We are now pleased to announce that the official date for the re-opening of Claremont Dental Practice will be Monday 8th June 2020, after which you will be able to see your dentist for an examination, or emergency triage, as well as the hygienist for a hand scale. These appointments will initially be available to those who do not fall into a high risk category, while those who do are still to be assessed through telephone triage.

As we are sure you can imagine, the task of re-introducing our dental services in the space of 7-14 days is no easy task, so we do ask that you bear with us if our telephone lines are busy or if we take a little longer to return your calls or emails. We are keeping a contemperaneous log of anyone who has contacted us during the lockdown and we endevour to get everyone seen as soon as we can.

Due to the number of patients we will be required to see as soon as possible and so we don’t miss anyone out, it will be important that we prioritise patients who have immediate dental issues which need attending to, as well as patients who are overdue appointments between March-May 2020 (or had their pre-existing appointment cancelled because of the lockdown).

Therefore, we do advise that all patients who fall into this criteria, to make their appointment when it is offered, as after this intial window closes, we will then need to prioritise the next group of patients so that we see everyone we need to, as we will be limited in capacity for social distancing. This could mean a lenghty wait until we are able to see you so advance booking is essential.

We will also hoping to re-introduce our full range of procedure, as well as other specialist services in the not too distant future.

Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our dental practice. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

Our dental practice follows infection control guidelines produced by Public Health England, NHS England and the CQC. We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to each agencies’ recommendations.
You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We have made these changes to help protect our patients and staff in line with legislation and guidance. For example:

You will receive a separate email from us a couple of days prior to your upcoming appointment, this will be titled Covid19 Mandatory Screening, there will be a link in this document which will take you to a page via our website where you will be required to update your medical history and also to complete a covid19 questionnaire. If we are not in receipt of this form prior to your appointment, your appointment may be cancelled.

For your safety we have issued the following protocols to offer maximum protection to patients and staff:

1. On arrival, please wait at the pillars at our entrance and if there are other patients waiting, please keep a 2m distance for social distancing. There is no need to knock on the door to let us know you have arrived.
2. We encourage payments should be made prior to attendance using a debit or credit card or at the practice on arrival to allow a contactless transaction where possible.
3. Please travel alone where possible and endeavour to arrive no more than ten minutes before your scheduled appointment (please try your utmost to be prompt as we are relying on patients arriving on time so we can implement safe social distancing measures for you and our other patients). We will meet all patients on arrival and bring them straight into the surgery once the practitioner is ready.
4. We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the practice and before you leave. Please bring as few belongings with you as possible. We will ask you to place all belongings including outdoor coats into a plastic bag, these will be left in a box outside the treatment room whilst you have your appointment.
5. If you are wearing a mask and/or gloves to travel to and from the practice, we will ask you to remove these prior to entering the practice.
6. All dental staff will be using personal protective equipment in line with current recommendations and evidence. We apologise in advance for the necessary reduction in social interaction that this will necessitate. Whilst our PPE may make us appear impersonal and distant, please be assured we are still the same friendly team underneath it all!
7. Please brush your teeth and use the lavatory before arriving at the practice as our cloakroom will be unavailable to members of the public.

We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call one of our reception team at 020 8892 4000 or leave an email at : claremontdentalpractice@soegateway.com.