COVID-19 Guidance for patients

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Visiting us during the Covid-19 lockdown

Visiting your dentist during the Covid-19 lockdown could be a first sign of normality. We will endeavour to make you feel relaxed, safe and comfortable by combining our approach to dental care and experience in maintaining the most hygienic environment with additional enhanced measures and protocols.

Before your appointment

  • We will send you a pre-appointment COVID-19 questionnaire, medical/dental history forms and consent documents to complete and return by email prior to your scheduled visit.
  • We will call you a day before your appointment to discuss the details and any changes.
  • For your convenience, we may ask you to pre-pay for your treatment over the phone and minimise direct contact when you attend.
  • We will offer you to book an optional COVID-19 Rapid Antigen test, providing you are asymptomatic. The test can be scheduled 30 minutes before your dental treatment at the cost of £25.

On the day of your appointment

  • Before you arrive, please hydrate and use the bathroom at home, if possible.
  • Please attend on time and don’t bring anyone else with you unless necessary. Exceptions include parent/guardian or a carer. Remember to observe appropriate social distancing.
  • Please bring only essential items which may be safely stored away on arrival.
  • Please remember to bring a mask and if you forget, we will provide one.

On the arrival at the practice

  • Please clean your hands using >70% alcohol sanitizing gel provided at the reception entrance and wear a mask on arrival to ensure your safety. Our team will also wear appropriate PPE.
  • We will check your temperature with a non-contact thermometer and will measure blood oxygen saturation with a pulse oximeter. A temperature above 37.8C or a blood oxygen saturation level <90 %, although not diagnostic, could be a potential sign of Covid-19 infection. Consequently, your appointment will need to be rescheduled to a later day.
  • We will ask you again to confirm your Covid-19 symptoms status.

Covid-19 Rapid Antigen test before your appointment

  • Providing you have no COVID-19 symptoms and have pre-booked your Rapid Antigen test, we will escort you to a designated consulting room for your antigen test. We will ask you to remain in this room until the test result is ready.
  • If the test result is negative, we will escort you to the surgery for your dental treatment.
  • If the test is positive, we will provisionally reschedule your appointment and ask you to book a PCR test https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test , self-isolate together with your household in line with government guidelines.
  • Please make advanced arrangements for returning home by means that could avoid using public transport, in case you have a positive test result.
  • For more information about Rapid Antigen Test, please read our recent article.

In the dental surgery

  • The clinical staff will wear, in addition to gloves, higher filtration masks, face shields, gowns and/or disposable plastic aprons.
  • You will be asked to rinse your mouth with an antibacterial/antiviral mouth rinse (1-1/5% hydrogen peroxide) for one minute prior to treatment.
  • Where possible, we will use a rubber dam for restorative procedures (as we have always used for root canal treatments). With a rubber dam covering the mouth, patients mostly breathe in and out through the nose.
  • Anxious patients can use a nose piece to inhale ‘relaxing gas’ (nitrous Oxide and Oxygen). Other patients could inhale normal air and exhale through the tube attached to the nose piece. Air breathed out through the nose piece goes straight into the suction system and not into the air in the surgery.
  • We have purchased medical-grade air purification units that filter all the air in the surgery 4-5 times an hour. These have 7 levels of filtration/ sterilization (including HEPA, photocatalysis, ionisation, UV sterilization).
  • We have also acquired UVC (ultraviolet sterilization) units to activate in the surgery in between patients.
  • Open-air window ventilation or air extraction air-conditioning facilitates the air being extruded outside the building.

After your appointment

  • Please use the sanitizing hand gel and wear a mask after your treatment.
  • Any additional payment required should be made by credit/debit card (contactless if possible).
  • You can book your future appointment with our receptionist.
  • Please let us know if you develop any COVID-19 symptoms within 14 days of your appointment and follow self-isolation advice as per government guidelines.

Your feedback

We aim to maintain a relaxed and stress-free environment in order to carry out all the procedures we generally do in the least disruptive manner and yet, provide you with the maximal reasonable level of protection. If you have any concerns or suggestions, please get in touch and we will be happy to help.

You can find more information in our recent blog article.

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