Is Your Dental Insurance Covering Infections?

Let's say you go to see your dentist for a wisdom teeth removal. The patient already knows that the cost is very high and think that his or her dental insurance covers the cost of wisdom teeth removal. But then because of dentist's poor performance you get a dental infection.

Indeed infections happening in dentists' offices are very common, particularly in Europe. This is why it's important to ask your insurer if your dental insurance covers not only your wisdom teeth removal, which took you to your dentist's office, but also an infection in case it happens because of poor dental hygiene. A report from France points to a low, but very significant risk of contamination of Hepatitis B or C or even AIDS when visiting a Dentist.

Can the poor dental care cause a serious viral infection? For an individual, the risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV) or the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in a dentist's office is "very low", says a report from the Institut de Veille Sanitaire (IVS) that has just been made public. However, this risk is far from negligible at the population level, given the high incidence of dental defects and sterilization equipment found among dental practitioners.

In France, according to the calculations of the IVS, approximately 200 annual cases of hepatitis B infections could be due to inadequate sterilization of carrier rotary instruments widely used by dentists for conservative dental treatments and prostheses. Breaches of hygiene in this area can also theoretically lead to hepatitis C virus (less than two per year) or HIV (less than one per year). contamination.

In France, according to l'Institut de Veille Sanitaire modeling, dental care could be responsible for 200 cases of infections annually.

Therefore, they expect to increase dental continuing education in the areas of dental hygiene and general hygiene. The College of Dental Surgeons is committed to make systematic visits to the dental offices to check the situation with the dental hygiene and to track the dental infection cases in dentist's offices.

In conclusion, there is more to it when you go for a simple dental cleaning or for possibly removing a wisdom teeth. Ask you doctor if all the necessary dental hygiene precautions are in place. Also clarify who's dental insurance will cover the cost should there be an infection hi dentist's office.