Dental care, coronavirus, and your health – update

Published on 18th March 2020

Updated 24th March 2020

From 23rd March 2020, SpaDental practices are open for emergency treatment only. 

To protect the health of our patients and staff we are restricting access to the practices. We ask that only people with scheduled appointments come into the building.

Updated information from the NHS to dental practices stresses the need to minimise contact between people, reducing the chance of exposure to coronavirus. Please continue to read our updated information to patients.
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Protecting your health

At this time, our priority is to protect patients and staff, therefore:

• If you have a new continuous cough and/or a high temperature you must stay at home to self-isolate for 14 days if you live with others, and 7 days if you live alone.
• Patients who are more vulnerable because of pre-existing medical conditions or age, are also advised to stay at home and reduce contact with others.

We kindly remind you:

• Contact us as soon as possible to defer or change appointments.
• Only people with a scheduled appointment should enter SpaDental practices.
• All general enquiries should be addressed to us through our website (link above), rather than by phone.
• Ensure we have your up-to-date contact details as we may need to change an appointment you have booked.

In common with health centres around the UK, we are sharing relevant coronavirus updates. Our aim is to help people access useful information, stay healthy and delay the spread of viral infection.

It is important we all follow current information and advice from Public Health England.

To help, we particularly ask patients who feel unwell to change their appointment to a later date. 

The current phase – delay the spread of Covid-19

Due to concern that pressure on hospital beds will increase as more people develop symptoms of coronavirus, the NHS and government is concentrating efforts on delaying the spread of the virus.

Social distancing and, as necessary, self-isolation are essential to preventing the spread of infection. Good hand and face hygiene are also important.

If you do need to go out, then a mask or face covering of some kind does offer a barrier. If nothing else, it helps prevent you from directly touching your face with fingers that could be transferring germs.

What do I do if I’m feeling unwell?

People are asked to be vigilant of their own health. If you have a persistent cough or raised temperature, then self-isolate at home for 14 days. Geographic location, or having had contact with a person who has tested positive for coronavirus, are no longer the only indicators of the coronavirus disease. Diagnosis is now also symptom based.

If you are self-isolating, it’s no longer necessary to notify NHS 111, and you don’t need to be tested. However, if your symptoms become worse, or you are still unwell after seven days, then you are advised to contact NHS111 online for further advice. The NHS asks the public to only phone 111 if they can’t access help online.

Remember – to protect yourself, members of the public and healthcare professionals, it’s important not to go to the doctor’s, your pharmacy or the hospital without seeking (online) advice first.

When should I ask for medical help?

Most people infected by the virus recover from it. But some people are less able to fight it off than others. If symptoms are not improving after seven days, if breathing becomes difficult, pneumonia threatens or fever increases, seek advice from NHS 111 online.

Patients who are kept in hospital overnight may be tested for coronavirus.

Requirements for effective self-isolation

The primary aim of self-isolation is to protect others. If you need to self-isolate because you have symptoms of coronavirus (covid-19), or you are in contact with someone who is unwell, then please follow the advice from NHS.UK online. It’s especially important to discontinue contact with people who are less able to resist the virus.

Urgent dental care during self-isolation

It is possible that you may need emergency dental care during a period of self-isolation. If you require a dental procedure, check how to proceed with NHS 111 online first. They’ll be able to direct you to a suitable healthcare facility near you.

If you have an urgent problem, such as bleeding that won’t stop or swelling that threatens your breathing, then call the emergency services.

People also ask:

• My filling fell out. What do I do?
• My tooth aches. I’m in pain. What do I do?
• I think I have an abscess. What do I do?

We kindly ask you to remember to cancel your appointment in good time

We appreciate that you will have other things  on your mind. However, if you do need to defer your dental appointment, please remember that you must do so at least 24 hours in advance.

Cancellations should be made by the Contact Us link on the website.

With the heavy volume of calls our practices experience, getting through by phone can be frustrating for patients. Emails directly to the practice may not be read in time. Moreover telephone texts, social media messages and voicemail are not reliable. Therefore, please use the website link above. And we kindly ask you to check our cancellation policy summarised below*.

Links to information about the spread of coronvavirus (Covid-19)

• Access the latest information and advice from GOV.UK to protect against coronavirus
• Links to the informative Johns Hopkins live map tracking the statistics of cases and places

The aim is to take highly precautionary measures to limit the potential spread of infection.

*Appointment cancellation policy summary

• Patients are requested to give at least 24 hours notice to cancel a dental appointment.
• There is a fee for private dental appointments that arey missed or cancelled with less than 24 hours notice.

Private patients:

• The missed appointment charge is based on the current rate for the length of the scheduled appointment. Appointment times are set to accommodate the time a procedure takes. (Eg: if your appointment was made for twenty minutes, the missed appointment charge is set accordingly).

NHS patients:

• If three NHS dental appointments are missed, or cancelled with less than 24 hours notice, patients are de-registered. We cannot guarantee being able to complete a patient’s NHS treatment, and cannot provide NHS dental health care in the future.
• If you lose your NHS registration, you will have to register on the NHS waiting list for an alternative practice.

Follow-up:

• We aim to telephone or email patients after a missed appointment. We do so to understand the reason for your non-attendance and also to inform you of your registration status or missed appointment fees.

• Any appeals about decisions relating to missed or cancelled appointments should be made in writing to the relevant Practice Manager.

Useful Links & Information