161 Bromley Road

Catford, London SE6 2NZ

0208 6980491

enquiries@maxidentclinic.com

 

Patient Notice – Coronavirus Update

Patient Notice - Coronavirus Update October 2020

We are happy to announce that we are now able to provide face to face appointments including routine treatments, hygienist sessions, routine check-ups, dental implants, and cosmetic procedures and urgent care.

Please contact the surgery on 020 86980491 during our normal working hours 8am – 8pm Monday to Thursday, 8am – 5.30pm Fridays and 9am – 2pm on Saturdays, alternatively you can contact us via our online contact form.

Appointments will only be given once you have been triaged by our dental team so please do not visit the practice unless you have been advised to. This will ensure the practice can continue to provide essential care safely.

Please Note:

Advice for patients
Routine dentistry during COVID-19 requires the correct social distancing measures and personal protective equipment to be in place.

Dental practices are open
In the first national lock down, dental practices closed (or as good as) for around 12 weeks. However, during this second national lock down, practices remain open.

Dental practices are safe
Dentists and their teams have trained in oral health care but also infection prevention and control too. Dental practices are well-versed in providing safe care and having practiced cross-infection control for many years, using personal protective equipment.

The experience of going to a dentist might be different now, but they remain safe places to be.

Patients might need to have patience
Many practices are still catching up from when they were closed during the first national lockdown and those delivering NHS care in particular may have a backlog.

For these practices, their priorities are likely to be:

• Patients needing urgent care.
• Patients at higher risk of oral disease and.
• Patients with outstanding treatment needs.

Calling the practice
Please make sure you keep your appointment if you have one; it’s going to be safe and it’s important we don’t waste limited resources. If you can’t make an appointment, your practice may be able to offer it to someone else who really needs it.

If you’re looking for care, you may receive initial remote advice via the phone. This may lead to advice being given or the arrangement of an appointment if the dentist deems it necessary.

Please be assured that dentists are working within the current guidelines issued by governments and are doing their best to help patients wherever possible.

Receptionists are also doing their best to ensure that priority cases are treated as soon as possible. Please treat all the staff with respect. We know it can be stressful, but they are doing their best to help.

Please check in with your own practice or if you haven’t regularly sought care:

• Phone NHS 111 if you live in England, Northern Ireland or Wales.
• Phone NHS 24 if you live in Scotland.
What are dental appointments like?
Practices are using personal protective equipment such as mask, gloves and aprons and social distancing measures to keep staff and patients safe.

• If you call to make an appointment, you will be asked some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again at your appointment to see if anything has changed since you booked.
• You will be asked to use hand sanitiser or to wash your hands when you arrive (and again before you leave).
• You must wear a mask before entering the practice unless you are exempt.
• You will also find that waiting rooms might look a little different with two metre markers in place.
• You will also notice that the dental team may be wearing different protective equipment to what you are used to seeing – this will be to increase your protection.
• Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.

How you can help:
• Please do not arrive without an appointment.
• With the exception of children and persons in need, patients should come alone.
• Patients should attend wearing a mask if possible or be prepared to wear one. A distance of at least two metres mush be observed if another patient is present in the dental practice.
• Please do not arrive early to the practice. If necessary, you should wait outside the practice.
• Staff will not shake your hand.
• If you show symptoms following appointment booking, you should contact NHS Test and Trace.

It is likely to be some time before dental services can return to what you previously experienced as normal.

However, your dental teams will be doing all they can to ensure you receive the treatment you require in the safest way.

If you need any dental treatment or would like to learn more about any dental treatment then why not book a no obligation consultation with one of our expert practitioners. At your consultation you will be able to discuss the procedure in detail and ask any questions you may have. Call us now on 0208 6980491 to book your consultation.