In this Wednesday, May 13, 2020 photo, dentist Sabrine Jendoubi, left, and her dental assistant Margot Daussat inspect patient Veronique Guillot’s teeth, during a dental appointment, at a dental office in Paris. Those with toothaches who suffered during France’s two-month lockdown finally have hope of ending the pain. Dental practices are cautiously reopening and non-emergency dentist appointments are now allowed across the country, as the French government eased lockdown restrictions from Monday. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Anyone who has suffered during France’s two-month lockdown with a toothache or other non-emergency oral condition is hopeful that they will get through the pain.
Dental offices across the country are cautiously reopening and accepting appointments after the French government relaxed restrictions on some businesses, services and public activities.
Returning to work in the coronavirus era, however, requires caution, especially for the more than 40,000 dentists in France who are among the health professionals most at risk of becoming infected.
Because respiratory droplets are one way the virus spreads between people, dentistry demands to protect patients and especially professionals. That means not just disinfecting tools and surfaces, but layer after layer of additional screens, wraps, gloves and masks.
The World Health Organization has recommended specialized face masks for healthcare providers performing medical procedures such as ventilation and intubation that produce fine airborne particles, which could spread the coronavirus. Drilling teeth for fillings is also known to generate aerosolized viral particles.
Paris dentist Sabrine Jendoubi said the trade-off for safety is the discomfort of the additional use of the head and body.
On this Wednesday in May In this Jan. 13, 2020 photo, director Carine Benharrous of a dental office speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Paris. Those with toothaches who suffered during France’s two-month lockdown finally have hope of ending the pain. Dental practices are cautiously reopening and non-emergency dentist appointments are now allowed across the country, as the French government eased lockdown restrictions from Monday. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
“A surgical suit is something we wear in the operating room. Today, we use it for everything.” Jendoubi said. Of the various filtering face masks certified to protect against airborne viruses, he considers the FFP2-rated model to be “the most complicated, as it is very tight-fitting.”
“It filters out all the viruses and bacteria, so it’s quite heavy to use, but it protects us and the patients,” Jendoubi said.
The extra precautions are also an added expense. An operator of medical offices and clinics in France, Doctocare, told the AP that it is costing 50,000 euros ($54,000) to supply each of the company’s centers with the hygiene and protective equipment recommended by the French government.
“We will communicate these difficult adjustments to the government in terms of profitability, but for now we are focused on this public health problem,” said Carine Benharrous, Doctocare’s director of dental operations.
In this Wednesday, May 13, 2020 photo, dental assistant Margot Daussat checks the temperature of an unidentified masked patient before a dental appointment at a dental office in Paris. Those with toothaches who suffered during France’s two-month lockdown finally have hope of ending the pain. Dental practices are cautiously reopening and non-emergency dentist appointments are now allowed across the country, as the French government eased lockdown restrictions from Monday. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
The limited distance between the faces of dentists and their patients is also a potential concern, as some experts have theorized that people who receive a higher infectious dose of the coronavirus may become more seriously ill with COVID-19.
In Britain, all routine dental care except telephone consultations and prescriptions has been suspended.
As dentists in Denmark return to their offices, they wear protective suits and plastic face shields as they treat patients lying with their mouths open. Teeth cleaning to remove plaque is done by hand rather than with ultrasonic devices that would increase the risk of saliva production.
However, in some European countries, dental practices never closed due to the virus. Dentists in Italy, one of the nations hardest hit by virus-related infections and deaths, scaled back to see only urgent cases in person and see other patients by phone.
- In this Wednesday, May 13, 2020 photo, dentist Sabrine Jendoubi speaks with patient Veronique Guillot during a dental appointment at a dental office in Paris. Those with toothaches who suffered during France’s two-month lockdown finally have hope of ending the pain. Dental practices are cautiously reopening and non-emergency dentist appointments are now allowed across the country, as the French government eased lockdown restrictions from Monday. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
- In this photo taken Wednesday, May 13, 2020, dentist Sabrine Jendoubi, left, and her assistant Margot Daussat prepare for a dental appointment at a dental office in Paris. Those with toothaches who suffered during France’s two-month lockdown finally have hope of ending the pain. Dental practices are cautiously reopening and non-emergency dentist appointments are now allowed across the country, as the French government eased lockdown restrictions from Monday. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
- In this Wednesday, May 13, 2020 photo, dentist Sabrine Jendoubi, left, and her assistant Margot Daussat listen to a patient during a dental appointment, at a dental office in Paris. Those with toothaches who suffered during France’s two-month lockdown finally have hope of ending the pain. Dental practices are cautiously reopening and non-emergency dentist appointments are now allowed across the country, as the French government eased lockdown restrictions from Monday. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
- In this Wednesday, May 13, 2020 photo, dentist Sabrine Jendoubi speaks with patient Veronique Guillot, during a dental appointment, at a dental office in Paris. Those with toothaches who suffered during France’s two-month lockdown finally have hope of ending the pain. Dental practices are cautiously reopening and non-emergency dentist appointments are now allowed across the country, as the French government eased lockdown restrictions from Monday. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
- In this Wednesday, May 13, 2020 photo, dental assistant Margot Daussat, left, holds a box of gloves as dentist Sabrine Jendoubi, right, prepares for a dental appointment with patient Veronique Guillot in an office dental in Paris. Those with toothaches who suffered during France’s two-month lockdown finally have hope of ending the pain. Dental practices are cautiously reopening and non-emergency dentist appointments are now allowed across the country, as the French government eased lockdown restrictions from Monday. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
- In this Wednesday, May 13, 2020 photo, dentist Sabrine Jendoubi, left, and her dental assistant Margot Daussat inspect the teeth of patient Veronique Guillot, during a dental appointment at a dental office in Paris. Those with toothaches who suffered during France’s two-month lockdown finally have hope of ending the pain. Dental practices are cautiously reopening and non-emergency dentist appointments are now allowed across the country, as the French government eased lockdown restrictions from Monday. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
- In this Wednesday, May 13, 2020 photo, dentist Sabrine Jendoubi, left, inspects the teeth of patient Veronique Guillot, during a dental appointment at a dental office in Paris. Those with toothaches who suffered during France’s two-month lockdown finally have hope of ending the pain. Dental practices are cautiously reopening and non-emergency dentist appointments are now allowed across the country, as the French government eased lockdown restrictions from Monday. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
- In this photo taken Wednesday, May 13, 2020, dentist Sabrine Jendoubi removes a mask from a package as she prepares for a dental appointment at a dental office in Paris. Those with toothaches who suffered during France’s two-month lockdown finally have hope of ending the pain. Dental practices are cautiously reopening and non-emergency dentist appointments are now allowed across the country, as the French government eased lockdown restrictions from Monday. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
- In this Wednesday, May 13, 2020 photo, dentist Sabrine Jendoubi, left, speaks with an unidentified patient as she arrives at a dental office. in Paris. Those with toothaches who suffered during France’s two-month lockdown finally have hope of ending the pain. Dental practices are cautiously reopening and non-emergency dentist appointments are now allowed across the country, as the French government eased lockdown restrictions from Monday. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Proof that a pandemic wasn’t an excuse to avoid an Italian dentist’s chair was an April 23 photo on Twitter of US Ambassador to the Holy See Callista Gingrich wearing a protective hairnet and curtain. paper.
“A trip to the dentist in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Gingrich tweeted with an emoji of an Italian flag and a smiley face wearing sunglasses.
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