Dental Health and Wellness Tips During COVID-19

I heard in a podcast the other day that when the economy is up and running again, people’s first priorities will be to get a haircut and get their teeth cleaned. That brought a smile to my face! After all, the Florida Dental Association has recommended that dental offices remain closed except for dental emergencies to help flatten the curve. This has been tough for our patients, especially those that come in every three months for regular cleanings. 

Tips to Maintain Dental Health and Wellness During the Pandemic

In the meantime, I’ve received a number of inquiries from patients and others about how to maintain dental health and wellness during the coronavirus pandemic now that social distancing has become our new normal.

In general, the same recommendations that dentists in Coral Gables suggest while not in a time of crisis apply during the days of the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Brush after each meal
• Floss daily
• Eat nutritional foods for healthy teeth and gums
• Avoid consuming sugary foods and drinks
• Minimize snacking

This last  dental health and wellness tip might be the hardest during this crisis, considering everyone is – or should be – home and possibly bored. It’s quite easy to eat an entire bag of potato chips or a bag of parmesan goldfish while sitting in front of the television binge watching Outlander, or whatever happens to be your choice of show this week. 

The good news is that you should have plenty of time to floss! Make it a family affair, or floss in front of your favorite TV show.

Emergency Dentist in Coral Gables

If patients do have a dental emergency or feel pain in a tooth or in their gums, many Coral Gables dentists will be willing to see them, including your team at South Gables Dental. One of the main reasons why the American Dental Association is encouraging dentists to care for emergency patients is to keep these same patients out of the hospital emergency departments. From a public health standpoint, we don’t want to overwhelm the hospitals, but rather allow them to focus on medical emergencies. 

And the good news is that we’re happy to see our current patients as well as new patients. In addition, we don’t charge emergency fees for appointments. The same rates for services apply.

Screenings for Dental Appointments

Patients need to be aware that they’ll be screened before their emergency dental appointments to preserve the safety of both staff and other patients. South Gables Dental screens patients for illness at the time of scheduling and upon arrival for the appointment. In addition, we will take the temperature of each patient and anyone who accompanies the patient upon arrival to the office. For more information on scheduling an appointment and screening measures, visit the Contact page on our website.

Re-Opening of Your Coral Gables Dentist

As of now we expect to re-open our Coral Gables dental practice for elective services including regular dental hygiene, teeth whitening, Invisalign appointments and elective or cosmetic procedures on Friday, May 8, 2020. As we all know, this date could change depending on how the pandemic progresses, so please follow South Gables Dental on Facebook or Instagram for practice updates. I expect we’ll return to a busy schedule when life returns to normal, and we look forward to seeing you when we re-open. Until then, stay safe!

I’m Dr. Lawrence Lesperance, a Coral Gables dentist who specializes in preventative dentistry, general dentistry services, and cosmetic dentistry services. My team and I provide personalized dental services for the whole family and offer Invisalign treatment, implant dentistry, periodontic services and botox treatments (for TMJ and migraines and cosmetic botox) and much more. Contact us to experience the South Gables Dental difference today!