The recent escalation of Coronavirus has caused frenzy in many domains of our lives. With major cities being locked down and self-quarantine measures taken up in many regions of the world, most of the other walks of life has also halted. With all this in backdrop, dental fraternity tends to be affected the most.
Dentists in Pakistan have voluntarily decided to shut their clinics down and many of them are just doing emergency cases. This obviously slows down the pace of life and work. The great amount of time present on hand can be used in many things like engaging in fun activities. But the same time can be used to make your dental setup more productive.
Here are some ways to help dental professionals in this regard:
- Interact with patients
It is important for people to know to the situation regarding coronavirus. The mis-guided information has created lots of doubts in people’s minds. It is better that dental professionals should remove the doubts. As it is pertinent that correct facts can only be provided by reliable sources. Hence dental professionals should make efforts to spread information among masses about dental hygiene and coronavirus.
This can also be done via making videos, where live Question and Answer session can be done. Patients can interact with the dentists and can ask queries going through in their minds.
Another interesting way is to send email campaigns to your patients and send updated news regarding coronavirus situation in locality. Dentists should focus more on prevention, as this is more effective way to fight against Coronavirus.
- Update online presence
Many dentists have made their profiles on social media platforms. During this free time, dental professionals can update their statuses and keep up with latest trends of social media.
This can become an amazing opportunity for your dental setup to get more recognition and also an exciting way to get more people know about your great work. You can update your clinical cases and engage audiences effectively.
- Catch up with the new trends
Trends in modern dentistry is really hard to catch up. Each day comes with a new advancement. The long working hours definitely deplete one’s ability to keep track of all these new changes. Hence it is recommended to utilize this leisure time to increase the knowledge about different researches going on.
Thinking of investing in new dental material? You can now survey new options and compare in better way. There are also options of ‘webinar’ and online courses that are interesting and elaborative to help you.
- Optimize Patient Communication
The abundance of knowledge that you have gained will definitely make you release of your short comings as a dentist. It is better to use this time to reflect back on your clinical skills and also on the ways your dental setup operates. You can use this time to create new fresh changes in your practice. The best way to start is by getting feedback from your patients and ask them to review about your dental setup. Their comments will enable you to highlight the weaknesses and with your new knowledge, you can find solutions for them too.
- Provide Tele-Dentistry/ Online Consultations
The lockdown situation in many regions are restrictive. This can cause lots of inconvenience for people who might have tooth pain or are going through some sort of dental problem. On a voluntarily basis, you can help these patients by initiating tele-dentistry. You can ask people about their dental problems and give professional guidance accordingly.
Incase instruction cannot be delivered via call, then you can use video calling to re-enact certain instructions. The motive behind is to let people understand their situations and guide them before they use other potential harmful options.
by Mahnoor Hanif
Dr Muattar Hanif
The author is Editor at Dental News Pakistan and can be reached at newsdesk@medicalnewsgroup.com.pk
