Special Precautions for Orthodontic Patients during new Coronavirus Epidemic
At the beginning of the new year, the situation of
China's new type of coronavirus epidemic prevention and control is severe, and
many provinces and cities across the country have initiated first-level
responses to major public health emergencies. So, in this special period, what
are the points of special attention for orthodontic patients? In this column,
let's talk about the matters needing special attention for orthodontic patients
during the epidemic of the new coronavirus.
Reduce outings and postpone return visits
First of all, we strongly urge everyone to respond to the
national call to minimize unnecessary outings before the crisis of the new
coronavirus epidemic is resolved, maintain indoor air circulation, and avoid
population gatherings and New Year holidays.
When you have to go out, you must
take personal protection, bring a mask, gloves and goggles to avoid staying in
densely populated public places.
Cover your mouth and nose with tissues or
elbows when sneezing or coughing, and properly dispose of used tissues, masks,
wash your hands, and disinfect. Do not touch your face with dirty hands.
In general, patients receiving orthodontic treatment need
regular follow-up visits every 4-6 weeks to monitor tooth movements and
necessary adjustments. Orthodontic treatment that does not require regular
review is a hooligan.
Due to the particularity of oral treatment, high-speed
turbine mobile phones used in dental hospitals and clinics will produce a large
amount of water mist, droplets and aerosols when working. During this special
epidemic period, dental hospitals and clinics have become high-risk places.
If
patients in the incubation period receive oral treatment without knowing it, it
will easily cause the epidemic to spread rapidly. Here, we would like to tell
the majority of orthodontic patients that orthodontic treatment is not an
emergency, and occasionally delaying the return visit will not have a
significant and irreversible impact on the treatment.
During this special
period, orthodontic patients should maintain close contact with the attending
physician and pay attention to the doctor's outpatient visit schedule.
If there
is no special situation requiring urgent treatment, the follow-up consultation
can be postponed as appropriate. The doctor will inform the precautions during
the post-referral period according to the specific circumstances.
If you have
to return to the hospital due to special circumstances, you should do a good
job of personal protection and actively inform the doctor about the travel
history, contact history, and whether there are symptoms of cough, fever, chest
tightness, and dyspnea.
Don't panic if you have suspected symptoms. You should
take the initiative to go to a designated medical institution for a fever
clinic to protect yourself, as well as protect medical staff and other
patients.
Balanced nutrition, do not bite hard objects
Adolescents and children are at the peak of their growth and
development. During this special epidemic period, they should pay more attention
to nutritional supplements, balanced diets, and improve their body resistance,
laying a solid foundation for defeating the virus.
When eating boned meat such as pork ribs, chicken wings,
chicken legs, etc., you should not use the incisors directly to
"kick", but you should eat the meat directly after deboning.
Eat hard
candy, you should not bite directly, but should slowly contain.
When eating
apple, pear, jujube and other nucleated fruits, they should be cut into small
pieces after pitting and eat with bite. When eating, you should chew slowly and
avoid swallowing.
If you feel a hard object against the bracket ("tooth
nail", "nail nail", "steel tooth"), you should stop
immediately to avoid getting into the hard object, which may cause the bracket
is accidentally dropped.
In addition, you should chew evenly the left and right
posterior teeth when eating.
If you chew one side of the tooth for a long time,
it may cause the wire in the bracket to slip to one side, irritating the oral
mucosa, and in extreme cases, facial deflection may occur. And other serious
consequences. As long as you have mastered these "tips" on eating,
you can also be a happy "eating" during the epidemic of the new
coronavirus! Of course, I hope everyone cherishes life and rejects wild
animals.
Pay attention to hygiene and brush your teeth carefully
New coronaviruses can be transmitted not only by droplets but
also by contact. If you touch an item that is contaminated with a virus, you
have a wound on your hand, or you have contact with your eyes, ears, or
nose, you may cause an infection.
Therefore, orthodontic patients must pay
special attention to hand hygiene during this special period.
Before wearing or
removing appliances such as orthotics, hanging elastic rubber bands, or
applying orthodontic protective wax, be sure to wash hands carefully with
disinfectant hand sanitizer.
It should be less than 15 seconds, which is the
time to sing "Happy Birthday Song" at least continuously. Mobile
appliances, invisible braces, etc. must be rinsed daily with water, and
disinfected regularly with clean effervescent tablets.
The epidemic of the new coronavirus coincides with the Spring
Festival. Everyone responded to the call to stay at home. Naturally, "eat,
eat, eat" is unavoidable. Please keep in mind that whether orthodontic
patients are eating or snacking, they should brush their teeth in time after
eating.
When brushing, you should use a toothbrush to circle around each
bracket or each correction accessory to ensure that each bracket and each side
of the accessory can be thoroughly cleaned. Each brushing time is not less than
three minutes. In addition, you can use interdental brushes, dental floss,
electric toothbrushes and mouthwashes to better maintain oral hygiene. Try to
avoid having to go to the hospital because of food residues and plaque
accumulation that cause acute gingivitis and pulpitis.
Handling of emergencies
Pain
After the orthodontic treatment is revisited, the teeth will
have a certain degree of pain, which is normal. Each child has different levels
of sensitivity to pain, and each child has different personality habits, so
different children may have completely different descriptions of the same pain.
A brave and strong baby may say "no pain at all", while a usually
weak baby may tearfully tell you "it has never been so painful".
Under normal circumstances, no painkillers or special
treatments are needed, and there will be obvious relief within 3-7 days. When a
child feels a toothache, they are often unwilling to bite hard foods, and their
appetite may decrease. Parents can let their children eat soft foods such as
noodles, tofu, porridge, and yogurt.
After all, children are at the peak of
growth and development, especially in this special period, because the impact
of orthodontic health on the body is not worth the loss.
Under normal
circumstances, the pain in the orthodontic process is within the range that the
child can tolerate, and the parents do not need to worry too much. If
unbearable pain does occur, contact your doctor in time for necessary
treatment.
Steel wire mouth, mucosal ulcer
In the process of orthodontic treatment, some patients will
have wire mouth, mouth ulcers and so on. This is because under the action of
the orthodontic force of the wire, the teeth slowly move along the wire, and
the wire may slip out of the final bracket and poke into the oral mucosa. Some
patients use excessive force or incorrect methods when brushing their teeth.
Will cause the small wire around the bracket to shift, lift or even fall off;
some patients like to chew food with unilateral posterior teeth, which may also
cause the wire in the bracket to slip. All of the above conditions may cause
the mouth of the steel wire to ulcer and the oral mucosa.
How can we avoid these situations as much as possible? First
of all, try to avoid eating too hard food to avoid distortion of the appliance,
and pay attention to the use of bilateral posterior teeth to chew to minimize
the abnormal sliding of the wire.
In addition, you should pay attention to the
methods when brushing your teeth to avoid the small wire on the bracket from
shifting.
If this is the case, you may need to use orthodontic mucosal
protective wax to apply the wire to the mouth to make the mouth smooth. If the
spouting situation still cannot be alleviated, you can temporarily cover the
chewing gum with the chewing wire and contact the doctor to see if it needs to
be treated.
Keep in mind that you must not use "violence" to forcibly
tear down the wire because of pain. This may not only affect the treatment
effect, but also cause accidental damage to the oral and maxillofacial tissue.
Bracket Loosening
If the bracket accidentally comes loose, the bracket should
be removed immediately to prevent accidental swallowing, and the dropped
bracket should be stored and handed over to the doctor for re-adhesion at the
next consultation.
If the bracket is still connected to the wire and cannot be
removed, you can cover it with a mucosal protective wax or gum to prevent
damage to the oral mucosa, and contact your doctor to arrange a rebond bracket.
Finally, we pay tribute to the workers who are struggling in
the anti-virus field in all walks of life, and look forward to your triumph! I
hope that everyone can always maintain a healthy body and a happy mood during
the special period of the new coronavirus epidemic. As a Sichuanese, Dr. Yin
will never forget the selfless help the people gave us during the 2008 Wenchuan
earthquake. A difficult one, P Plus support.
It is hopeful that everyone will compare
their hearts and treat the "wandering" Wuhan people and Hubei people
who are "hard to return home" in various places.
Do not discriminate
or even demonize them. As one netizen said, we can't "cry Wuhan on the
Internet to cheer, but in reality we shouted to Wuhan people." I hope
everyone will be united and overcome difficulties!
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