Barbara called our most recent Heart Health Radio Show and asked about dental offices. Many are on either limited hours, or they only see emergency patients. From the show:
Dr. Frank Wefald: They’ve been open. Certain dentists have been heroic and have been open for emergency cases. But I can tell you there are so many aching tooths at my practice. Oh my gosh! You know, and Johnston County, it doesn’t have the greatest history of dental care so I have a lot of patients with bad teeth. And it’s been really hard for me to find somebody to help them so I’m giving a lot of antibiotics and a lot of analgesics and a lot of prayer that they can make it to a point where somebody opens. And a lot of them can’t drive to Raleigh.
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But I will say this, hats off and really, you know, high-fives to the dentists who have stayed open for emergency cases. And I tell you, with an N95 mask and a face shield and extra precautions including a gown and gloves I think it’s a doable thing. And there are, you know…. Have you ever had a toothache?
Dave Alexander: Yes.
Dr. Frank Wefald: And what’s it like?
Dave Alexander: It’s bad.
Dr. Frank Wefald: I’ve never had one so…
Dave Alexander: It’s continuous.
Dr. Frank Wefald: And I hope they open up dentistry very soon. Because remember when HIV was really, really rampant in terms of its spread and fear? Well, the dentists had to keep doing procedures.
Dave Alexander: Right.
Dr. Frank Wefald: And so, they have developed really great techniques to prevent the exchange of body fluids during dental procedures. And so, you know, I think it’s probably a wise idea at the beginning to cut back on routine procedures. I think that’s going to be relaxed pretty soon but there are dentists who are doing emergency procedures.
If you’re looking for a dentist, friend of the program Dr. Macon Singletary is a good guy with a practice in Northern Raleigh.
(919) 518-8222
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