Newsletter – October 2020

Download the Bamford Newsletter – October 2020

It’s fair to say this has been the most challenging of times for everyone. In March we were advised to have no face to face contact with our patients. Our practice had to close its doors. We were still here for remote emergency consultations and advice but we hated not being able to serve and meet our patients’ full-needs. The fear of course and the reason for the closure was to prevent the spread of the virus. We entered a period of endless guidelines… from NHS England and the Chief Dental Officer and the Care Quality Commission and the General Dental Council and local dental authorities. We had to navigate all the documents and work out how to deliver care to our patients. We were asked by NHS England to become an urgent dental centre under NHS guidelines and were able to offer a skeleton emergency service.

Our team worked round the clock seeing patients with dental emergencies from across the region and offering remote advice where possible. We also had to cancel thousands of appointments for patients who were booked in for routine treatment. The telephone lines were in meltdown! In early June it was announced that dental practices could re-open but under strict new guidelines. We were advised to see emergencies first. All attending patients need a risk assessment to check it is safe for them to attend the practice. With regard to social distancing, we have had to significantly reduce the number of people in the building at any one time. We have completely altered our shift patterns and have opened the surgery from 8 am to 8 pm Monday Friday and 8 am to 2 pm on Saturday in attempt to generate the number of appointments we need and get through the backlog. During this time, we have been overwhelmed with kindness and patience from our patients. Please also rest assured we are doing everything possible to keep you safe! If you need any help or advice please contact us.

We look forward to caring for you soon!

We Now Offer Video Consultations

In orthodontics, we are now doing free remote consultations which can be done from the comfort of the patient’s own home and we are looking into online booking. Many of our Invisalign patients are dentally monitored which means they scan their teeth at home each week on their phone and we can monitor their treatment progress remotely. This meant we could continue with their treatment during lockdown. We are developing a Digital smile design service so patients can clearly see what the outcome of their treatment may look like before committing.

Maria Our Specialist Orthodontist travelled to London on the 2nd Sept to examine for the Royal College of Surgeon’s future orthodontic therapists – feeling honoured and excited to be examining the next generation of professionals.