MANAGEMENT OF DENTAL EMERGENCY DURING PANDEMIC

Mary Grace R. Gonzales, DDM

COVID 19 has become a worldwide health crisis. It has changed all aspects of our lives and even more apparent in our dental practice. As Dental professionals, we are at a high risk for being infected, as well as transmitting the virus through aerosol generating procedures done in our clinics. So as precautionary measure, practices were forced to limit treatments according to urgency.

W hat constitutes a Dental emergency? Dental emergencies are potentially life threatening and require immediate attention to alleviate extreme pain, excessive soft tissue bleeding or risk of infection to avoid risk of hospital emergency care.

DENTAL EMERGENCIES include:

-Swelling of gums, cheek or face which is spreading down to the neck or eye or along the floor of the mouth

-Excruciating pain which is causing lack of sleep or concentration

-Extra oral swelling that can potentially block the airways

-Mouth ulcers that haven’t healed for 2 weeks

-Recent tooth extraction with continuous bleeding and can’t be stopped by biting on gauze pads

-Fractured tooth causing pain to cheeks and gums

-Facial trauma compromising patient’s airways

-Facial swelling affecting your vision and breathing, ability to swallow or opening the mouth more than 2 inches wide

-Finishing previously started crown or bridge procedures is lost, broken or causing significant gum irritation

-Tooth decay or fractured fillings causing pain

-Pericoronitis / Third molar (wisdom tooth) pain

-Denture adjustment for people receiving radiation or other treatments for cancer -Snipping or adjusting wire braces that hurts the cheeks or gums

-Biopsy of abnormal tissues

It is recommended that dental treatments should be performed in negative pressure rooms or airborne infection isolation rooms.

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