Ease of Lock-down Re-Opening of Your Dental Practice

As the Government lock-down eases we are advised to re-open on the June 8th June.

We are following latest guidelines from medical professions and the Government. This update outlines modifications to our normal procedures that we intend to employ to ensure patient and staff safety.

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic is still being evaluated and studied and policies and recommendations are likely to change in line with new scientific evidence over time.

We would like to thank all of our patients for their patience and understanding during this period of lock-down and for their cooperation whilst we implement new measures at the practice.

We will of course be providing dental care to all of our patients in the safest possible environment. We greatly appreciate your assistance with any new or modified procedures at the practice.

Our normal cross-infection control protocols at Alexandra Dental against all previously known pathogens are already woven into all clinical activity carried out at the practice.

It should be remembered that a dental practice is already a very clean environment compared to public areas and there is no evidence of COVID-19 transmission occurring in increased rates in dentists or their staff.

Before attending the practice

Patients will only be seen if they have a booked appointment so please contact via phone or email if you require an appointment.

Digital communication is encouraged

We aim to minimise face to face contact and time in the practice, and minimise administration tasks at the reception desk.

As such we ask all patients to complete their medical history forms online prior to attending. If you have any difficulties with completing the forms we can help you with this over the phone. If we do not receive the completed questionnaire in time and we are unable to contact you, we may need to cancel your appointment.

We may also ask for payments to be made over the phone prior to attending or contactless payment in the practice.

Video consultations with your dentist are availiable via the Smilemate app if you require..

If we feel that you are at risk of having possibly been infected with Covid, even if you are asymptomatic, we will respectfully request for you to delay booking any appointments with us for at least 14 days.

We recommend that patients in the high-risk groups for developing complications from coronavirus delay non-essential dental treatment until the trend of the pandemic becomes clear.

Please attend alone (where possible) and only one adult is able to attend with a child; please do not bring additional family members with you unless they are happy to wait in the car or outside the building.

We intend to reduce waiting inside the practice and at reception. Accordingly, appointments will be staggered to reduce contact with other patients as far as we are able to manage.

There will be markings to indicate social distancing inside and also outside the entrance.

We will operate a one-way system through the practice and a member of staff will guide you.

When you attend the Practice

There may be a queue outside the practice. Please observe the social distancing markers. We may have a closed door policy at times as deemed by the UK Covid-19 alert levels, in those instances patients will be called in at the time of their appointment directly to the surgery.

We will confirm your health status on entering the practice.

We will ask that you use the hand sanitiser in the reception area, or thoroughly wash your hands for 30 seconds with the antiseptic hand wash provided in the surgery.

Your bags and belongings will be safely placed in a closed box during treatment.

We may ask you to use a Hydrogen Peroxide mouthwash before some dental

Treatments

Rubber dam may be used for some dental procedures.

All dental staff will be using personal protective equipment in line with current recommendations and evidence.

We apologise in advance for the necessary reduction in social interaction that this will necessitate. Whilst our masks may make us appear impersonal and distant, please be assured we are still the same friendly team underneath it all!

When using the restrooms, please do your best to ensure that you leave the facilities as you would expect to find them and wash your hand thoroughly. The restrooms will be regularly disinfected between patients.

Summary

These changes to the practice are being made to ensure your health and safety whilst in our care. The new protocols will mean we will require longer appointment time to allow for all the additional safety measures to be implemented. This does mean we will be seeing fewer patients but we plan to operate extended opening hours to accommodate all of our patients.

Despite the financial impact of the coronavirus, we will not be adding a “corona surcharge” to our fees unless absolutely necessary.

Hopefully these forced changes to our practice may not be for the long-term, and this policy will be constantly reviewed and updated as necessitated by circumstances over time.

If you have any concerns then do please contact our team and we will endeavour to help.

Once again a big Thank You for your patience and support and look forward to providing your dental care soon!!

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