Check-Up Interval Updates
Following the Coronavirus pandemic and initial lockdown which led to dental practices across the UK being required to close, many patients will have experienced falling behind on their regular, routine check-ups. In this post I hope to share with you the reasons this has happened, what is being done to resolve this, and what you can expect upon your return to Oaklands!
Why the backlog?
The first national lockdown required the closure of general dental practices across the UK. Over the 10 weeks that we were shut we were only able to offer remote triage, and once we were back open, it was at a very limited capacity in order to accommodate the enforced social distancing measures and enhanced cleaning procedures between patients. As you can imagine, this led to huge backlogs, especially given in some cases we were cancelling upwards of 60 patients each day across 3 dentists, but initially reintroducing only 2 patients per hour into practice, with only one surgery functioning to limit the number of patients and staff.
Though the measures we continue to take to ensure we are able to operate safely and as efficiently as possible are still thorough and follow all government and CQC guidance, the initial circumstances we reopened to have eased and we are able to offer all the same treatments and routine appointments, though our capacity is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels.
How do we solve this?
Firstly, we are pleased to announce we have received some promising responses to our advert for a new dentist to join our team! As well as being an exciting addition to the Oaklands team and an experienced dental professional to offer services to the community, they will also be a huge help in alleviating the backlog we continue to face. Please keep posted for developments on this front!
Further to this, we will be following guidance as set out by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) to, in some cases, extend dental recall intervals. The purpose of this guideline is to help clinicians assign recall intervals between oral health reviews that are appropriate to the needs of individual patients, with the shortest interval at 3 months, and at a maximum 24 months, or no longer than 12 months for patients under the age of 18.
When discussing altering the interval between dental checks, the individual needs of each patient are considered alongside other conditions influencing the recall decision, including, “patients' well-being, general health and preventive habits; caries incidence and avoiding restorations; periodontal health and avoiding tooth loss; and avoiding pain and anxiety.”
This interval can be adjusted and is not a lifelong decision as we all understand lifestyles and circumstances change which may require more or less time between dental reviews. The goal is always to successfully support our patients in achieving superb oral health.
NICE states "Patients should be encouraged to seek advice from a dentist before their next scheduled review if there are any significant changes in their risk factors”, so please do not hesitate to get in touch to notify us of any changes, receive advice, or to bring your next appointment forward if you are experiencing any particular concern.
What can I expect upon my return?
As a healthcare facility it is still necessary for visitors and patients to continue to wear a face mask in the communal waiting areas, and to ensure social distancing and provide sufficient time to thoroughly clean down between patients, the length of time many appointments are booked in for has remained increased. We are also required to prioritise emergencies and urgent treatments therefore, please do not be surprised if we offer dates further into the future than we might have previously been able to.
We look forward to seeing you again soon!
Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels