We are open!

Following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement on 31st October 2020, we are pleased to inform you that Penerley Dental Practice will remain open during the national lockdown.

There are no restrictions with regard to medical treatment and you are actively encouraged to keep your appointments.

We are COVID-19 compliant, which means we have fully trained according to the new guidelines and have the relevant Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).  Based on evidence we are using equipment to highest standards of decontamination according to HTM01/05 /HTM 01/07 as well as current COVID-19-infection control.

What’s Next?

Please continue to attend your appointments. The appointments will have to be spread out and patients will have to wait outside the practice to be called straight into the surgery.

If you are worried about your attendance please contact us to discuss your concerns and we can always postpone your treatment until a later date.

We continue to recommend that patients in the high-risk category delay non-essential treatment until further guidance has been given by the relevant authorities.

Prior, During & After Your Appointment

• You will be sent medical forms and consent to be signed in advance of your treatment.
• Please brush & floss your teeth prior to the appointment.
• Hand gel will be provided.
• The waiting room will not be in use as far as possible and you will be asked to wait outside until allowed to enter. (2m social distancing)
• Please do not arrive more than 5 minutes early for an appointment due to social distancing guidelines.
• We will check your temperature and if this is above 37.8C, you will be advised to rebook your treatment and to follow government guidelines.
• We advise that you wear a mask at all times while inside the dental practice and only remove your mask at the request of the dental professional.
• Your payment will be taken prior to start of the treatment. Please avoid paying by cash if possible.
• Please only bring in any necessary personal belongings and as little as possible with you.
• You must attend on your own, only accompanied if you are under 18 years of age, need a translator or are in any way incapacitated and need assistance. (Please advise us in advance).
• Your follow up appointment will be made over the phone after you have left the surgery.
• In some instances, after a consultation or examination has been carried out, the dentist will contact you by phone to discuss your treatment plan. This is to minimise time in the surgery.
• The toilet in the practice will not be in use as far as possible.

The Treatments We’re Currently Able To Offer

According to government guidelines and NHS & Public Health England, we are continuing to see patients in phases and working through the backlog from the summer months.

Penerley Dental Practice is currently providing urgent and necessary treatments. This includes AGPs (Aerosol Generating Procedures) and non-AGPs, such as dental examination, radiographs, extractions, fillings, crowns and scale & polish. Plus: Remote care and telephone triage.

The Changes We Have Made

Here are some of the new practices and policies we have installed for your safety.

Pre-appointment telephone COVID-19 assessment.

Contactless Reception: Remote reception and appointments made by phone only. The answerphone will be on for patients to leave messages (outside of our working hours) and we will be answering the phone calls during our working hours.

As always you will have 24hour access to us via the practice phone number.

Patient forms – We are fully paperless. We will send your forms out via email, text message or you can use one of our CliniPads in the Practice.

Brand new equipment to keep you safe and reduce the aerosol reduces the viral overload by 99% based on evidence:

• face filtering masks
• use of rubber dam to cover the working area
• full PPE with gowns and hairnet and masks

With best wishes and gratitude to all our patients. Stay safe and please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

Yours sincerely

From all of us at Penerley Dental Practice