South Yarra Dental Group

Author: Boris Zaslavsky

COVID-19 July update

As most of you are no doubt aware, with escalating concerns about people who have acquired COVID-19 locally, our State government recently placed our city into Stage 3 lockdown.  At South Yarra Dental Group we are still dedicated to providing our usual high standards of clinical care while maintaining stringent infection control standards for all of our patients and staff.  We’d like to again reassure you that we are taking every precaution to keep the practice safe for our patients.  While dentistry remains an essential healthcare service, the particular circumstances we find ourselves in today necessitate changes to the way we deliver treatment for the time being.  We are following the advice of the Victorian Branch of the Australian Dental Association (ADAVB), who have been in constant communication with the government about the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation and what it means for our ability to continue practising dentistry.

The latest advice from the ADAVB is for all dental practices in metropolitan Melbourne to move to Level 2 dental restrictions as of today.  Under these restrictions we are advised against performing procedures which produce aerosols (ie air/water spray) unless they can be done under strict isolation of the teeth with rubber dam.  In practical terms this means that once again we have discontinued all hygiene appointments for the time being, and some dental appointments must be deferred until Level 2 restrictions are lifted.  We will still be seeing patients for urgent and emergency care, and many routine restorative procedures.  The treating clinician will advise staff whether your appointment can go ahead under Level 2 restrictions; please be patient if staff need to check with the dentist and get back to you.

We understand that having your dental appointments cancelled or delayed can be frustrating.  Believe us, we can’t wait until our practice is back to “normal” again.  However we feel that at this time the responsible thing to do is to err on the side of caution.  The quickest way to the end of the COVID saga is for all of us to play our part and follow the advice of authorities to stop the spread of the virus as quickly as possible.

As we did in March-April, we will be keeping our front door locked during business hours to reduce foot traffic in the building.  Please call us on 9827 3314 to let us know that you have arrived, wait in your car or outside, and we will let you in when we are ready to see you.  Other ways we are reducing risk of viral transmission include:

  • Continued screening of patients for potential exposure to COVID-19
  • A pre-procedural disinfectant mouthwash for all patients
  • Modified front desk procedures to minimise touching of surfaces
  • Hand sanitiser at reception and in treatment rooms for use before and after treatment
  • Patients are asked to use the toilet at home before attending in order to minimise touching of common surfaces by multiple patients.

At this stage our usual opening hours apply; however this may change if further restrictions are imposed.

Please email or call us if you have any questions or concerns.  Keep an eye on our website also, which will be updated with any further changes to our practice over the coming weeks.

Stay safe and keep smiling!

All of us at South Yarra Dental Group

Practice Update June 2020

With the further easing of dental practice restrictions in May, we are excited to be back offering the full range of dental services our patients have come to expect from SYDG, including hygiene appointments.  If you have been waiting for things to “settle down” before returning to the clinic, you need not wait any longer!  You may book an appointment online or call us on 0827 3314.

We are still following the latest guidelines as far as reducing the risk of viral transmission between patients and staff, hence we have made a few changes to our operations both in the treatment rooms and at the front desk.  We trust that you will appreciate that we are doing this for the benefit of our staff, patients and the community.

Also, we continue to screen all patients for COVID-19 risk factors when making appointments on the phone and upon arrival.  If you have been unwell (in particular with a fever, cough, sore throat or difficulty breathing), please do not make a dental appointment.  You should instead call your doctor and undertake a test for COVID-19.

Take care and we look forward to seeing you in the practice soon.

Best wishes,

All the team at South Yarra Dental Group

COVID-19 update

 

With the rate of community transmission of COVID-19 remaining low for the past few weeks, the government and Dental Board of Australia have this week eased some of the restrictions on dental practices which were imposed in late March.  As such we are now able to offer appointments for non-urgent treatment including examinations/ consultations and many restorative treatments.  Some dental procedures are still restricted so please note that it is not quite “business as usual” yet.

If you would like to continue your dental treatment but are unsure whether you are able to under the current dental practice restrictions, please call or email us and we will be able to let you know.  Please understand if the front desk staff cannot give a definitive answer “on the spot” as the treating clinician may have to advise them.

Unfortunately we are still unable to offer hygiene appointments and some types of other treatment for the time being, but we are hopeful that when restrictions are lifted further then we will be back to offering the full suite of high quality dental care that our patients have depended on us for over the years.  You are welcome to book an appointment in the coming weeks but please understand if we have to defer it based on the latest advice.

We are also continuing to screen all patients for COVID-19 risk factors when making appointments on the phone and upon arrival.  Please understand we are doing this for the safety of all our patients, staff and the community.  If you have been unwell (in particular with a fever, cough, sore throat or difficulty breathing), please do not make a dental appointment.  You should instead call your doctor and undertake a test for COVID-19.

If you haven’t been to the practice since mid-March, you will notice a few changes when you arrive.  As far as is practicable, we are adhering to the physical distancing measures advised by government and doing everything possible to reduce cross-contamination between patients and staff.  Please note also that we are no longer taking cash or cheque payments.

Be assured that we are following the most up-to-date protocols mandated by the National Cabinet in accordance with the Dental Board, and these restrictions are in place to reduce community infection risk as part of public health policy.

We look forward to a time, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, when life returns to a more familiar feel.  In the meantime we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and wish you all the best in navigating through this “new normal” which we are all adapting to.

Best wishes,

All the team at South Yarra Dental Group

 

Covid-19 Update 29/3/2020

With the escalating concerns about COVID-19 (commonly known as the coronavirus); The South Yarra Dental Group would like to inform you that we are dedicated to continuing to conduct our optimal safe health care practices and maintaining our high level of infection control for all of our patients and employees. We understand and appreciate that there is growing fear and anxiety due to COVID-19 and we want to reassure you that we are taking every precaution to keep the practice safe and healthy for our patients.

We consider dentistry an essential service, without access to which many people would suffer over the coming months. As health professionals we practice under the guidance of the latest infection control standards every day. However we also recognise the particular risks of person to person transmission posed by the nature of our work, and the need at this time to minimise, as much as possible, the potential spread of the novel coronavirus through the community.

We must also follow the advice of the Australian Dental Association, who have been in constant communication with the government about the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation and what it means for our ability to continue practising dentistry.

With these considerations in mind we have decided to continue running our practice, but with some necessary changes to reduce as much as possible the risk of viral transmission. We are thus deferring all non-urgent treatment for the time being, and limiting our practice to helping patients in need of urgent dental care. This means that we will not be performing routine
examinations, restorative dentistry or hygiene appointments until further notice.

If you have a dental emergency (ie toothache, facial swelling, dental trauma or a broken tooth which is causing pain) you can book an appointment online via our website (sydg.com.au). Alternatively you may call the surgery for an appointment on 9827 3314, however if you don’t get through please leave a message and we will ring you back as soon as possible.

To reduce risk of potential transmission between staff, we are operating with only one dentist and one dental assistant on any given day. Therefore please be patient if we can’t return your call right away, as we are probably helping another patient. We will certainly endeavour to see all patients in need of urgent care
as promptly as possible.

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The practice will be open from 8:00am to 4:00pm (or later if required) Monday to Friday, and 8:00am to 1:00pm (or later if required) on Saturdays. For emergencies outside of these hours please phone 9804 8523

COMING INTO THE CLINIC:

We have implemented several other changes to further reduce risk of viral transmission:

  • Screening of patients for potential exposure to COVID-19
  • Only one patient (and their carer, if necessary) is allowed into the

    practice at any one time

  • Patients are asked to wait outside the practice until the dentist is ready,

    at which time they will be brought straight into the treatment room.

  • Patients will be given a disinfectant mouthwash to rinse with prior to

    treatment

  • Procedures at front desk have been modified to minimise touching

    of surfaces. For this reason we are no longer accepting cash payments.

  • An alcohol-based hand sanitiser is provided at reception and in the

    treatment rooms for before and after treatment

  • Patients are asked to use the toilet at home before attending in order to

minimise touching of common surfaces by multiple patients.

 

Though we acknowledge the anxiety this situation has caused throughout the community, we ask you not to panic. Be alert to the risks but don’t be alarmed.

Please email or call us if you have any questions or concerns. Please keep an eye on our website also, which will be updated with any further changes to our practice as they are implemented, based on the latest advice from
the government, the Dental Board and the ADA.

 

Thank you all in advance for your patience. We really are all in this together. With all of us working towards one common goal we can get past this turbulent

time, and all of us look forward to resuming a more normal life in the not-too- distant future. In the meantime stay safe, remember to minimise contact with others, and wash your hands frequently. And of course don’t forget to keep up your daily oral hygiene routine!

Stay safe and well,

 

All the team at South Yarra Dental Group.