talk to us here at Brisbane Dental. You can call us on 3236 2984, email us on reception@brisbanedental.com.au or click on the Book Now link on the home page.