Update 18th August
The practice has been open and seeing patients since 11th June but we are far from operating as normal due to the current restrictions in place due to Covid-19. The guidelines which we operate under are determined by the national alert level which is currently at 3 and whilst this gives us greater leeway in what treatment we can offer we are still very limited by the increased cross infection requirements and social distancing rules. The major effects of the level 3 restrictions are that we have to operate a closed door policy which means wherever possible avoiding the use of the waiting rooms and to only have one person per surgery in the building at any one time. Additionally, after every procedure that involves a drill which creates an aerosol spray into the air we have to close the surgery and leave it empty (fallow) afterwards. Overall, this means we are working at around 50% capacity despite being open for our normal hours which clearly brings with it challenges in trying to schedule appointments.

Our current position regarding various treatments are as follows:

Cancelled treatment during lockdown
We are actively working through those patients that had treatment postponed during lockdown and scheduling them from late August onwards. If you are affected by this please rest assured we will get in contact but if you are experiencing problems please call reception.

Current Emergencies
If you are having pain, swelling or feel something has broken from a tooth please call reception as you normally would. We will likely ask you to take a photo if you are able as this has proven extremely helpful with determining what needs to be done and in allocating appointments efficiently. It is unlikely that we will be able to offer you a same day appointment as we have previously but will certainly try and accommodate you as soon as we can.

Routine Check Ups
We are having to limit check ups at present as we need to give priority to people with outstanding treatment and those with dental problems. We appreciate that this is far from ideal but hope that people understand that until the current restrictions are eased no dental practice is able to operate to anywhere near their pre-pandemic levels. Obviously, if you are worried about any issues please do not hesitate to call and we will try and be as amenable as we can.

Hygiene Appointments
Claire is working but not yet back to her full schedule although she will be increasing her availability in line with demand. She is also restricted to hand scaling only and with limited polishing allowed by the current regulations and so the treatment you receive may differ from that which you are used to. It is our understanding that if the national virus alert level is reduced then she will be able to offer a fuller range of treatment options.

Thank You
Like most dental practices we have found it frustrating being unable to operate as we did before the pandemic but we are so glad to be able to be back in the practice and trying to restore our service to as near normal as we can. Please bear with us as we are working hard to achieve this and thank you for your support and understanding through the past months.