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Dentists suspend all non-emergency procedures

Three clinics in Westlock are closed, unless there’s an emergency
leigh smile centre
The Alberta Dental Association and College (ADAC) announced a mandatory suspension March 18 for every clinic in the province, including Leigh Smile Centre (pictured), Westlock Dental Centre and Westlock Central Family Dental.

WESTLOCK - Westlock’s three dental clinics, including all across Alberta, have closed their doors, with the exception of emergencies, in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19 and protect staff from possible exposure.

The Alberta Dental Association and College (ADAC) announced the mandatory suspension March 18 for every clinic in the province, including Leigh Smile Centre, Westlock Dental Centre and Westlock Central Family Dental.

“The health authorities right now are really looking to limit individual-to-individual contact. ... With social distancing, almost all healthcare providers and any business has to look in the mirror and say ‘what’s the benefit to someone being here and what can wait?’” said Dr. Mintoo Basahti, a dentist at the Westlock Dental Centre and vice-president of the ADAC.

“With dentistry, certain things can probably wait.”

The decision was made in order to prioritize the health and safety of staff, as well as patients, said Dr. Basahti.

“In the oral environment, (coronavirus) being primarily a respiratory virus, the buildup of viral load inside the saliva and in the nasal passages and in the lower respiratory tract is huge. Dentists are working so closely with the patient that it’s not so much that the patient should be concerned about getting anything from the dentist. It’s actually the dentist’s and the team’s safety with something from a patient coming back to them.”

The Westlock Dental Centre, like all other offices across the province, is still open for emergency procedures, but restrictions and patient screening are in place for those cases as well.

“We don’t want the emergency departments in hospitals flooded with dental emergencies because they should be responding to COVID. We’re best suited to the dental emergencies. We want to make sure we can still do that in the safest way for our staff and for the patients,” said Dr. Basahti regarding the ADAC’s decision to remain open for emergency procedures.

The dental restrictions were put in place after Alberta Health Service made the decision to postpone all elective surgeries across the province.

The policy currently in place at the centre is for patients to phone the clinic if they can’t alleviate pain or symptoms of a dental problem with antibiotics.

In that initial phone call, the dental team can do an initial screening for COVID-19 symptoms, the nature of the emergency, and assess how the procedure is going to proceed.

“We would have it so a patient would probably come in one at a time, we’re not having patient-to-patient contact. … When the work is done, doing just enough to get you out of that emergency, maybe more work will be done further down the road when the health crisis passes.”

In a statement via Facebook, Leigh Smile Centre staff told patients they hope to be open to all procedures April 1. In the meantime, they are following the same emergency procedures as Dr. Basahti’s practice.

Dr. Basahti has been in self-isolation, working from home, since March 8. He took the precautions, despite not presenting symptoms, after he attended a conference in Vancouver and then travelling to Hawaii.

“I was never at the conference, I was in meetings. … The exposure was near the trades show. The B.C. chief medical officer has identified it there. I was never near that region but because I was at the conference, I want to follow the protocols,” said Dr. Basahti over the phone from his home.

His self-isolation ends March 22.

No other doctor at the centre where Dr. Basahti works was present at the Vancouver conference or is displaying symptoms associated with COVID-19.

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