It becomes inherently important then, that you should be prepared and your children are informed and made to understand the following changes prior to your emergency dental visit:

1. The dentist and staff may be wearing oversized gowns (PPE’s), masks, head caps, face shields etc. which may look scary at first, however they are still your friendly dentist beneath all those layers. Assure your child that all this is needed for their protection and they should not be alarmed.
2. Prepare to come in 10-15 minutes before your appointment. There will be a screening process before you and your child are able to enter the clinic area. Health declaration, temperature checks, contact tracing registration, hand sanitizing with alcohol based sanitizers, barrier outerwear may also be required in some establishments. Face mask wear is mandatory.
3. The waiting room may not be the same comforting zone with magazines, video games, toys or a play area that you and your child are used to. Physical barriers such as glass or plastic windows may be installed.
4. Older children who can should come into the clinic alone. Younger children or patients with special needs may be accompanied by just one other person. All other accompanying person should wait in their car or outside the clinic to help reduce the number of people in clinic.
5. In the treatment area, only one patient will be seen at one time, with a maximum of one accompanying person (and only if absolutely necessary).
6. Crowd management and social distancing of at least 1m apart will be practised extensively in the clinic.
7. In the treatment room, before the dentist starts any physical examination, a one-minute medicated mouth rinse will be required to help reduce the microbes in the mouth. This will reduce the exposure to dentist and health care workers. 
8. Dentists and nurses will be in full PPE attire, including wearing of N95 masks, goggles and face shield.
9. For aerosol generating dental procedures, very loud high volume suction machines may be fitted in the treatment rooms to reduce aerosol generation. 
10. Make sure you or your child has brushed their teeth, is well rested and well fed before coming in.
11. It is mandatory for clinicians to practice safe time intervals between patients in Singapore: 15 mins (Non aerosol generating procedures), 45 mins (aerosol generating procedures). This would allow proper disinfection and prevent potential cross infection between patients. These processes cannot be rushed. To minimise any disruption and delay in your treatment, ensure you arrive 10-15 minutes to complete your health declaration and screening before your appointment time. 
    

Want to avoid an unnecessary trip to the dentist? Start by looking after your child’s teeth at home!  

Working from home and online or home-based learning has increased the time both parents and children spend at home.

If you too are baking muffins and cakes to pass time and manage social isolation blues, chances are there is a shift in your diet towards more sugar rich and processed food along with snacking in between meals. Sleeping late, irregular meal times and a general lack of routine may result in less time and care for oral hygiene. But with dental clinics open only for emergencies, there is a greater need to avoid one.

This can be achieved by taking extra care of your and your child’s teeth at home. Make sure you and your family are:

1. Eating healthy and well
2. Control sugar and carbohydrate intakes and reduce snacking between main meals.
3. Flossing and Brushing with fluoride toothpaste at least twice daily, most important brush is at night before sleep
4. Rinsing after meals, especially after intake of sugar rich food and drinks.
   

What if I or one of our close family members is unwell? Can my child or I still attend the Emergency Dental Appointment?