How Dentists Have Been Managing to Stay Positive During the Stressful Times of the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the healthcare sector, including dental services. Dental professionals faced and still face various kinds of stress. For one, the economic challenges they were presented with were significant. According to a report published by the National Library of Medicine (2021), weekly visits to US dental offices declined drastically during the early phases of the pandemic. Studies attribute this decrease to the strict safety measures such as nationwide lockdowns that were held in place during the start of the pandemic. However, the result of this was the rise in cases of patients with cracked and damaged teeth as the pandemic progressed.

Causes Behind Worsening Oral Healthcare

One reason for the rise in cases has been the extreme stress that people have faced due to the pandemic. Stress can manifest as bruxism, a condition in which people unconsciously grind or clench their teeth together. This commonly happens during the night. While teeth are strong enough to handle the pressure from chewing, the force exerted on the teeth due to bruxism can cause serious damage–it can cause the teeth to chip, crack or loosen.

Many oral health issues, such as bruxism, have no cure, but there are effective treatments that can control the damage. The first step is to stay vigilant of symptoms. Timely treatment can prevent the worsening of the damage caused by conditions such as bruxism. For this reason, dental professionals were visited with greater frequency once restrictions were eased.

Increasingly more dentists reported a rise in bruxism cases as the pandemic wore on. Mental health dentists attributed this rise to the fact that stress levels globally were at an all-time high during the pandemic. As more people feared stepping outside their homes, seeking treatment for bad dental health was discouraged. Good dental health is good health overall, and delaying oral healthcare can cause various health problems.

Another way the pandemic has made oral health worse among people is the dramatic shift in eating habits during the pandemic. Studies found that this shift is characterized by an increased snacking frequency and a preference for sweets and ultra-processed food. The lack of regular dentist visits coupled with worsening eating and brushing habits lead to worse dental care.

Importance of Dentists

The importance of dental professionals, including dental temps, was one reason for them to stay positive during the stressful times of the pandemic. A report published by McGill University in 2021 found that good oral health reduces the risk of fatal outcomes from COVID-19. Additionally, there was a direct link found between periodontal (or gum) diseases and increased rates of complications, hospitalization, and even death among COVID-19 patients. Research further found that COVID-19 patients were 3.5 times more likely to need an ICU admission, 4.5 times more likely to end up needing a ventilator, and 8.8 times more likely to die when compared to COVID-19 patients without periodontal disease.

Belinda Nicolau, co-author of the report published by McGill University, and a professor at the Faculty of Dentistry at McGill University, stressed the importance of oral healthcare to prevent or manage COVID-19.

As a result of deteriorating oral health after the worst peaks of the pandemic, COVID-19 doctors are more crucial than ever to provide treatment. Bruxism, for example, can be helped with timely treatment using night mouthguards. Damage to the teeth can be reversed with proper care and treatment as well.

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