Dentists now open only for emergencies
DENTAL practices have now closed except for emergency procedures following a decision made by the Guernsey Dental Association.
Individual dental practices have been informed. Any non-urgent appointments must be rescheduled. Dentists will still be available to help, support and answer any questions via phone or email.
Chairman of the Guernsey Dental Association Paul Frank said: ‘After meeting with the GDA committee over the weekend on a digital conference app, we decided to close the dental practices.
‘Despite the vast majority of people on-island having had no immediate contact with positive cases or relevant travel history, we had to do something to reduce risk.’
Patients had begun to cancel appointments themselves to cut down on exposure.
‘The nature of dentistry means we are in close contact with patients. Viruses can be carried in aerosols which are used for most dental procedures, from check-ups to the famed dentist’s drill.
‘Because of this proximity we decided to close practices except in the case of emergency procedures. Most dental procedures can be put off unless there is severe facial swelling. For some items we could advise over the phone.’
Dr Frank said emergency procedures cover anything from an abscess to trauma such as a severely broken tooth, to wisdom teeth procedures requiring antibiotics to be prescribed, or anything for which you would routinely call up a dentist practice in an emergency.
‘These people are still safe to come and see us, but measures were needed to reduce the possibility of inviting infected patients into the practices.’
Measures to reduce contact have been implemented.
‘All practices have been split in half, with teams and staff who will never meet. Smaller practices doing shift patterns will help reduce the possibility of transmission.’
