Chewable vitamin D. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
VITAMIN D
In the UK I discovered that my local chemist (Americans say pharmacy) stocked chewable vitamin D tablets, which are made in England.
To my disappointment, despite this precaution, I lost a bit of a tooth after pulling dental floss sharply, yanking it upwards. I kept the part of the tooth in a small marmalade jar in my bag. However, the dentist said he could not re-attach it because it would not bond.
DENTAL KIT
This puzzled me, since I have a dental kit which appears to do that temporarily. The trouble was, I could not see or reach the tooth easily. I was afraid of gluing together the filling upside down or my fingers to the tooth.
THE DENTIST
I am keeping a record of what I thought I heard and what happened to me regarding the dentist. This will be useful to me weeks later when i have half forgotten and want to check. You might find hearing my experience useful, for framing questions when you ask your own dentist about possible treatment, or understanding what might be going on, when you are told what can and can't be done.
Before Covid-19, if I remember rightly, I was told:
Presumably to cut down on the risk of deaths in the surgery:
REGULATIONS
1 New regulations require a surgery administering an anesthetic to have a second trained person just doing the anaesthetic, so whilst the dentist is looking at the teeth, another person can be watching the machine giving feedback on the breathing.
Some dentists cannot provide anther person because they do not have one trained. They do not have a large enough premises for a recovery room for the person to stay laying down after the anesthetic. Or it is not economic because their patients having reduced price treatment on the NHS will not pay the higher cost of the new service.
The hygienist had observed that more patients lost teeth due to them becoming loose in the gums than because of teeth having fillings and decay.
(I am not sure this is the case in my family. My teeth keep crumbling away and losing fillings and bits of tooth to toffees, rock hard spun sugar, or dental floss pulling hard through a narrow gap.
FLOSSING
My dentist showed me you could pull the dental floss downwards. Instead of pulling it up and risking dislodging the filling, you could pull it out sideways. This only works if the gap has not got smaller, and the dental floss is not the type which shreds into strands..
2 INFO
The situation regarding dental work is very complicated. It varies from surgery to surgery, from country to country and from time to time due to changing health and hygiene and cost and NHS (UK National Health Service) and changing rules about Covid-19.
My understanding is this - but do check with the latest rules in your dentist and country.
Earlier this year, 2020, I had to cancel a dental appointment in the UK when Covid-19 caused us to change our plans to travel to the UK. I got through to a living dental receptionist, not an answering machine. I was very glas to hear that I would not be charged a cancellation fee, because at that point the dental surgery was closed anyway. A senior dentist (B) had died (not of Covid-19) in addition, and the dental surgery was closed for all work, including hygienists, because of Covid-19.
Teledentistry Consultation
Later this year I was first given a talk to the dentist (the son, G) on the phone. As far as I understood, the dentists were not allowed to do drilling without a clean of the entire surgery room, which would take half a hour of their working day and cost a person's time and money.
Therefore they were only doing temporary fillings, which are created by adding layer after layer of a kind of white cement which is not smoothed to the finest finish, and is not so long-lasting.
I was told that because they could not drill my tooth to make a smooth bowl, the filling would not adhere so well. No guarantee how long it would last.
In the UK Molars requiring extraction have to be done in hospital nowadays due to Covid-19.
SINGAPORE
I had had a teleconsultation with my doctor who asked me a series of questions about possible symptoms before prescribing medication which was picked up by a younger member of my family.
I had another member of my family buying vitamin D tablets which I pounded with a mortar and pestle and took with a spoon of honey, in the hope that this would strengthen my teeth.
A friend in Singapore was told by a dental practice that a dentist did not do 'big teeth', which is a translation of the Chinese meaning molars.
Tips
Check what the dentist is allowed to do before going in for a check-up.
If an x-ray is taken, take a photo of it with your mobile phone, so you don't have to have another x-ray at another dentist in the same country or overseas.
Make an appointment.
You may be asked to fill in a form about your travel history and covid-19 tests and any potential symptoms.
You may be asked to pay in advance over the phone so the staff do not need to touch cash nor credit cards.
I felt that 'a consultation' consisted largely of a dentist trying to persuade me to have a very expensive crown.
My family were happy to spend money to fix my teeth. They were unhappy to hear that all the money which had spent was on temporary filling which might last only as little as a day or week, or month.
Allow extra time to wait for the receptionist to come out and take your temperature. you may be asked to wait until a previous patient has left before you are allowed to enter.
Once inside you may be asked to use sanitising hand gel from a dispenser.
the staff may come out and ask you questions again, and take your temperature from your forehead. You may have to move your hat or hair such as a fringe.
Useful Websites And Information
SINGAPORE
Resumption of services
https://www.chas.sg/news_events_article.aspx?id=1613
Beware of scams
https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19
UK
Call 111 for advice on what to do. They can ring 999 for you and put you through if they think it is necessary.
teledentistry survey
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41415-020-1919-6
NHS Dentistry and Covid19
https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/primary-care/dental-practice/
Emergency dental treatment
Worldwide
Read how one practice in the USA clsed down except for emergencies, got protective equipment, then reopened used disinfectant foggers, and other dentists reporting from around the world.
https://www.dentistry.co.uk/2020/08/25/covid-19-affected-dentistry-around-world/
About the Author Of This Post, Angela
Angela Lansbury, travel researcher/writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Author of Wedding Speeches & Posts, Etiquette for Every Occasion, Quick Quotations, Who Said What When?
You can contact Angela through Facebook, LinkedIn, and Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters on Facebook or Toastmasters Interntional.com find a club . Angela is a member of four Toastmasters Clubs and BHA IPP, Immediate Past President, and VP PR (Vice President Public Relations) for 20202-2021
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