Returning to Your Dentist after Lockdown
Dental health as many other NHS Services has been impacted by COVID19 in particular, a face to face visit to the Dentist.
Coronavirus forced all Dental Practices in the UK to close, except for a number of emergency treatment stations. Thousands of patients had their appointments cancelled and treatments postponed.
June 2020 Dental Practices in England were allowed to re-open which meant adapting their normal routine to ensure the safety of their patients.
All patients would be contacted by their Dental Practice before their appointment to confirm their health status anyone with COVID19 symptoms will not be seen at the Practice.
The British Dental Association (BDA) has told practices to prioritise patients with urgent need and from vulnerable groups and dental emergencies when resuming services.
Dental emergencies include, but are not limited to toothache or mouth pain, abscesses and swellings in and around the mouth, bleeding, trauma, non-healing ulcers that have no obvious cause and last for several weeks Appointments should be made by telephone and the advice is do not visit your Dentist without an appointment it is recommended that patients arrive alone and on time to minimise the time in the waiting room.
When you arrive expect to have your temperature taken by a member of staff using a thermometer to check for sign of a fever. Sanitiser should be available for patients to use. You may be expected to wear a face mask or face covering, if patients are exempt or have a medical reason and are unable to comply, they should notify the Dental Practice before their appointment for advice.
The most important thing to know in the wake of coronavirus, is how dental teams are making sure you are safe during treatment. Patients will see that the dental team is wearing extra protective equipment, like PPE. As always, their equipment is fully sterilised.
You will notice changes when you leave the practice it is safer to use a contactless method of payment to avoid touch the payment device all these changes have been put in place to ensure patient and staff safety.