WINDMILL DENTAL CARE

Windmill Dental Care is committed to providing our patients the best possible lifetime care and as such we will be following the Scottish Government’s and the Chief Dental Officer (CDO) evolving guidance throughout this Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. As difficult as this time is for everyone, we are in it together. We will continue to serve you the best we can and look forward to the day we can welcome you back.  Until then stay safe and look after each other.

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STAY SAFE!

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Latest Update- 19/07/21

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Scottish Government have released a Routemap which contains 4 Phases on the journey out of COVID-19 lockdown for the Scottish population. We are glad to inform you we have now received further guidance from the Chief Dental Officer which gives more clarity around the timescales involved in the remobilisation of dentistry. The return to dentistry will closely follow the stages set within the Routemap and allow a gradual and safe return of patients to our dental practices. 

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Phase 1:  Increased treatments available from Dental Hubs

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• Start Date: 28/5/20

• Our surgery will remain closed for face to face consultations

• Previously only emergency care was provided at Urgent Dental Care Hubs which included bleeding, swelling, trauma and extreme pain however the list of treatments has now been expanded and will now include a wider range of acute and urgent dental problems e.g. radiographs, temporary fillings, re-fixing crowns, inlays, bridges, simple denture repairs.

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If you have a problem, please contact our practice on 01698 262698 to discuss your needs with our team and if appropriate we will refer you for treatment at a Lanarkshire dental hub.

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Phase 2: Restarting Dental Practices

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•  Start date: 18/6/20

• Treatments Available: Dental surgeries will start to offer face to face consultations for patients in need of Urgent Care. Limited treatments will be available which are not aerosol generating procedures (AGPS’s). In dentistry an AGP is where high speed drills are used that may produce a spray that can spread infection. Treatments may include extractions, temporary dressings and crown/bridge refixing (where no drill required). 

• Patients who require treatments which are classed as AGP’s can be referred by dental practices to Urgent Care Central Hubs.

• Unfortunately we are still  UNABLE TO PROVIDE routine NHS dentistry such as fillings, dentures, crowns and veneers within Phase 2.

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Phase 3: Increased Treatments Available in Practice (non AGP/ AGP)

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• Start date: 13/7/20

• Treatments Available: As phase 2 but in addition practices will see patients for routine care, including examination and treatments that can be provided using non-AGPs

• As you will appreciate we are as keen as you are to recommence our full range of NHS dental care, however unfortunately almost all treatments in dentistry require some degree of generation of aerosols. This means in order to protect the safety of everyone, our range of NHS care will be extremely limited.

• Obviously there will be conditions that are extremely pressing but are considered AGP's. In these cases we will continue to liaise with the Urgent Dental Care Centres in order to ensure that urgent treatments such as root treatment access will be carried out. 

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• Start date: 17/8/20

• Treatments Available: As phase 2 but in addition practices will see patients for routine care, including examination and treatments that can be provided using non-AGPs.

• Announcement (27/7/20) from the Chief Dental Officer of Scotland: dentists are allowed to provide "a form of examination that will enable an assessment of the head, neck and mouth and enable dentists to offer reassurance, appropriate advice to patients and where necessary onward referral. As in every aspect of the provision of clinical care dentists should consider discussing the limitations of the current assessment..".  Please note as a result of this announcement apart from the soft tissues of your head,neck and mouth we are unable to provide a extensive and complete examination of your dentition at this time on the NHS.

• Announcement (30/7/20) from the Chief Dental Officer of Scotland: "from Monday 17 August, we have decided to allow dentists who wish to and with the agreement of their NHS Board to provide a limited range of AGPs for NHS patients in need of urgent oral health care, by replicating in practice the current arrangements in urgent dental care centres." As a result of this guidance Windmill Dental Care will start to offer a limited range of urgent care treatments which involve AGP's on the NHS e.g complex extractions, recementing of crowns that require cement removal and the initial stages of root treatments. Unfortunately we are still unable to provide routine NHS dentistry for treatments such as scalings, fillings and crowns.

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PLEASE NOTE: Due to the continual monitoring, education and investment at Windmill Dental Care we are pleased to announce we are now in a position where we will be able to offer our patients AGP treatments such as fillings and scalings within our state of the art dental surgeries. Safety will always be our priority for staff and patients and we look forward to welcoming you back.

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Remobilisation Of NHS Dental Services: Increased Treatments Available in Practice (AGP)

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• Start Date: 1/11/20- present

• Treatments Available: On the 12th October, Scottish Government announced the return of routine treatment to dental practices as of 1st November. This does not however mean that dental services are back to business as usual as the processes and procedures put in place to mitigate against virus transmission are still in force and indeed are more important than ever currently. The consequence of this is that we will only be able to see a significantly lower number of patients in a day in order to keep everyone safe. We will use our professional judgement to prioritise patients to ensure that those most at risk if treatment is further delayed will be seen soonest. If you are experiencing pain that will continue to be a priority and you should contact us for advice and care as appropriate. We apologise for any inconvenience and look forward to welcoming you back.

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• Start Date: 1/9/7/21- present

• As we continue on our return from COVID-19 please be reassured we are doing everything we can to make your journey back as smooth and safe as possible. We are gradually increasing our availability to our patients and we thank you once again for your patience. If you require any further information or assistance please give us a call on 01698 262698.

• We attach a letter recently released by the Director of Dentistry for NHS Lanarkshire providing further guidance:

 

Anne Moore

Director of Dentistry

NHS Lanarkshire

16th July 2021

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Dear NHS patient,

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As you are all well aware Lanarkshire, along with most of the country, moves to level zero in terms of the Scottish Government Coronavirus Protection Levels from Monday 19th July.

This does not however mean that dental services are back to business as usual from that date.

While we will see a number of restrictions eased in terms of our social interactions, healthcare, including dentistry, continues to operate under very strict virus transmission protocols which are essential to ensure the safety of patients and staff alike. The consequence of this is that your dentist will still only be able to see a significantly lower number of patients in a day in order to keep everyone safe.

Your dentist will continue to use their professional judgement to prioritise patients according to their knowledge of the particular clinical situation to ensure that those most at risk, if treatment is further delayed, will be seen soonest. If you are experiencing pain that will continue to be a priority and you should contact your dentist for advice and care as appropriate.

Unfortunately, the majority of practices are still unable to return to routine examinations for all patients at the moment.

Please be assured that your dental practice team are doing their best to see as many patients as possible under very difficult conditions and I would ask that you show some patience as your dentist strives to deal with those most in need first.

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Yours sincerely

Anne Moore

Director of Dentistry

NHS Lanarkshire

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We will continue to provide you with updates as we receive further guidance and look forward to welcoming you back.  Our priority will be to provide you with an environment which is safe for both patients and staff and will always strive to set the highest standards of cleanliness and infection control within our practice. 

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Further information may also be found at:

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• https://ww.scottishdental.org/public/dental-services-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-information-for-patients-in-scotland/

• https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoninq/coronavirus-covid-19/healthy-Iivinq/coronavirus-covid-19-accessing-dental-services

• Public Health Scotland (PHS)

• Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP)

• Letter from the Director of Dentistry NHS Lanarkshire 1/11/20

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• If you are a registered patient at Windmill Dental Care please call us on 01698 262698 between 9.00am-6.00pm (Monday to Friday) for further advice.  Out With these hours please call NHS 24 on 111

• If you are not registered and you have a dental emergency (extreme pain, swelling, bleeding or trauma) you can call NHS 24 on 111 who will triage your concerns and if appropriate arrange an onward referral. We are also offering FREE ADVICE and REGISTRATION to non registered patients. Give us a call if you need us!

• You can also find some excellent advice on the Windmill Dental Care Facebook and Instagram sites

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If you have looking for any advice on dental care throughout COVID-19 please call our team at Windmill Dental Care on 01698 262698.  We are here to help!

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