Your latest COVID-19 update from Dental House

Update: 4th January 2021

Hooray, our regulators have told us that we can remain open!

The last 10 months have already been an increasingly challenging time for us all and following today’s government’s announcement for a new National Lockdown starting midnight tonight, it appears that we may not be clear just yet!

What do these new Covid-19 restrictions means for Dental House?

Dental House will remain open – there are no restrictions with regards to medical treatment and patients have been actively encouraged to continue to attend their appointments.

What’s changed from the first few lockdowns?

We have actually known for some time that should there be another lockdown we wouldn’t be forced to shut again – but why have the government and our regulators changed their tune? We have 3 reasons…

1) They now hold significantly more knowledge about the way the virus spreads and the confidence in the cross-infection/disinfection protocols that a typical dental practice takes to destroy all sorts of nasties, not just this annoying one!

2) The powers that be were still researching the best type of PPE to protect healthcare workers, added to a global shortage of the this PPE meant dental practice’s had no option but to remain shut in the spring.  Fortunately, fast forward a few months and since reopening in June, this new way of working has meant, we are now pro’s in donning our specialist protective equipment to keep our lovely patients and staff safer than ever!

3) There have been severe consequences for the public in not being able to see a dentist during the previous lockdown.  This had left patients with toothache with no access to dental care and meant thousands of patients nationwide had to have root canal treatments or worse extraction due to this forced closure.  We won’t let this every happen again on our watch!

I have an upcoming appointment, should I do anything?

Absolutely not – attend as usual (with a mask) and follow the instructions at the door.   As we have been doing since our reopening in June, we are only allowing one patient into the surgery at any particular time – and thoroughly disinfecting the whole practice between patients to keep you all safe.  In addition we have introduced extra measures to ensure patient safety and comfort (see below)

I need an appointment, what should I do?

Believe it or not, with some practice’s still partially closed, we have been busier than ever since June.  We have extended our opening times and are working some late evenings to help accommodate as many patients as possible.

If you require a general check-up or have an emergency/toothache and would like to be booked in, please call us on our usual number 01932 239076 – if it is out-of-hours, please leave us a voicemail which will be actively monitored over evenings and weekends.

If you would like to discuss a particular treatment (Composite Bonding, Invisalign, Implants or Smile Makeovers / Veneers) please either give us fill our our contact form on our website with a brief description and contact preferences (phone/email/whatsapp) and one of our dentists will be in touch.  Alternatively, you can book in for a free virtual video consultation with Dr. Shamir or Dr. Hassan (see below)

So, what extra measures have we put in place?

At Dental House, the most important thing is patient safety and comfort, and that is why since March we have been upgrading the clinic and introducing the following measures to keep our patients and staff safer than ever. The clinic as you are aware was always a very clean and safe environment, dental practices already adhere to the strictest if cross-infection protocols. However in light of the pandemic, we have introduced extra measures to ensure patient safety:

• Please do not attend the clinic unless you have an appointment – there will be only one patient in the surgery at any given time.
• We have placed hand sanitisers at entry points, upgraded our PPE and redesigned the patient journey in line with social distancing.
• We will be conducting pre-screening tests of patients which is likely to include taking your temperature on arrival.
• We will be booking your appointments to ensure that the Practice and waiting areas are not overcrowded. We will do this by leaving suitable gaps between appointments, making sure that you can attend the practice while maintaining a suitable distance from one another in accordance with government guidelines.
• To further avoid overcrowding when you arrive at the practice, we ask that you wait in your car or in a safe place outside of the practice until called in. We will notify when you should enter the practice.
• We have just launched our patient portal. You will be able to log in using your personal details and required to fill in all relevant forms online on your own electronic device from the comfort of your home prior to your appointment. If this isn’t possible, whilst at the practice. Ensuring you will not have to touch a pen or paper when you attend your appointment.
• We will be operating a no cash policy and ask that you pay using a contactless card or via our new patient portal – a payment link can be sent to you via SMS after your appointment. This crucial step greatly reduces touch points at the practice.
• Between all appointments as always, the dental team will thoroughly disinfect the dental surgery, reducing the risk of exposure to anything harmful while you are in our dental chair.

You can also access the patient portal to book/amend appointments, pay any outstanding balances, see any treatment plans and fill our any forms prior to attending your appointment.

We are currently offering FREE virtual video consultations with your dentist. If there is anything you need to discuss whilst you’re waiting for the practice to reopen or whether you want to find out more information about any of our treatments – then you can visit us via the patient portal to book a time and date that is most convenient.

For the latest information on our practice, special offers and behind the scenes info, please visit and follow our instagram page.

We look forward to seeing you again soon!

The Dental House team.