Tölz dentist's practices are now also reacting to the spread of the corona virus and restricting their operation. To date, however, there is no uniform regulation.
Bad Tölz - Dr. Thomas Kitterle feels left alone by politics: "We have hardly any mouth protection left (although normal mouth protection against the corona viruses does not help anyway), and certainly no protective clothing," writes Kitterle's wife Gabi in an email to the Tölz courier. The risk of infection is high, especially among dentists. And what is even worse from the point of view of the Kitterles: The dentists would happily spread the virus in the event of an asymptomatic infection. Now Thomas Kitterle has drawn consequences.
Since Friday, only pain patients have been treated in his practice on the Flint level. "Of course, we are still at risk, but we are fulfilling our security mandate." For the time being, the opening hours from Monday to Friday are limited to 10 a.m. to 12 noon. "If necessary, we'll be there longer."
"We hardly have any face masks and certainly no protective clothing"
Kitterle misses a clear arrangement from above of around 50,000 dentists in Germany. In his view, it made sense to only treat emergencies in order to slow the spread of the corona virus. The reality, however, has been different so far: On Thursday, the Robert Koch Institute wrote to the dentists saying that a face mask, safety glasses and gloves are completely sufficient for the treatment, says Kitterle. "This is a joke." The fine spray mist that occurs during drilling is an ideal transport medium for viruses. In his view, FFP3 face mask and special protective clothing would be required. But neither the health department nor the dental association are able to make something like this available to dentists.
"Postpone what can be postponed"
Dr. Ralf Angermaier can absolutely understand the concerns of his colleagues - even if he believes that a normal face mask is absolutely sufficient. "I read that the corona virus is very large and is filtered by the classic protective masks." Nevertheless, Angermaier also shut down operations in his practice at Tölzer Säggasse. His credo: "Postpone what can be postponed." That means: If someone stands at the door with a thick cheek, he will not be turned away. However, cosmetic surgery, for example, is currently not taking place. As an additional precaution, only one patient may remain in the waiting room. "I know from other colleagues that they handle it in a similar way," says the district spokesman for the dentists.
"We don't leave a patient in the rain."
Angermaier agrees that at the moment every practice operator can still decide how to deal with the situation. If there is a curfew, this can change quickly: "Then a dental emergency service will be assigned." According to him, there is no reason for panic in any case: "We won't leave a patient in the rain."
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