The COVID-19 global pandemic has had an impact on several sectors, with the biggest strain being on the healthcare sector. Due to this strain as well as the risk of the virus spreading in healthcare facilities, restrictions were placed on several non-essential medical services.
Dental care fell into this category and several dental clinics cancelled appointments and limited their services due to COVID-19 containment measures in place. While doing this was important in controlling the spread of the pandemic, it also limited the dental care services available to people.
This does not mean that all dental services have been temporarily shut down. Even though a dental clinic may not offer regular check-ups, a South Harrow dentist may offer advice over the phone or online, depending on the patient’s condition and requirements.
In addition to this, many dental clinics are reopening and you can make an appointment with a facility like Neem dental Clinic if you need to consult with a root canal specialist or an emergency dentist in Harrow.
NHS recommendations
The National Health Service or NHS is a publicly funded healthcare system in England and provides a range of services online. These include helping people find pharmacies, general practitioners, and dentists, as well as providing useful tips and information related to healthcare.
The NHS also posts regular updates on the COVID-19 global pandemic, especially on medical services that can be accessed during the pandemic. On their recommendations on dental care, the NHS states that some routine dental treatments are now available. Neem Dental Clinic, for instance, reopened at the beginning of the month and you can make an appointment with them if you need to visit a South Harrow Tamil dentist or a root canal specialist.
The NHS, however, recommends that you contact your dentist by phone or email before visiting their practice. If you require an emergency dentist in Harrow, the NHS recommends calling your South Harrow dentist or using the NHS 111 online service.
For dental treatment in an emergency, you are advised against calling a general practitioner or GP as they may not be able to offer emergency or out-of-hours dental care. You can visit a hospital for emergency dental care if you are in severe pain, experience heavy bleeding, or have injuries to the face, mouth, or teeth.
Dental emergency
While dental practices are allowed to operate under strict guidelines, many give out very few appointments. It is thus recommended that you make an appointment with a South Harrow Tamil dentist for emergency care and not a routine check-up.
A Saturday Harrow Dentist will recommend visiting a dental care practice like Neem Dental Clinic if you have swelling of your gums, cheek, or face and it is spreading or if you are experiencing excruciating pain, mouth ulcers that haven’t healed after two weeks, or bleeding that lasts more than 20 minutes after a recent tooth extraction.
Broken teeth which cause pain and damage to your cheek or tongue, knocked out teeth, and controlled bleeding due to facial trauma are also considered dental emergencies.
If you are experiencing any of these, contact a South Harrow dentist or an emergency dentist in Harrow and explain your symptoms in detail to them. They will then advice you on what you should do next.
If you are told to make an appointment with a dentist in South Harrow, you can look up a dental care practice like Neem Dental Clinic. Be sure to study the health and safety guidelines in place and the process implemented by the dental clinic before visiting them.
Non-emergency dental care
A minor toothache, pain in your wisdom teeth with no swelling or restricted opening of the mouth, sensitive teeth, sensitive or bleeding gums, and discomfort from dentures are considered non-emergency dental care.
Sharp pain when biting down, a broken or chipped tooth, or mouth ulcers present for less than ten days are a few other symptoms that are not considered emergencies. If you experience these, you can contact your root canal specialist or Saturday Tamil dentist to seek medical advice and make an appointment if necessary.
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