The team is excited to let you know we are resuming business. Read about our new Biosafety procedures and find out how things are a little different in our new normal.
It’s so good to be back!
The team are so pleased to be together again, and excited to be doing what we really love – creating confident smiles, long-lasting results and playing an important role in the healthcare of our City Dental patients.
Biosafety & PPE
Biosafety and PPE is part of our DNA.
Dental healthcare professionals have an extensive knowledge of transmissible diseases, far beyond the average medical practitioner, and we’ve always been great at PPE. Dentists mastered Universal Precautions in the 1980’s, highlighting the need to regard all patients as potentially infectious during the AIDS epidemic. We have been meticulous since with all aspects of Biosafety. The modern practice employs universal precautions which encompass:
- Autoclavable or single use items
- Strict workflows that include cassettes, washing, vibrating, bagging, barcodes, tracking, documentation, testing and validation daily.
- Chemical agents that kill organisms on surfaces.
- Staff who are skilled professionals inducted and trained in universal precautions.
- Well documented protocols and audits.
- Protection with PPE – masks, eyeware, gloves, faceshields, and gowns.
PPE is in short supply globally, but please be reassured we had plenty of stock before lockdown and are well supported by the Lumino Group with new types of PPE.
Questions, Questions, Questions
You’ll notice that we are persistent with our Triage Questions. Please expect a call from us prior to your appointment. These are important Biosafety triage questions that help us differentiate Low and High risk patients.
We will ask these again on arrival as part of your pre-treatment assessment, as well as taking your temperature. We request that all patients be transparent in their responses, and if you suspect you are unwell please defer appointments to another time.
We Might Look A Little Different
The risks of airborne transmission of COVID19 to healthcare workers do exist, and while we are very good at protecting ourselves, we’ve increased our personal protection to be safe. For many procedures we’ll look the same.
For other procedures, such as hygienist visits and any restorative treatment where we have to use a handpiece or air, we will add PPE including visors, gowns and hats. These protect us from aerosols – droplet mists that cover us in saliva.
If you have answered NO to all triage questions the risk will be very low of aerosol transmission to our team.
Recovering Patients
If you’ve had COVID19, or are a probable case without having had a test, we will insist on the following to minimise exposure risk to our team and other patients:
- 14 days since the onset of symptoms
- 2 negative COVID tests
High Risk Patients
We won’t be seeing any high risk patients. We can help by referring high risk patients for relief of pain to a specialist centre for treatment in a negative pressure room. We’ll only be able to offer emergency referrals until you are recovered. This includes:
- Dental infections that are making you feel unwell, or creating swelling or unrelenting pain
- Severe pain that cannot be controlled by medication
- Fractured painful teeth
- Trauma-including facial cuts and/or jaw fractures
- Swelling that is serious and worsening
- Post-extraction bleeding can’t be controlled
