The Alarming Popularity of Prehistoric Dentistry

落后的牙科治疗方式的流行令人担忧

 

Unable to see a dentist, people are taking things into their own hands

由于无法求医，人们只好自己动手

 

“I’ve been using the wax from a Babybel,” admits a sufferer of chronic toothache; she has stuffed cheese-casing into a cavity to replace a lost filling. With most surgeries in Britain out of action due to lockdown, home dentistry has become worryingly common.

 

一名慢性牙痛患者承认：“我一直在用Babybel（一种奶酪）的蜡皮。”她将奶酪的蜡皮塞进了牙洞里，以代替缺失的牙洞填料。因封城所致，英国大多数诊所都已歇业，人们普遍开始自己在家解决牙齿问题，这种现象令人担忧。

 

“People are using needles to burst abscesses,” says James Goolnik, a dentist in London. “They’re using knives and forks to take teeth out, and nail files to cut down broken teeth.”

 

伦敦牙医詹姆斯·古尔尼克说：“人们开始用针刺破脓肿，用刀叉拔牙，用锉刀削磨断牙。”

 

Britain has long had a reputation for bad teeth, perhaps dating back to the second world war, when American soldiers were horrified by rows of bare gums. Today it is unfair: Americans are more likely than Britons to be missing teeth. But the nation’s teeth are not going to improve in the near future.

 

英国人向来以“一口烂牙”著称，这甚至可以追溯至二战时期，当时的美国大兵就被英国人一排排光秃秃的牙龈给吓坏了。如今风水轮流转：美国人比英国人更容易缺齿。但英国人的牙齿问题在短期之内将很难得到治疗。

 

Since March 25th, all routine treatment has been cancelled. Dentists offer just the “three As” – antibiotics, analgesics and advice. Someone with a lost crown will be dealt with over the phone.

 

自3月25日起，所有的牙科常规治疗均已暂停。牙医只能为患者提供“3个A”（抗生素、止痛药和建议）。一些牙冠脱落的患者只能打电话给牙医以寻求帮助。

 

MyDentist, with around 650 practices in Britain, has warned its patients: “DO NOT USE SUPERGLUE or FIXADENT to fit your crown.” A hygienist reports that a patient had become suicidal with pain.

 

在英国拥有近650家诊所的MyDentist向其患者发出警告：“不要用强力胶或粘合剂来固定牙冠。”一名牙科医师称，甚至有患者因牙痛难忍而试图自杀。

 

Only those with problems such as breathing difficulties due to swelling or nerve exposure qualify for urgent treatment. The British Dental Association (BDA), a trade union, says the new urgent care system has faced teething problems, with a lack of the protective kit needed for “aerosol-generating procedures” (ie, ones where spit or blood will be flying around). As a result, in some practices the only treatment on offer is teeth removal. “In this day and age that’s pretty prehistoric,” says Dr Goolnik.

 

只有那些出现因肿胀导致呼吸困难或牙神经暴露等问题的患者才得以接受紧急治疗。英国牙科协会表示，新的紧急治疗系统所面临的首要问题是，缺乏“在产生气溶胶的手术中”（例如在一些手术中会产生飞溅的唾液和血液）所需的防护用品。因此，目前实际所能提供的唯一治疗方式就是拔牙。古尔尼克说：“这种治疗方式在当今时代看来是非常落后的。”

 

Many dental practices either rely entirely or partly on private income, rather than NHS contracts, and are thus facing financial collapse. Some, unlike shops or restaurants, do not qualify for business-rates relief. “I can’t help feeling forgotten when I walk down the street and see the vape shop, which is getting a £25,000 grant and rates relief, painting and decorating,” sighs the hygienist.

 

许多牙科诊所完全或在很大程度上依靠私人患者营收，而非国民医疗服务体系的合同，因此它们面临着财务危机。不同于商店和餐馆，牙科诊所无法享受商业税收减免。该牙科医师感叹道：“当我走在街上，看到一家拿到2.5万英镑政府补助金且享受税收减免的电子烟商店正在刷漆和装潢时，我不由感到自己被遗忘了。”

 

When dentists reopen, they will struggle to satisfy the pent-up demand they are bound to face. Safe dentistry in a pandemic is slow. Waiting areas must be kept empty, protective kit procured and surgeries disinfected.

 

当牙科诊所重新开张之时，他们必将忙着为那些饱受牙痛折磨的患者进行治疗。但在疫情期间，为了安全起见，牙科诊疗的过程也将放缓。诊所除了要保证候诊区的空旷外，还要采购防护用品以及对手术室进行消毒。

 

At practices that are now doing urgent care, such restrictions mean traffic is down by three-quarters. If there is a similar drop-off in service when others return, care will continue to be rationed. Bad news for anyone with toothache. Good news for Babybel manufacturers.

 

就目前开展紧急治疗的诊所而言，这些限制措施使得这些诊所接诊患者的数量减少了四分之三。随着其他牙科诊所的相继开业，如果情况仍将如此，那么治疗将仍然受到限制。这对牙痛患者来说无疑是个坏消息，但对于Babybel生产商来说却是个好消息。

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