Response to Covid-19 (Coronavirus)
2024
Dental facilities still have procedures in place as explained below in March 2023.
If you are unsure of your health status, please get in touch to ask. We don’t want you to have a wasted journey.
March 2023
We kindly ask patients to let us know before their appointment if they have respiratory symptoms. This is so we can protect the team and other patients. It’s likely your appointment will be able to go ahead, but we will advise you. The best way to contact us is via our online contact form, then one of the team will get back to you.
We also kindly ask patients to let us know as soon as they realise they cannot attend a booked appointment. We have waiting lists and standby patients who will be able to benefit from the additional clinical time.
Before an appointment, please ask yourself these two questions:
- Do I have any Covid-19 symptoms or respiratory symptoms (eg cough or cold)?
- Have I tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 10 days?
Please use our online ‘contact us’ form to get in touch and let us know. One of our team will follow up and let you know how to proceed.
January, 2023
Wishing you a happy and healthy new year.
We hope you’re well! But, at this time of the year, it is quite usual to experience symptoms such as coughs and sneezes. Please follow the advice here:
November, 2022
We continue to support children’s oral health. In our practices with NHS funding, we make appointments for children under 12 as NHS patients. Our private practices are offering reduced examination fees for patients under 18.
September, 2022
If you have an appointment booked in September, please follow the procedure as updated below in June. We kindly ask you to get in touch if you don’t feel well, so one of our staff can advise you. Thank you.
We are pleased to see that our private patient services are meeting demand, and we have managed to increase availability for appointments to help our patients access the care they would like.
Recruiting dentists to provide NHS funded care is still a nationwide challenge dental practices are facing.
During August, our children’s days were a great success! Our aim is to help children access the care and advice they need to keep their teeth healthy for life.
June 2022
After more than two years of restrictions, dentists are able to remove most additional measures brought in to control Covid-19. Please be reassured, though, that we still follow strict decontamination and infection control procedures. We will also continue to monitor the health of our staff, and ask anyone coming into the practice questions about their health.
The main changes for patients are:
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- Your clinicians will continue to wear masks during treatment, but may choose to go mask-free at other times.
- Questions will still be asked to check patient wellness.
- Patients no longer need to wear masks in practice, but may do so if they wish.
- Patients can be accompanied to appointments.
- Physical distancing is now a matter of individual choice, space permitting.
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March 2022
While mask-wearing restrictions are lifted in most public places in England, masks are still required in health facilities. Our operating procedures remain unchanged until the Chief Dental Office instructs otherwise. Thank you for your support and understanding.
Government document: Living with Covid
February 2022
Plan B restrictions are scheduled to end in England on February 11th. However operating procedures in dental practices will continue in the same way, to help keep our patients and staff well. Please continue to check the wellness questions below.
January 2022
The SpaDental team wishes all of our patients a healthy and happy new year.
We continue to ask patients to risk assess themselves prior to an appointment.
If you cannot attend an appointment because you answer positively to any one of the risk assessment questions, or for any other reason, please let us know as soon as possible.
If we know about cancellations in advance, we do our best to contact other patients so they can benefit from an earlier appointment than they might have otherwise.
Risk Assessment questions
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- Do you have any of the following symptoms?
- A high temperature or fever?
- A new continuous cough?
- Loss or alteration to taste or smell?
- Have you, or a household member, had a confirmed diagnosis of Covid-19 in the last 10 days?
- Are you or a household member waiting for a Covid-19 PCR test result?
- Have you travelled internationally in the last 10 days and are you required to either self-isolate or are you waiting for Covid-19 test results?
- Have you, or a household member, been advised to isolate by any NHS organisation in the last 10 days?
- Do you have any of the following symptoms?
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Please read more about the SpaDental Risk Assessment here:
December 2021
Updated guidance from the UK Health Security Agency allows us to revise operating procedures to control and prevent infection.
Prior to an appointment we now refer patients to risk assessment questions patients need to answer.
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- Negative answers mean the patient is not a risk and may safely attend an appointment.
- Positive answers indicate a level of risk. The patient should contact the practice. Please check this page for details.
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November 2021
All is much the same in our practices at the moment. As it’s November we’d like to remind you that it’s Oral Cancer Action Month. We recommend you take a few minutes to self-examine your face, neck, lips, and gums.
We still have strict operating procedures, and most practices are prioritising urgent and essential care as per the chart above. Unfortunately this can mean a delay in attending for a routine examination, or cancellation.
In most practices, direct access to oral hygiene is available as we strive to employ additional dental therapists and hygienists to assist with patient care.
In addition to previous information, we have released a new set of answers to questions our patients are asking at the moment.
October 2021
Yes, perhaps the media does draw more attention than strictly necessary to shortages, but they are very real. There is also a shortage of dentists, doctors and other health care workers.
Most of our practices are facing more challenges than at any other time during the pandemic, so we kindly ask you to be understanding if your appointment needs to be rescheduled, or you need to wait longer for an appointment than usual.
Please be reassured that if you are in pain, we will see you as soon as possible.
New entry requirements and changes to the right to work in the UK are having an impact of the availability of clinicians across the country, not just in our SpaDental practices. Moreover, the pandemic caused restrictions on qualifying examinations, a larger than usual number of experienced dentists decided not to renew their registration, others have reduced their work hours. This means the pool of dental professionals currently residing in the UK has shrunk. We are setting up new ways to hire and train staff, but it takes time.
As you will see in the chart below, we need to prioritise patients who need essential treatment or urgent care, so the waiting time for routine examinations may be longer than we would wish for.
If you are able to attend an appointment at short notice, we invite registered patients to join our standby list. This can cut down your waiting time for a routine appointment.
Thank you for your understanding.
Keeping in contact
If you, or a dependant, has a booked appointment, please be sure to attend. If you fail to, your wait for another slot will be months.
It is more important than ever, that you contact us to cancel an appointment you cannot attend. Cancelling as soon as possible (a minimum of 24 hours in advance) allows us to invite other patients to take up your appointment slot, freeing diary time later so we can rebook your treatment.
As we may need to contact you to change an appointment, please ensure your contact details for your phone(s) and email are up to date.
September 2021
Times are still challenging for us all, and we really appreciate the support of our patients as we continue to do our best to offer you access to dental services.
Across the country, the combined effects of the pandemic and Brexit have made recruiting dentists particularly difficult. This impacts on the clinical time we have available to treat patients.
August 2021
This time last year we were working towards a return to full dental services, looking forward to helping all our patients again rather than just taking emergencies. While we have managed to help many patients over the year, once again we need to ask for understanding and support.
Providing access to dental care is still difficult across England. Dentists are facing multiple complications in time management and clinician recruitment due to a combination of the pandemic and Brexit.
For SpaDental patients, current access to care is not the same from one practice to another and can even change daily. Sometimes, we have to delay appointments for routine examinations to make sure patients who need essential treatment can be seen. Please be reassured, however, we will continue to prioritise patients who need urgent care.
These times are challenging for us all, and we really do appreciate the supportive messages we’ve received from patients. We sincerely thank you for your understanding.
Please remember that if you need urgent care, you will be prioritised.
July 2021
From Monday 19th July, most Covid-19 restrictions are being lifted in England. Dental practices, however, will continue to treat you in a safe environment.
Because a dental practice must be accessible to people who are not vaccinated or are vulnerable, because dentistry is a service most people visit because of need, we will continue to follow the same Covid-19 procedures and use enhanced PPE.
We kindly remind patients to:
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- wear a face covering;
- sanitise hands;
- maintain social distance.
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April 2021
We hope all our patients enjoyed a relaxing and happy Easter weekend.
In our practices, we feel very used to procedures we have in place to keep patients and staff well. We are expecting that the way we are working now will be the way we continue for some time more. That is, with periods of empty time in the surgeries between some treatments, enhanced PPE and cleaning, lots of ventilation and minimising visitors to the practices.
We have budgeted these adaptations into our annual fee review. We’re therefore pleased to say that when you make a new appointment, or begin a new treatment plan, we no longer need to add a coronavirus surcharge for private patients.
We have an increasing number of patients who are confidently asking to be seen for treatment. We hope that you’ll be one of them.
February 2021
Vaccinations are the light on the horizon for us all. 
As front-line workers, dental staff are in the vanguard of the programme. That said, we are very aware that personal immunity to the virus does not prevent transmission. Our infection control protocols are closely supervised to help keep all our patients safe. If you have been reluctant to visit the dentist for a while but you’re due for an appointment, please get in touch with your practice. Timely preventive care can save you from both unnecessary pain and expense. We look forward to hearing from you!
January 2021
Once again everyone in England is asked to stay at home to stay safe.
However, there are important exceptions.
People can leave home to access essential services. You are allowed to visit your dentist.
We encourage you to continue to attend regular dental appointments to maintain your oral health and help detect concerns such as periodontitis and oral cancer early, so treatment is in good time.
SpaDental practices follows rigorous protocols to control infection. Your safety is, as always, our priority.
December – moving out of lockdown into tiered restrictions
Patients are able to access the dental care they need. Of course, strict protocols are still in place so some procedures are not quite the same as before. For example, hygiene appointments that create an aerosol effect are restricted, but hand-scaling is back! One of our hygiene team explains:
We’re looking forward to the holiday season, even if it will be quieter than usual. If you’re shopping for gifts for the upcoming holiday season, don’t rule out gifts related to oral health. They’re very useful, and range from quite expensive to great stocking fillers.
November – we’re still open!
While England stays at home from 5th November, this time dentists will still be open. Our dental practices have rigorous operating procedures in place to control the spread of Covid-19 and to keep you safe. We continue to offer telephone consultations and face-to-face care.
October – We’re looking forward to next year!
Now the clocks have gone back and we’re looking at the shorter days of winter, we’re beginning to reflect on the year we’ve had. It’s one we’ll all remember. For dentists, we’re glad to be seeing patients again. We very much hope that people who struggled with discomfort or even pain during the months of lockdown are feeling more comfortable and at ease. As you know, modern dentists are always championing preventive care. We’re keen that people keep up regular visits to the dentist and the hygienist. One way of doing that is to become a SpaDental Plan patient. This helps you to schedule regular dental appointments at the same time as you spread the cost over the year.
Read this excellent article from the BBC explaining COVID-19 Symptoms – what to look out for, how to take an accurate temperature reading, and which symptoms could be flu or a cold. It’s well worth a read.
Read this September – Offering our full range of treatments
We have been welcoming lots of patients back into the practices and are offering a full range of treatments. Some of our treatments are modified, however, to keep both patients and staff safe. For example, we are using hand-scaling tools during routine hygiene appointments.
August – Why dental fees need to have an additional surcharge
During July, our dentists have been offering a wider range of services to patients. During this time, we have thoroughly reviewed the additional cost of providing dentistry. We have introduced a tiered surcharge so patients make a contribution to the additional expenses. By adding a surcharge, treatment costs are transparent and the COVID-19 surcharge is differentiated.
29th June – A warning about hand sanitiser from the NHS
There is concern that hand sanitiser left in cars causes fire. When overheated, it releases flammable vapours that can reach a flashpoint and ignite. Although hand sanitiser is a useful and convenient alternative to hand-washing, advise is not to leave it in your car. Why not keep a small bottle on your keychain, in your bag or pocket, and fill it up from a larger bottle kept in a cool place at home?
June 15th – Now some SpaDental practices are open for limited urgent care in person, some patients are attending appointments with their dental team. This short presentation offers guidelines so you’ll know what to expect.
From June 8th, SpaDental begins the first phase of our return to service.
Access to dental care will take a while to resume full services to protect patients and staff.
We’ll keep you updated here with news and developments.
Why did dentists close during the coronavirus pandemic?
As part of the essential need to protect people from contracting Covid-19, the government made the decision to close down practices and open dedicated Urgent Dental Care Hubs. Because of the very nature of dentistry, because patients and dental clinicians are in such close contact, the government considered it necessary to restrict dental treatment to urgent and emergency care only, in specially equipped centres.
What can I do if I have a dental problem during the lockdown?
We are receiving calls and messages from patients who are experiencing dental pain and we’re sorry not to be able to offer you face-to-face treatment ourselves. So that we can help our patients, and other people too, we operate a remote advice and referral service so we can help patients either manage the problem at home, or access the care they need. As our philosophy is to always help patients feel comfortable, the last thing we want is for you to be suffering without the treatment you need. Please be aware, however, that there is a high demand for service in an Urgent Care Hub, so referrals are triaged according to level of need.
What’s the risk of coronavirus infection during dental care?
To carry out dental treatments, scaling or fillings for example, the dentist or hygienist uses high speed tools. The procedures generate spray that could carry the coronavirus and spread to the clinician. Although dental practices meticulously contain cross-contamination, this particular virus is highly contagious. Particularly during treatments that generate an aerosol effect, there is a risk that the virus can transfer from one patient to another. Moreover, to add to the risk, the symptoms of Covid-19 take seven days after infection to become evident. In some cases symptoms are so mild, people don’t even realise they’re ill. This means that a patient could possibly infect both the dentist and the nurse, who could then infect other patients too. The Urgent Dental Care Hubs that are opening around the country have the essential personal protection equipment (PPE) and procedures in place. They are well equipped to treat patients in a risk-controlled environment. At this time, until the danger of coronavirus passes, all routine dental treatments are on hold.
Why routine dental treatments are not available during the Coronavirus outbreak from The BDA on Vimeo.
To access urgent and emergency care:
Either follow this link, call your SpaDental practice or 01962 798270 if you do not have symptoms and do not suspect you may carry Covid-19. The SpaDental clinical team will triage your dental concerns and inform you of your options.
Urgent and emergency referrals – important notes
1 – If your dental problem cannot be managed in any other way and surgical treatment is essential, the team will refer you to an Urgent Dental Care Hub. 2 – If you are referred, please let the clinician know which of the centres is closest to you. They will attempt to refer you to that centre. 3 – If you believe or know you have COVID-19 and have a dental emergency, please go online to NHS 111. Call 111 if you cannot access the service online.
People also ask:
