"Excellent safe and friendly team"

As lockdown lifts as per the Government's roadmap "COVID-19 Response: Summer 2021", we will continue to work with our stringent infection prevention and control policies in place to protect our patients and team.

Thank you Mrs H for your comments: "I felt wholly safe and comfortable with the new infection control systems in place. Everything was made easy and clear. I couldn't have felt in a safer environment. Excellent safe and friendly team. Thank you".

Our video shows our way of working since June 2020, where patients fill in a digital medical history form before attending the clinic as well as an assessment for risk of coronavirus infection. Once your appointment has been confirmed, we ask patients to let us know they have arrived at the clinic and not come in until we call you in for your appointment. Our reception team will greet you at the door, confirm your name and Covid status and take your temperature using a contactless thermometer. If your temperature is below 37.8°C, you will be welcomed into the clinic, where you will sanitize your hands using alcohol hand gel and don a face mask, which we will provide. We will ask you to sign and date the medical history form you provided online (if it requires updating) and also a consent form to be treated.

Your dentist will greet you wearing enhanced personal protective equipment (PPE), including FFP3 masks, and you will be taken to the surgery and introduced to your dental nurse who will also be in PPE. We will ask you to place any personal belongings into a disinfected plastic container for the duration of your appointment; any small items such as keys and phones can be kept in pockets or placed into a plastic bag.

You will be asked to use a bacterial and anti-viral mouthwash before any dental treatment. We are especially mindful that many dental treatments are aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs). Aerosol suspended in the air is a theoretical source of infection, which we obviously wish to keep to a minimum. We offer protection by using high-volume suction, a dental rubber dam where possible, surgical masks that are fluid resistant, FFP3 masks that filter a high percentage of airborne particles, and additional disinfection and cleaning procedures within surgeries and the clinic itself, such as fogging devices that kill all particles of viruses and bacteria from the air.

We have also installed medical grade air filtration units in our surgeries, which purify the air and remove bacteria and viruses. We have not increased our costs during this time, but our costs for PPE will be covered by an additional £25 for AGPs and £10 for non-AGPs. We hope you understand this covers your enhanced safety.

Once your appointment is completed, you will be collected by one of our nursing team from the surgery and taken to our rear exit in order to maintain a one-way flow within the building. You will be met by one of our reception team where you will make payment. You will be unable to make any further appointments within the clinic at this time, but can call or email to do so.

Elmsleigh House Dental Clinic will be operating only contactless and card payment systems going forwards; payments can be made online, over the phone or at the time of the appointment.

Our card machine is disinfected between each patient, and also has a safety barrier placed over the keypad, which is then removed and replaced after each patient. Should you wish to pay online, we can provide you with our bank details ahead of your appointment; please just ask the reception team.

You will receive your usual reminders to book in for regular dental check-ups and hygiene appointments, as it is important to keep your teeth and gums in excellent condition and prevent problems developing.

We are welcoming new patients as well as our existing patients to continue with your dental treatment and maintenance dental care. Our team of dentists and specialists offer our full range of dental treatments, and we accept referrals from other dentists for specialist and complex treatments.