NHS Dentist in Welling Kent - Bellegrove Dental Surgery

Coronavirus Update - Wednesday 25th November 2020

At Bellegrove Dental Surgery we will remain open.

Our team are trained in oral health care but also infection prevention and control too. We are well-versed in providing safe care and have practised cross-infection control for many years, using personal protective equipment (PPE).

The experience of going to a dentist is different now, but they remain safe places to be.

We are still catching up from lockdowns and at present we are prioritising:

• Patients needing urgent care
• Patients at higher risk of oral disease and
• Patients with outstanding treatment needs.

The reason for the long waits is not just because of the backlog, but also because there’s a lot more disinfection of surgeries required after each treatment. Sometimes we have to wait anything up to 45 minutes before we can have another patient in the chair.

Please make sure you keep your appointment if you have one; it’s going to be safe and it’s important we don’t waste limited resources. If you can’t make an appointment, please give at least 24-48 hours’ notice and we may be able to offer it to someone else who really needs it.

Routine care like a check-up will be delayed, potentially until next year unfortunately.

Please be assured that all the team at Bellegrove are working within the current guidelines issued by governments and are doing their best to help patients wherever possible.

Receptionists are also doing their best to ensure that priority cases are treated as soon as possible. Please treat all our staff with respect. We know it can be stressful, but we are doing our best to help.

What are dental appointments at Bellegrove like now?

Practices are using personal protective equipment such as mask, gloves and aprons and social distancing measures to keep staff and patients safe.

• If you call to make an appointment to come into the surgery, you’ll be asked Covid-19 screening questions on arrival at the surgery.
• You will be asked to use hand sanitiser when you arrive (and again before you leave)
• You will also be asked to wear a face covering in the waiting room if you aren’t exempt
• You will also find that waiting rooms might look a little different with limited seats and markers in place
• You will also notice that the dental team may be wearing different protective equipment to what you are used to seeing – this is to increase your protection
• Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment or asked to wait outside if the waiting area if at full capacity.

What can you do to help?

• Please do not arrive without an appointment
• With the exception of children and persons in need, patients should come alone
• Patients should attend wearing a face covering and bring their own pen to their appointment.
• A distance of at least one metre must be observed if another patient is present in the dental practice
• Please do not arrive early to the practice as we have a limited waiting area capacity which we can not exceed.
• If you show symptoms following appointment booking, you should contact NHS Test and Trace and let the surgery know.

It is likely to be some time before dental services can return to what you previously experienced as normal.

However, we will be doing all we can to ensure you receive the treatment you require in the safest way.

Bellegrove Dental Surgery team

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