COVID-19 FAQ’s

Dental Sense remains open 7 days a week throughout the COVID-19 outbreak to help provide dental treatment to the residents of Midland and surrounding areas.

Find some frequently asked questions below specific to COVID-19:

Update: Saturday, 9th May 2020

As at Saturday, 9th May 2020 dental clinics will be returning to level 1 restrictions. The change has been approved by the National Cabinet on the recommendation of the AHPPC.

So what does this mean for patients? This means that we can return to providing all regular dental treatments, beyond purely emergency treatment. So if you were waiting on getting a filling done, needing a check-up and clean or a crown to be done, then we can assist!

So for those who have been waiting to have a surgical extraction, or any treatment we couldn’t previously provide, then you are welcome to give us a call and book in.

We will continue to be open 7 days a week, including some late night appointments.

Can I still see a dentist during the COVID-19 outbreak if I have a toothache?

Yes, we are now able to see patients for all dental treatments. We do need to continue to screen patients for COVID-19 by asking a few simple questions. If anyone is deemed high risk, then we can offer some telephone or video consults.

We will continue to offer some same day appointments for emergency treatments, which include:

• Toothaches
• Dental trauma
• Wisdom tooth pain
• Dental infections (abscesses) usually indicated by facial swelling
• Loose or broken teeth

What about general dental treatment?

Now that we have moved back to level 1 we can start to see patients for all general dental treatments. These include:

• Examinations (Check-ups and consultations)
• Fillings and crowns
• Simple and complex extractions
• Scale and Clean
• Medical management of soft tissue presentations (such as
  ulcers)
• Jaw pain, such as management of clenching and grinding
• Dentures and repairs
• Preventative procedures
• Orthodontic treatment

Each case will still be assessed on its own merits, and clinical judgement will be used. We will always put the safety of our patients and staff first, so some procedures may still be delayed if deemed necessary.

What is Dental Sense doing to protect patients?

We have taken a number of steps to help protect our staff and patients during this outbreak, some of which include:

• Adequate supplies of PPE, such as masks and gloves
• Reducing the number of patients in our waiting room. This is done by staggering appointments so we only have one patient in the waiting room at a time
• We are requesting people either attend their appointment alone, or with just one support person where needed
• We clean down our waiting room between patients with Viraclean, which is an Australian made, hospital grade, surface disinfectant. It is in fact the only disinfectant that has been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration as able to kill COVID-19.
• We do a phone triage prior to each appointment to make sure that the patient has a toothache, and meets the criteria for an appointment
• Our staff also screen patients over the phone to determine their risk factor for having COVID-19. We hope this will reduce the chances of someone presenting with cold or flu symptoms
• We request that patients rinse their mouth with a hydrogen peroxide mouth rinse prior to us starting any dental treatment. This should help to reduce the risk of patients passing on COVID-19
• There are clear signs at the front door to alert people who have either travelled overseas, had cold or flu symptoms or come in to contact with anyone that has had COVID-19 not to enter the building, and to call us for instructions
• We also have hand sanitiser for patients as they walk in the clinic

Are there procedures that cannot be done?

As we are now back to level 1 we are able to offer the full range of dental procedures. We are still required to screen patients to make sure that don’t have a high risk of having COVID-19.

If you have travelled overseas or interstate in the past 2 weeks or have any cold or flu symptoms then we will need to postpone your appointment.

Where can I find more information?

You can give our staff a call on 9250 8844. Alternatively you can also click here to find more information from the AHPPC