The founder and managing director of Digimax Dental, an award-winning dental marketing agency, has written a passionate call-to-action in City AM, challenging the government to speak publicly on behalf of dentists across the country.
Shaz Memon, who founded Digimax in 2003, has argued that, although dentists are allowed to operate during this current lockdown, this fact has not been communicated clearly enough to the public at large.
Memon believes that many people are avoiding dental treatments at this current moment, either under the mistaken impression that dentists are shut or because they believe that attending a dental practice is somehow unsafe.
Memon makes the point that dental practices are some of the most sterile secure places on the planet, with standard safety protocols that far exceed the Covid health and safety standards. He also argues that delaying dental treatment or checkups will inevitably cause serious damage down the line.
‘It is impossible to view oral health as separate to the rest of the body,’ he explains, ‘and there is growing evidence that oral health is linked to the severity of Covid symptoms when infected. By neglecting our dentists, we could be creating a weak link in the nation’s health defences.’
The damage caused by the first lockdown, Memon argues, has left several dental practices on the brink of financial collapse. It is not enough simply to allow dentists to stay open during this second lockdown. Rather it is vital for the government to inform the public that they are open, that they are safe and that should visit your dentist if you need to do so.
Memon also makes the point that dentists are medically trained doctors who would be willing, if needed, to help out with elements of the government’s Covid strategy.
‘Dentists were drafted, ready to provide Covid care if hospitals became overburdened,’ he says, ‘They were ready to serve the nation and many were disappointed that they weren’t allowed to carry out their duty of care in the first lockdown. And they are ready to be a crucial part of a vaccine roll-out.
‘Dentists have been a key part of the Covid response so far, which makes it all the more tragic that they are going through the pandemic with scant recognition. Some will even have their livelihoods shattered.
‘It is in the national interest to avoid this. If most Dentists were to close down, waiting lists could increase to several years, particularly impacting the poorer areas.
‘The pandemic has already taken so much from us. We shouldn’t let it take our smiles too.’
Shaz Memon is Founder of Digimax Dental and Wells on Wheels.
