Edition Thionville – Hayange | Health crisis plagues dentists’ daily lives

In mid-March, the National Order of Dentists ordered us to close our offices, “said the dental surgeon from Thionville, who prefers to remain anonymous.

“We were then asked to entrust our protection kits, gloves, masks and gowns to the nursing staff who badly needed them. We gave up everything we could, “she said, speaking on behalf of her colleagues. “On May 11, we were asked to reopen. But how, without equipment? What if we can’t afford to protect ourselves and our patients? We were left with nothing. “

The profession finally integrates the caregiver distribution network. Twenty-four FFP2 masks per week are allocated to her and her assistant, as well as “trash bags with sleeves as overcoats. “A clearly insufficient endowment according to her.

“Fortunately, the pharmacy to which I am attached manages to supply me with masks, but not all my colleagues are so lucky. As for the overblouses, out of stock, she asked seamstresses to make them for her. “It’s a lot of resourcefulness,” she agrees.

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Strict protocol

In terms of care, the Regional Health Agency has imposed on dental surgeons the implementation of a strict protocol, in addition to respecting barrier gestures, social distancing in the waiting room or even wearing a mask once walked through the cabinet door. “When we perform a treatment such as caries treatment, it causes aerosolization at the level of the turbine or the contra angle. Or a spray of fine droplets which diffuses into the ambient air. After such an act, we are therefore asked to ventilate the treatment room for fifteen minutes. If you look closely, you will see that the majority of dentists in Thionville are now working with the windows open… ”For this reason, dentists are also advised not to practice scaling at this time.

Obviously, all these constraints have repercussions on the organization of the cabinet. “Some patients don’t understand that you can’t always schedule an appointment for 15 days. A fortiori if the pain is there. We do our best, however, depending on the availability of our notebooks. “

Working conditions that she considers “heavy, exhausting and stressful. I feel like I no longer have social relationships with my patients. We are focused on asepsis and hygiene. This does not prevent us from doing our work conscientiously and professionally, but it is heavy, “admits the practitioner. Who says he did not understand “why dental surgeons and their assistants, like caregivers, were not included in the priority categories to make, for example, school their children …”

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