If COVID has changed your oral hygiene, you’re not alone

According to research by the RAND Corporation, nearly half of adults in the United States reported a delay in dental care due to the pandemic in May and June 2020.

Weekly visits to U.S. dentist offices also fell dramatically from March to August 2020, an average of 33% lower than in 2019, according to a study published in Journal of the American Dental Association.

In 2020, some patients avoided the dentist for the same reason they avoided other public places: fear of contracting COVID. This includes patients like Su Yang. He told Verywell that he wouldn’t be able to go to the dentist even if he wanted to in early 2020 because he lost his job and his health insurance.

“I’m moving from California to Texas because I was trying to find a new job, but there was a big hiring freeze at the company I was planning to go to. Because of this, I lost my job and my dental coverage,” Yang said.

But when Yang started a new job and had full dental coverage in October 2020, concerns about contamination and transmission of COVID-19 kept him away from screening before the vaccines became available.

The national—and global—decline in dental visits wasn’t just due to the choices patients made. Until August 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that dental care be limited to non-essential, except for sudden or urgent problems of pain and dysfunction.

How COVID has affected oral hygiene

While they may have had fewer routine cleanings during 2020, dentists were dealing with other issues.

“Many patients chose to forgo regular cleanings and routine exams, believing that doing so would minimize their exposure to COVID-19.” Tim Donley, DDS, MSD, an expert in treating gum disease and dental implants, told Verywell. “Patients with urgent requests, including fillings, crowns and root canals, kept their appointments and were more likely to come to the office.”

In addition, Donley said the changes related to COVID have introduced a new set of dental concerns. For example, he noticed an increase in stress-related conditions such as teeth grinding, broken teeth and chronic jaw pain. Neglected hygiene and poor diets also contributed to an increase in tooth decay and gingivitis.

Dentists were already preparing to step up safety protocols

General dental professionals have been using personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, gloves and gowns for many years before the pandemic began.

Matthew Messina, DDS, clinic director at Ohio State Upper Arlington Dentistry and assistant clinical professor in the Department of Restorative and Prosthodontic Dentistry at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry, told Verywell that the dental profession was uniquely prepared to handle something like the pandemic. He said many dentists only needed to make a few tweaks, such as asking patients to use mouthwash before cleanings, requiring social distancing in offices and offering telehealth appointments for evaluations.

“Dentists are dealing with universal precautions, high level of disinfection, barrier techniques and PPE long before they are well,” he said.

Patients are getting back on track

A March 2022 poll by the American Dental Association showed that dental offices have become busier since January. In March, office hours were 88% full, compared to 83% occupancy in February and 77% occupancy in January.

Sue said he is in the process of looking for a new dentist in his area.

“Now that the vaccine and boosters are available, I feel much more comfortable,” he said.

Dentists know that a little motivation can’t hurt. Donley said many offices offer free or discounted whitening procedures as a way to encourage patients to get back into the habit of regular visits.

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read it. For the latest updates on COVID-19, visit the coronavirus news page.