COVID-19 – What to Expect at your next visit

We are now open!
(By appointment only)

Changes to expect at your next visit

Booking your appointment

• Please book by either emailing us or calling.
• You will be asked screening questions at the time of your booking to assess your health. We are having to control who enters our practice so we can ensure a safe environment at all times.
• We are adding a buffer period between patients to allow additional time for decontamination procedures, overruns and preparation time for the next patient. This means we will not have as many appointment slots as we previously did.
• Only arrive at our practice if you have already booked an appointment.

Before attending your appointment

• You will have to have completed a coronavirus screening. This will ensure that we only invite patients to our practice who are risk-free.
• Brush teeth thoroughly at home for 2 minutes prior to appointment.
• Use bathroom if necessary before arriving at the practice
• Ideally only trip of the day or at least the first trip
• To help maintain social distancing, we will ask you to pre-pay for treatments planned for the day
• Arrive at the practice alone unless there are exceptional circumstances (children/disabled)

Arrival at the practice

• Our front door will be locked, please confirm your arrival by clicking on the check-in link sent via SMS that’s was sent prior to your appointment when you are outside the practice. Alternatively call us on 01707 332924 to confirm your arrival.
• Once we know you have arrived then please stand outside the front door at the ‘please wait here’ floor sign, a staff member will greet you, maintaining social distancing.
• You will be asked some COVID-19 pre-screening questions prior to entering the practice
• We will take your temperature with a non-contact thermometer. If your temperature is above 37.8°C, you will be asked to return home and self-isolate as per current government guidelines.
• If your temperature is normal, we will invite you into the practice and ask you to use our hand sanitiser.

Once you’re inside the practice

• We ask you to leave personal items, such as a coat or bag, at the entrance. The front door will remain locked, however we cannot accept liability for personal items so please limit what you bring into the building.
• Once you enter the surgery the same staff member will direct you to the surgery room where you will wait at a ‘please wait here sign’ for the dental nurse/dentist who will open the door to call you into the surgery room. Please do not open the door to the surgery.
• You will notice we will use electronic forms in the surgery to reduce contact with the receptionist.

After your appointment

• Your dentist may advise he will arrange to call you soon after your appointment to discuss treatment options to minimise your time in the surgery
• The receptionist will call you back to book your follow up appointments so you do not need to stop at the reception desk when you visit us and if there are any payments to be made this will be made over the phone
• If you require any supplies from us I.e tooth floss do let the dentist know and we can accept contactless payment at the reception desk and have your supplies ready for you when you come out of the surgery.
• The member of staff who directed you to the surgery will escort you out of the practice and will ask you to use hand sanitiser before you leave maintaining a social distance of 2 meters.

To ensure a safe environmeng

• All dental staff will be using personal protective equipment in line with current recommendations and evidence. We understand that it may be daunting at first when you see us in full masks and PPE. We assure you that we’re the same friendly team underneath.
• Between appointments, we are adding additional buffers to allow plenty of time for us to disinfect all surfaces.
• We will ask you to rinse with a special mouth solution to disinfect your mouth before starting treatment.
• We have Installed Perspex panels along the reception desk
• Clearly marked out social distance respecting recommendations
• Set up a daily health screening checkpoint and log for the screening of all staff entering the workplace
• Using air-purifier machines that will help decontaminate the surgery between each patient and to ensure a safe virus-free environment
• Decontaminate communal areas prior to practice opening, at lunch and at end of the day
• Use video and phone consultations whenever possible
• Removed newspapers and magazines from the waiting room
• Use a rubber sheet to isolate the teeth that we are working on, that combined with a powerful suction will keep you safe and comfortable while we work