COVID-19 June 2 2020

June 2, 2020 coburgde
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COVID-19

COVID-19 pandemic update

On May 27, 2020 the Nova Scotia Chief Medical Officer of Health announced dental offices will be allowed to re-open as of June 5, 2020. The Provincial Dental Board of Nova Scotia along with the Nova Scotia Dental Association have worked together to produce guidelines to minimize the risks to the public and practitioners during dental appointments. These guidelines were then approved May 31, 2020 by the Department of Labour and Advanced Education. The guidelines require several changes to dental clinics, their workflows, and the type of procedures performed. Some key points:

  • Elective dental services remain suspended. Emergent and urgent treatment may proceed. This recommendation will be continuously monitored and stands until further notice. It is expected elective care will be allowed to resume starting June 19, 2020.
  • Dental emergencies are potentially life-threatening conditions which require immediate treatment. These conditions include:
    • Odontogenic infection associated with intra-oral and/or extra-oral swelling that has not responded to antibiotics over the course of two to three days;
    • Pain that cannot be controlled with a course of antibiotics/analgesics;
    • Orofacial trauma; or
    • Prolonged post-operative bleeding.
  • Urgent dental care focuses on the management of conditions that require immediate attention to relieve severe pain and/or risk of infection and on alleviating burden on hospital emergency departments. These conditions must be treated in a manner that is as minimally invasive as possible.

We are hard at work adapting these guidelines to our clinic and expect to resume operations the week of June 8, 2020. Limited stocks of personal protective equipment and other material, along with delivery delays and logistical changes have created long wait times for ordering and has affected our potential opening. We will provide a status update later this week. In the meantime, if you believe you have emergent or urgent dental needs, please contact us.

We ask that all patients continue to stay up to date with current public health measures including frequent hand washing, avoiding public areas and gatherings as appropriate, and contacting 811 if symptoms develop. The Nova Scotia Health Authority has a frequently updated website with current recommendations and best practices during this time.

Thank you for your consideration and patience. We hope to be back fully servicing your needs soon.

Coburg Dentistry

COVID-19