Dental College of Georgia staff says don’t put off dental work during pandemic

The Dental College of Georgia wants to remind everyone not to skip out on dental work during the pandemic.

WRDW-TV News 12/NBC 26 recently spoke with Dr. Alan Furness, assistant dean for patient services, and Corliss Lewis, a patient at the college’s dental clinic. DCG records show dental visits to the clinic declined 44 percent from 2019 to 2020.

Unfortunately, the stress of the pandemic means you may need your regular check-up now more than ever. Dentists report seeing more tooth decay as people turned to sweets and carb-rich comfort foods, as well as more broken teeth due to grinding or clenching.

“Patients have expressed just the continual change and it’s taking effect on their teeth. A lot of people clench and grind. It’s not uncommon,” Furness said.

Fear of exposure to COVID-19 has likely kept many away from the dentist’s office. However, DCG has remained careful about safety during the pandemic.

“One of the things we’ve noticed is there hasn’t really been any COVID spread at all within the school. It seems to be all coming in from the community,” Furness said.

Watch the full story on WRDW.