The Dental Council of India and the Indian dental association has developed science-based guidance to dentists on extra steps they can take, in addition to the infection control procedures they’ve always followed, to help protect their patients and staff. Here’s what you can expect at your next appointment.
Standards of hygiene and disinfection
Our clinic is committed to maintaining the highest standards of disinfection and hygiene to ensure that you have a safe and pleasant dental consultation
We adhere to the recommendations as stipulated from time to time by the Dental Council of India(DCI) and the Indian dental association (IDA) and the Ministry of health and family welfare (MOHFW) in the current COVID 19 pandemic.
The MOHFW has categorized that some dental procedures carry moderate risk to transmission of the SARS-COV2 virus causing the disease COVID19.
Before Your Appointment
To help make sure that patients arriving for their appointments are healthy, our dental staff may call you before your appointment and ask you some questions about your current health. We may also repeat these questions when you arrive to make sure nothing has changed.
Our office staff may also ask that you limit the number of people you bring to the appointment. That could mean leaving your children at home or allowing older children to go into the office alone while their parent waits outside during their appointment.
At Your Appointment
Be sure to wear a mouth mask to your appointment.
When you arrive at the dental clinic, you may be asked to wait outside until we are ready for you. This will reduce the number of people in the office and reduce the amount of time you’re close to other people.
When you enter the office, you may have your temperature taken.
You will be asked to leave your personal belongings including keys, purse, handbags, spectacles mobile phones at the reception
You will be advised to wear protective wear provided in the clinic which may include all or any of the following ( foot cover, head cap, gloves )
You will be asked to sanitize your hands with a hand sanitizer, alcohol based hand rub.
A special written consent with regard to risks involved during the COVID pandemic will be taken. This will be in addition to written consent for the dental treatment
Inside the office, you may notice things people often touch in the waiting room – like toys or magazines – have been removed.
You will be advised to NOT touch any item or furniture in the clinic for your own safety
Certain areas of the clinic will have RESTRICTED ACCESS to help us maintain stringent disinfection protocols
In the dental chair
When you’re in the dental chair, you may notice some things look different from the last time you were there.
The treating dentist may also be using different protective equipment than they’ve used at previous appointments. This could include different masks, face shields, gowns and goggles. These additional precautions help protect both you and the dentist.
During your appointment, you will be asked to rinse your mouth with medicated mouth rinse. Before examining your mouth the dentist might apply skin safe disinfection solution around your mouth.
After Your Appointment
Prescriptions will be provided at the end of your appointment and explained by the staff
Any investigations, X ray examinations will be advised. Follow up with investigation reports will be managed through digital communication to ensure unnecessary clinic visits are avoided
After your appointment is over, the staff will thoroughly clean the areas where you’ve been using disinfectants that are effective against the virus that causes COVID-19 to prepare for the next patient. This helps reduce the risk of illness being passed to others.
Payments:
We advise digital payments and have facilities for the same including card, UPI, digital wallets
Legal aspects :
The COVID 19 disease is an highly infective disease and carries the risk of transmission despite all safety precautions that we undertake at the dental clinic. Any procedure performed in the midst of an ongoing pandemic will be with utmost regard to the patients risk profile and the absolute need with respect to achieving the optimal oral health of the patient.
Written consent in this regard will be taken to ensure both the patient and the dentist are aware of the risk of disease transmission
The COVID 19 disease can remain asymptomatic in 80% of individuals, hence a declaration by the patient regarding symptoms of COVID 19 disease will have to be truthfully answered to ensure your safety , and the safety of other patients seeking treatment at the dental clinic.
Follow up
If you start feeling ill with the symptoms of COVID-19 within 14 days of your appointment, call the dental office. You may have already been carrying the virus at the time of your appointment, so anyone who came into contact with you during that time could be at risk for getting sick too.
Remember, regular dental visits are an essential part of your oral hygiene routine – and are important for your overall heath. Our dental clinic will make sure your visit is as safe as possible for everyone involved.