LOCATED IN ASHBOURNE IN THE PEAK DISTRICT
COVID19 Update
Although the lockdown rules and restrictions have been largely lifted and a large proportion of the population has been vaccinated against COVID 19, it would seem sensible for everybody to continue to take prudent measures to help prevent the spread of this disease: keeping one’s distance from others where possible and wearing face masks when indoors in public places. Despite the relaxation of the rules, dental practices remain under the guidance that was previously issued and there are no major changes to the way in which we are allowed to provide treatment to our patients. We are awaiting revised guidance and possibly a relaxation of the stringent measures we take, but rest assured that the safety of our patients and staff remains a priority and the procedures outlined below will remain in place until further notice.
In spite of our vastly more effective hygiene and cross-infection controls, we are, perversely, subject to much more stringent measures regarding the way in which we can allow patients into the practice than other high street establishments such as shops and pubs. What this does mean is that we consider White Peak Dental Practice as safe to visit during these difficult times as possible, and safer than these other establishments. We have invested a great deal of time and money in making the practice safe for all our patients and staff. You will find that a visit to the practice is somewhat different to how it was before lockdown, certainly for the time being. Please bear with us in this.
Like other establishments we will be carefully checking that nobody who attends the practice has signs or symptoms of Covid 19, nor contact with anyone who has. Everyone attending will find the front door locked and you will only be admitted at the appropriate time. This is to reduce the footfall through the practice, minimise the number of patients in the waiting rooms at any one time and is in line with recommendations from various dental bodies. Ideally we will see patients immediately but in the event this is not possible, they will be provided with a mask and asked to sit in the waiting room; we will ensure that people waiting maintain a social distance of at least 2 metres. Hand sanitiser is available at various points throughout the practice and we request patients to make use of it.
There has been a lot of debate in the dental world regarding management of ‘Aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs)’. These are procedures that create very fine water droplets which can remain suspended in the air for some considerable time and, theoretically at least, contain Covid 19 particles which could be inhaled, causing infection. Essentially these are those procedures carried out using the high-speed ‘drill’ or the ultrasonic scaler. In order to mitigate the risks posed by such procedures we have been advised that we wear full surgical gowns and hats, along with respirators, and in addition that we allow time for the aerosol to settle before the surgery is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between patients. We have installed increased ventilation to reduce the time between patients, and though you will probably not notice this, you will definitely notice the new suits and masks we will be wearing for such treatments! Don’t be alarmed, it is still the same, friendly members of staff under all the gear. This makes things strange but bear in mind that many practices are still not providing any AGP treatments at all.
The treatments we provide have to be carefully considered: we are in a position now where we can provide non-AGP treatments in much the same way as we did before lockdown and this has enabled us to begin routine examinations and try to catch up with all those check-ups unavoidably delayed by lockdown. Most hygiene appointments will be done by hand rather than using the ultrasonic scalers, although where we feel use of these machines is required to maintain the health of the patient we will set up an ‘AGP’ appointment. Restorative treatment which can be provided without using the high-speed handpiece can also be done fairly ‘normally’; however, most restorative treatment will require AGPs. Such treatment will be sorted on the basis of urgency; purely elective procedures will usually be postponed until the Coronavirus Alert Level is reduced to level 2 or 1.
Again, please bear with us while we try to work as normally as possible and catch up with all the work delayed by the pandemic. Things are certainly not back to normal and some of the measures we are operating under will cause unavoidable inconvenience but rest-assured that everything we are doing is to ensure the safety of all our patients and staff while being providing our services as efficiently as we can.
Although the lockdown rules and restrictions have been largely lifted and a large proportion of the population has been vaccinated against COVID 19, it would seem sensible for everybody to continue to take prudent measures to help prevent the spread of this disease: keeping one’s distance from others where possible and wearing face masks when indoors in public places. Despite the relaxation of the rules, dental practices remain under the guidance that was previously issued and there are no major changes to the way in which we are allowed to provide treatment to our patients. We are awaiting revised guidance and possibly a relaxation of the stringent measures we take, but rest assured that the safety of our patients and staff remains a priority and the procedures outlined below will remain in place until further notice.
In spite of our vastly more effective hygiene and cross-infection controls, we are, perversely, subject to much more stringent measures regarding the way in which we can allow patients into the practice than other high street establishments such as shops and pubs. What this does mean is that we consider White Peak Dental Practice as safe to visit during these difficult times as possible, and safer than these other establishments. We have invested a great deal of time and money in making the practice safe for all our patients and staff. You will find that a visit to the practice is somewhat different to how it was before lockdown, certainly for the time being. Please bear with us in this.
Like other establishments we will be carefully checking that nobody who attends the practice has signs or symptoms of Covid 19, nor contact with anyone who has. Everyone attending will find the front door locked and you will only be admitted at the appropriate time. This is to reduce the footfall through the practice, minimise the number of patients in the waiting rooms at any one time and is in line with recommendations from various dental bodies. Ideally we will see patients immediately but in the event this is not possible, they will be provided with a mask and asked to sit in the waiting room; we will ensure that people waiting maintain a social distance of at least 2 metres. Hand sanitiser is available at various points throughout the practice and we request patients to make use of it.
There has been a lot of debate in the dental world regarding management of ‘Aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs)’. These are procedures that create very fine water droplets which can remain suspended in the air for some considerable time and, theoretically at least, contain Covid 19 particles which could be inhaled, causing infection. Essentially these are those procedures carried out using the high-speed ‘drill’ or the ultrasonic scaler. In order to mitigate the risks posed by such procedures we have been advised that we wear full surgical gowns and hats, along with respirators, and in addition that we allow time for the aerosol to settle before the surgery is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between patients. We have installed increased ventilation to reduce the time between patients, and though you will probably not notice this, you will definitely notice the new suits and masks we will be wearing for such treatments! Don’t be alarmed, it is still the same, friendly members of staff under all the gear. This makes things strange but bear in mind that many practices are still not providing any AGP treatments at all.
The treatments we provide have to be carefully considered: we are in a position now where we can provide non-AGP treatments in much the same way as we did before lockdown and this has enabled us to begin routine examinations and try to catch up with all those check-ups unavoidably delayed by lockdown. Most hygiene appointments will be done by hand rather than using the ultrasonic scalers, although where we feel use of these machines is required to maintain the health of the patient we will set up an ‘AGP’ appointment. Restorative treatment which can be provided without using the high-speed handpiece can also be done fairly ‘normally’; however, most restorative treatment will require AGPs. Such treatment will be sorted on the basis of urgency; purely elective procedures will usually be postponed until the Coronavirus Alert Level is reduced to level 2 or 1.
Again, please bear with us while we try to work as normally as possible and catch up with all the work delayed by the pandemic. Things are certainly not back to normal and some of the measures we are operating under will cause unavoidable inconvenience but rest-assured that everything we are doing is to ensure the safety of all our patients and staff while being providing our services as efficiently as we can.
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We are a long established family run dental practice, offering the very highest standards of preventative and cosmetic dentistry. As soon as you walk through the door you will experience a warm welcome from our friendly and approachable team. Our goal is to improve and maintain our patients’ oral health to the highest standard.
Why choose White Peak Dental Practice?
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