Are you taking your kids to routine dental cleanings now?

[Anonymous]

One of mine is three months overdue for routine cleaning, and my other one’s due right now. One has braces and NEEDS the professional clean. The other one *could* wait. The dentist can get them both in together this upcoming week. My kids have been home for three months, no contact with anyone else. They are both scared to go have someone working inside their mouths.
I’m conflicted because I want to keep on top of their dental hygiene, but because of the virus is it an unnecessary risk to take them? DH and I have different opinions.
What would you do?

[Anonymous]

I'd take them both, because I think you need to take the kid with braces and so you might as well take the other one too since it will be the same time, place, and people they encounter.

[Anonymous]

Yes, we just did a visit last week. Office was doing their best to keep people distancing. Wasn’t terrible

[Anonymous]

First I would find out what safeguards you dentist put in place to deal with COVID-19. If you believe they are adequate I would take the kids. I went for a routine cleaning the first week of May. I was comfortable with what my dentist had done. My kids are scheduled for a routine cleaning the first week of July. We are keeping the appointment.

[Anonymous]

VA resident here. Me, my wife and our two daughters have all gone to the dentist in the past week. It was fine and the office personnel did a good job with cleaning. On the other hand, we’re one of those families that thinks we should be further along in opening things up, and may be an outlier among the hand-wringing DCUM crowd.

[Anonymous]

We are in Reston and have been completely isolated for 3 months. No contact outside our immediate family. It’s not the cleanliness I’m worried about. It’s my kids anxiety about someone working in their mouth, they think the tools could be infected, etc.
-OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are in Reston and have been completely isolated for 3 months. No contact outside our immediate family. It’s not the cleanliness I’m worried about. It’s my kids anxiety about someone working in their mouth, they think the tools could be infected, etc.
-OP

PP here. Wonder where they get that anxiety from. Hmmmm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are in Reston and have been completely isolated for 3 months. No contact outside our immediate family. It’s not the cleanliness I’m worried about. It’s my kids anxiety about someone working in their mouth, they think the tools could be infected, etc.
-OP

PP here. Wonder where they get that anxiety from. Hmmmm.

I’m sorry I wrote that wrong. It’s my KIDS’ anxiety - not mine. I think they should go. But I don’t want to stress them out if it’s not a critical appointment.
-OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are in Reston and have been completely isolated for 3 months. No contact outside our immediate family. It’s not the cleanliness I’m worried about. It’s my kids anxiety about someone working in their mouth, they think the tools could be infected, etc.
-OP

You are creating anxiety in your kids. Dentists tools are always sterilize COVID aside. The dentist also has the anxiety of your kids coming in and being carriers so his/her office will be cleaned appropriately before and after each patient. Take the kids to the dentist and think about how your anxiety is rubbing off on them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are in Reston and have been completely isolated for 3 months. No contact outside our immediate family. It’s not the cleanliness I’m worried about. It’s my kids anxiety about someone working in their mouth, they think the tools could be infected, etc.
-OP

PP here. Wonder where they get that anxiety from. Hmmmm.

I’m sorry I wrote that wrong. It’s my KIDS’ anxiety - not mine. I think they should go. But I don’t want to stress them out if it’s not a critical appointment.
-OP

Cleaning is critical especially with braces. It's time to ease them back out. Uou appear to be very anxious.

[Anonymous]

Yes. More than two weeks ago and we are fine. I wore a mask but the kid didn’t.

What are you going to do, skip dental care for over a year? Before all this, you would have thought that was a terrible idea. And you would have been right.

[Anonymous]

there’s nothing overly anxious about being concerned about the dentist! dental procedures spew a LOT of aerosolized stuff in the air, and you can’t wear a mask, obviously. For that reason, in an area where infections are still high (like DMV) I would continue to put off “routine” cleanings for a while and only go if it’s urgent. I think that includes a child with braces, but other kids and adults can wait.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. More than two weeks ago and we are fine. I wore a mask but the kid didn’t.

What are you going to do, skip dental care for over a year? Before all this, you would have thought that was a terrible idea. And you would have been right.

actually it’s not a huge deal to skip a year assuming you brush well and have no big issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are in Reston and have been completely isolated for 3 months. No contact outside our immediate family. It’s not the cleanliness I’m worried about. It’s my kids anxiety about someone working in their mouth, they think the tools could be infected, etc.
-OP

You are creating anxiety in your kids. Dentists tools are always sterilize COVID aside. The dentist also has the anxiety of your kids coming in and being carriers so his/her office will be cleaned appropriately before and after each patient. Take the kids to the dentist and think about how your anxiety is rubbing off on them.

it’s not the tools - it’s all the aerosols from the procedures.

[Anonymous]

Yes. All the staff are wearing full PPE, including face shields. They charge our insurance for this. I’m interested to see if the insurances pays or I will have to.