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So, as you’re probably aware, we’ve had to close our doors for the time being due to this nasty Corona Virus that’s doing the rounds.
It’s unfortunately not safe for us to carry out any treatment, and I just wanted to explain why. We’re not trying to be awkward, I promise. Just with the Government guidelines telling us to social distance, and the nature of our work, there’s just no way to do anything safely.
What is an aerosol?
You might have read our announcement about closing, and that we can’t carry out any aerosol generating procedures. This is because all of our handpieces generate aerosol, as it’s how they were designed. They work under a turbine system and pressure. We have a compressor in the garage that supplies air to our dental chairs.
The handpieces have a supply of air and water. The air makes the bur spin, and the water keeps the bur cool enough to work on the tooth. And together, they make an aerosol.
It’s the same kind of thing you get when you spray a spray can. The can is pressurised, and when you push down, an aerosol is created that you spray onto whatever surface you are spraying.
The main issue with this is where we are doing it… in your mouth. Your mouth is full of saliva, and tooth, and plaque and bacteria and probably some of your lunch. If we hit any part of your mouth with that aerosol, it’s going to scoop up anything in it’s path and propel it into the air. This is where the problem lies.
Coronavirus is airborne (and its on your hands, surfaces etc. It can be everywhere!), so if you have it, and we spray it into the air, there is then a risk that we will breathe it in. And that’s how the virus spreads. If it remains airborne for 5 minutes, an hour, 2 hours, then everyone who then walks into the room will also be infected. So you can imagine how many people we are then potentially infecting.
I hope this helps you understand why we have had to make the difficult decision to close. We obvioulsy want to be open, we want to be able to do our jobs, but we just can’t at the moment.
As soon as we know we are safe to continue, we will reopen with a party fit for a king! And probably a queue of patients out the door waiting for their fillings.
Stay safe everyone.
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