Dear Practice Plan patient,

You may have been sent a link to this page because you missed your routine dental appointment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are now able to book you in for a hygienist and check-up appointment in July if you wish. We are finding that a lot of patients are preferring to delay another month or two and we are leaving that up to patients to decide for themselves. However, if you are shielding or in a high risk group for serious illness from COVID-19 for example due to your medical illness or age we would suggest that you delay any routine appointments.

If you would like to rebook your routine appointments, please call reception on 01457 837361. The phone lines will be busy and so if you are able please leave a message on our answering machine and we will get back to you.

If you prefer to delay your visit we would still suggest you call us to get your visit booked in for later in the year.

PLEASE NOTE – At alert level 3 or 4 of the pandemic the treatments that we are offering are slightly different. The hygienist is providing a hand scale only. They will not be using ultrasonic scalers and no polishing of teeth will be done at this stage of the pandemic. This may be different from what you are used to, but hand scalers are just as effective as ultrasonic scalers at removing deposits and treating gum disease. At the present time we are currently not able to offer cosmetic polishing.

ALSO PLEASE NOTE – if you are not having any problems you may decide just to attend for your hygienist visit and delay your check up. We can also book your check-up with your dentist if you wish but it may not be a double appointment on the same day. If you are having any problems, please tell reception and we will of course book you and appointment with the dentist.

Although we are operating differently at the moment we are still here for our registered patients should you have any problems.

No evening appointments are available during this stage of the pandemic. We would hope to be able to reintroduce evening slots later in the year.

There will be many changes within the practice when you attend for your dental appointment following the COVID-19 pandemic. Please read through the following before you attend:

Our waiting room is currently closed, and the front door will be locked. This is because we are aiming to have as few patients in the practice as possible to maintain social distancing.

We are asking patients to read and sign two forms. One is a consent for treatment to be carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic and the other is a detailed medical history. We will send you these forms by text message prior to arrival and you will be asked to complete them. If you do not complete these forms and provide an e-signature prior to attending we may need to rearrange your appointment.

Please arrive on time for your appointment. The door will be locked, and we may not be able to let you in if you are early. If you are late, we will have to rebook you. You currently are unable to wait in the practice so please wait in your car if you are early.

If you are not arriving by car, please inform reception.

You should receive a call both the day before your appointment and on the morning of your appointment. We will ask you a series of questions on the phone to ensure it is safe for you to attend before you come in.

If you, anyone you have been in contact with or anyone in your household has suffered from any COVID-19 symptoms in the last 14 days please cancel your appointment. If you are in a high risk group for severe COVID-19 symptoms or if you or anyone else in your household has been advised to shield then we would recommend you delay your appointment until the pandemic has been downgraded.

We will ask you to sanitise your hands on arrival.

Please bring and wear your own mask which should be worn at all times except for when you are in the dental chair. If you do not have a mask, please wear any face covering (a scarf would be fine).

Unless there is a good reason (please discuss with us before hand) we are asking patients to attend on their own without bringing anyone with them.

Please try not to bring any bags or possessions with you to the appointment. You will be asked to leave any possessions and your coat in a closed box outside the surgery room during treatment (it will be easier if you do not come with anything).

The practice is not currently accepting cash payments. if you are making a payment by card or if you are asked to fill in an electronic form you will be asked to put on a pair of disposable gloves.

Your dentist and all staff will be wearing face masks throughout your visit. We apologise in advance for the necessary reduction in social interaction that this will necessitate. Whilst our masks may make us appear impersonal and distant, please be assured we are still the same friendly team underneath it all.

We do hope that these measures are temporary, and we return back to normal practice as soon as possible. In the meantime, we appreciate your understanding.

From

Your dentists Daniel Winston, Neil Watson, and Amit Mistry and the whole team at Mossley Dental Care