Hope is on the horizon in the fight against COVID with the rollout of Vaccines. India is still in the early stages of administering Vaccines, whereas Karnataka has already vaccinated 2 lakh* people with over 1.5 crore doses. For many people, staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic meant foregoing medical treatment and regular checkups. As vaccine rollout steadily increases and more people are becoming fully vaccinated, many are wondering when it will be safe enough to visit healthcare facilities again. Your dentist cares for your mouth because your oral health is essential to your overall health. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been working to put your health and safety first by taking extra steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our clinic. Now, we have COVID-19 vaccines to add to the other tools we’ve all been using to fight the pandemic — like wearing masks, washing our hands, and avoiding crowds. Whether you’ve already taken your first jab of the vaccine or are awaiting your turn to get vaccinated and are in the process of gathering the information you should know about getting the COVID Vaccine, we answer some common queries about COVID Vaccines. Are COVID Vaccines Safe and Effective As dentists, credible information is important to us before we recommend treatments for our patients. The COVID vaccines were developed by many companies in a short time frame as compared to other vaccines. It is important to know that though the development of the vaccines were rushed, the science behind them was not. These vaccines have been tested on thousands of people to ensure that they work and make sure they are safe for patients like you. The National Regulatory Authority of India (NRA) review data from the tests and authorized for use after determining that they are safe and effective for the public. Also as essential healthcare workers, dentists are at the front of the line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. All our specialist dentists at Credence Dental are vaccinated, on top of continuing to follow all other Indian Dental Association’s guidelines like mask-wearing and social distancing. The likelihood that you can catch COVID-19 at the dentist is far less likely now. COVID Vaccine will make me sick There is no possible way that COVID vaccines can give you COVID-19! They might, however, give you some side effects that make you feel uncomfortable for a short time. This is because the COVID vaccines teach your body how to recognize and fight off a COVID-19 infection. You might feel some of the symptoms you’d get if your body were fighting off the real virus, such as a fever. Though unpleasant, this is actually a sign the vaccine is working in your body. I’ve had COVID and recovered. Should I still take the vaccine? It is a fact that those who have contracted COVID and recovered, will have some natural immunity to protect the body from a COVID-19 infection. However, there have been reports of people being re-infected from the virus. It’s unclear as to how long the immunity for COVID-19 lasts, and it definitely varies from person to person. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recommends that those who’ve had COVID19 should also take the vaccine Is it Compulsory to take all doses of the vaccination? Currently, the two COVID vaccine manufacturers are Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India (SII), and the vaccines are Covaxin and Covishield respectively. Both require two doses of the vaccine, with strict guidelines as to how many days one must wait until they receive their second shot. For Covaxin, the second dose should be received at least 4-6 weeks after the first dose. In comparison, the Covishield requires at least 84 days or 12-16 weeks between the first and second vaccine. Studies suggest that it takes about two weeks for the COVID vaccine to become effective. This timeframe allows the body adequate time to build its antibodies needed to ward off the coronavirus, according to studies. A third vaccine which has a Russian origin, Sputnik-V also has recommended two doses of the vaccine with 22days apart from the first and second dose. Answering the question, it is not a compulsion but a recommendation to take two doses of the vaccine to ensure maximum protection from the virus. However, even after being vaccinated, it is strongly recommended to follow all protocols of COVID protection such as wearing masks, sanitizing hands, and social distancing. Is it safe to go to the dentist after you get the COVID vaccine? Yes, it is safe to go to the dentist after getting both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. At the dentist, you run the risk of aerosol droplets spreading from the use of various equipment’s. In addition, dentists wear PPE kits when working with patients, and ensure there is no cross-contamination. There is always this fear that your dentist could potentially catch COVID-19 from another patient and unknowingly give it to you. Much like doctors’ offices, virus transmission in dentists’ offices has been very low because they screen patients effectively before they come in and limit the number of people that are allowed in the office at one time. You need not worry about this since all our dentists are vaccinated and we sanitize the equipment after each use. Read more about this here. Additionally, its reported to be safe to get dental treatments such as dentures, dental implants, root Canal Therapy and even braces after getting vaccinated, as they had not witnessed any dental reactions or complications to the vaccine. In addition to the COVID Protocols, we also have gone a step ahead and installed a device – Shycocan* which acts as a ‘Hypercharge Corona Canon’. The device produces hypercharge high-velocity electrons, which intercept the negative-charge-seeking S-protein of the Corona family of viruses. This simply means that it can attenuate coronavirus cells within the clinic and render them incapable of attaching to human cells. This is for the safety of our Doctors and our patients. If you have any further questions about COVID Vaccines or the protocols that we follow at our Clinic, we are more than happy to answer your questions. If you still feel that you are not brave enough to walk into a dentist, our team is available for Online Dental Consultation and we would be happy to answer any questions or discuss any issues you may have. Call us or Whatsapp us or book an appointment with our specialist. Sources: *Department of Health and Family Welfare Services Government of Karnataka: https://www.karnataka.gov.in/hfw/Pages/Home.aspx?fbclid=IwAR2haGE9VOjgN3xliD4kL7RD3n_eG1PMWnkm4Py7YhGEUor_k35zXeYXpLw *Shycocan provides real-time protection against infection from coronavirus and has been notified by US FDA under Enforcement Discretion Policy
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