Information for our Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Dear patients,
We hope that you are staying safe and managing to stay healthy during these unprecedented times. Whilst NHS England and the English Government have announced that dental practices can reopen on the 8th June 2020, this will be subject to us ensuring that we have all the correct systems, equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) in place, to ensure safety for our patients and clinicians.
Our reopening will be carried out in a phased manner and will be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that high standards are kept, in order to ensure that all risks are minimised and the safety of our patients is maintained. We will, of course, prioritise our patients who have suffered pain, injury, or infection, followed by patients who have other urgent issues. At present we cannot indicate a specific date for when we will restart ‘routine’ examinations and treatment.
We understand that, at times, this could be frustrating for our patients but we want you to know that your patience is greatly appreciated and that the decisions we make are to ensure you are all kept safe. Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our surgery. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable.
Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.
We would like to reassure you that we are still operating during our usual surgery hours, for telephone consultations at present, for if you are suffering from a dental emergency.
If you require assistance for any dental problem then please call us on 01403 732016. If you require assistance outside of surgery hours then please still call the surgery as we leave an up-to-date number for the emergency dental service on our answer machine. )
WHAT TO EXPECT AT YOUR NEXT APPOINTMENT
When the time comes, you may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:
- Our practice will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again at your appointment
- We have hand sanitiser that we will ask you to use when you enter the practice. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the practice for you to use as needed.
- We no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect
- Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.
How you can help:
- With the exception of children and patients with carers, patients should come alone
- A distance of at least 2 metres must be observed if another patient is present in the dental practice
- Payment should be made by card where possible
- If you show symptoms following appointment booking, you should contact the practice by phone
- Please do not arrive early to the practice. If necessary, you should wait outside the practice
- Please do not arrive without an appointment
TIPS FOR MAINTAINING A HEALTHY MOUTH
In the meantime, we wish to give you some useful tips* to keep your mouth healthy and in good condition, to minimise your risk for unwanted dental problems.
1. Brush twice daily (last thing at night and on at least one other occasion) with a fluoride toothpaste containing a minimum of 1350ppm of fluoride. Spit out after brushing but do not rinse the toothpaste off so that the fluoride concentration is maintained on your teeth.
2. If you are a known ‘high risk’ patient for tooth decay, then use a daily fluoride mouth-rinse at a time separate to brushing. Rinse with 10ml for 1 minute then spit out and do not wash away with water.
3. Reduce the frequency (how often) and amount (how much) of sugary foods and drinks and avoid sugary foods and drinks at bedtime.
4. If you are a patient at a high risk of periodontal disease (gum disease) then you must maintain your daily regime of interdental cleaning with brushes and/or floss.
5. Do not Smoke. If you do smoke then try to quit or cut down as much as possible. Smoking puts you at a higher risk of periodontal (gum disease) and mouth cancer.
6. If you have an ulcer which has not healed within two weeks the please call the practice so that we can talk to you and make the correct arrangements.
If you can take these small measures to maintain a healthy mouth at home, then it will be beneficial for you and help to reduce your risk to oral diseases such as dental caries (tooth decay), periodontal disease (gum disease) and oral cancer.
We wish you all the best and hope to see you as soon as we can!
*Tips based on guidelines from Delivering Better Oral Health (Public Health England, 2014