My Mother is suffering from severe pain in the left upper portion of the mouth. She says that when that part touches the tongue, she finds some sharp edges of the tooth and also feels pain while brushing. For this reason, she avoided hard foods and now eats only soup because she couldn't open her mouth and bite harder foods. I'm afraid if this will cause any health issues. Yesterday, I saw some redness in that part of her mouth. But can't see it clearly because she is closing her mouth because of pain. My sister told me that I should take her to an emergency dentist, but I'm afraid to go to hospitals during this pandemic. However, my husband advised me to seek the help of a dentist. I'm perplexed about what to do. Anybody had recently gone to any hospital? Is it OK to go to hospitals? Please help me out of this issue.
I recommend that you take your mom to the dentist for an examination. Ask about their COVID protocol, but they'll probably tell you about it up front. At my dentist, patients are instructed to call the office from their cars when they arrive. A technician will come out to the car, take the patient's temperature and screen for virus symptoms with a series of yes/no questions. The patient then remains in the car until advised by phone call to enter the office.
Once in the chair, the patient is given a diluted hydrogen peroxide solution and rinses his or her mouth thoroughly before examination and/or treatment. The dentist and technician are gowned, gloved and wear an N95 mask, goggles AND a face shield. (Office personnel have plexiglass shields surrounding their desks, too.)
Good oral health is essential, especially now. If your mom is having a problem, please help her get it taken care of ASAP. And if she's in severe pain, you want to alleviate that ASAP as well.
I'd do that before going to the hospital. Iso she was hit in the face and had injuries, I'd take her there, but it sounds like a broken tooth. Not a hospital-level crisis.
Ive been in the hospital twice during Covid and been with my husband when he had to go. No problems.
You are right to be concerned about the possible infection affecting her health. Don’t wait until it’s an emergency. She may have to take antibiotics to clear up any infection before the doctor can deal with it.