Covid-19

5.1.21

 

Dentistry is an essential medical service. It is a priority for the NHS.

 

Patients are entitled to travel for medical appointments, including dental.

 

We will be prioritising vulnerable or those with urgent dental concerns.

 

If you have any dental concerns, you may book in for a face to face appointment with your dentist.

 

An assessment or full examination will be provided where appropriate.

 

Please ring in the afternoons when lines are less busy.

 

The usual NHS fee (£23.80) applies if you pay for your treatment.

 

You may also e-mail or speak to someone for some advice if you have any concerns and are having to stay at home, this will usually be with your regular dentist or hygienist.

We now have waiting lists and our main waiting list is for treatments that involve a spray.

This includes most permanent fillings and some gum treatments.

Patients on our waiting list will be updated every 3 months.

 

Attendance will be by appointment due to Covid restrictions.

 

To support NHS services, it is important that you do not visit hospitals or

A&E departments with dental problems.

 

Outside of our opening hours or if you do not have a dentist, NHS England provides an emergency service for all patients, please call the Cheshire & Merseyside Dental Helpline on 0161 476 9651. They will assess you and provide advice over the phone which may result in a remote consultation with a dentist.

 

Frequently asked questions and answers

 

Why are so few appointments available?

 

We are needing longer for certain appointments so we can minimise the Covid risk to patients and staff.

This has an impact on the total number of appointments we can offer in a day.

Procedures that require drills and implements that spray water such as fillings and root treatments pose the biggest risk and require extended slots to account for additional set up time and post-treatment cleaning time.

This includes a set period of time, agreed nationally, for droplets in the air to settle before the clean down.

For example, a standard filling used to take around 20 minutes start to finish,

now it can take up to one hour and 15 minutes.

The time required for aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) means we’re already constrained in the number we can offer, and we’re further constrained by the time and resource we need to set aside for urgent cases.

This has led to a growing waiting list for treatments which we’re actively looking to manage.

 

How are you prioritising patients on the waiting list?

 

There is a hierarchy of priority:

1. Severe pain and urgent cases, with children, the vulnerable and trauma cases getting highest priority
2. Cases likely to become worse over time e.g. deep decay or root treatment cases that risk flare up.
3. Cases that have been temporarily stabilised but require a long term ‘fix’ e.g. a crown

Urgent cases may require a booked in, less urgent case to be re-arranged.

We do have slots reserved each day for emergencies.

 

I’ve been waiting several months for treatment. Have I been lost in the system?

 

If you are unsure, please contact us. We try to update patients every 3 months.

 

Are you offering routine check-ups?

 

Unfortunately we are not able to offer them currently. We have to prioritise urgent cases and work through the waiting list of patients who we know require treatment.

If, however, anybody is worried we can arrange for a dentist to speak with them.

When we can start offering check-ups we will let you know.

 

Can I be reassured that the practice is Covid secure if I come in for treatment?

 

Yes. See appointment information on our website.

As a healthcare setting, we are far safer than visiting a restaurant or supermarket.