We are pleased to announce that after a very difficult time for all Victorians over the past couple of months, the government has this week eased restrictions on the provision of dental treatment.  We are therefore now able to resume routine treatment including examinations, restorative and surgical care. Hygiene appointments will resume from this coming Monday.  So if you have been waiting these past few months for the right time to book in for your dental treatment, your wait is over!

We are still screening all staff and patients for COVID risk factors. Please do not come into the clinic if you are feeling unwell.  If you are experiencing any symptoms consistent with coronavirus (eg fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue), please get a COVID-19 test done as soon as possible and stay at home until you receive your results.

In keeping with government advice, we have reduced capacity in our waiting area, so please be patient if you are asked to wait outside for your appointment.  If you haven’t been in to see us for a while, you will notice some changes to our usual procedures:

• We ask that patients use the toilet at home prior to coming to the clinic.  This is to minimise touching of common surfaces by multiple patients.
• Please remember to wear your mask at all times until you are seated in the treatment room.  You will be asked to use hand sanitiser upon entry, and will have a temperature check and be asked some screening questions prior to being taken through to the surgery.  For the safety of all staff and patients you may be asked to reschedule your appointment if COVID-19 risk factors are identified.
• You will be asked to use a disinfectant (povidone iodine) mouthwash at the commencement of your appointment.  Please advise us you are are pregnant, have any thyroid issues, or are sensitive to iodine prior to this.
• Processes for payment of your account have been modified to mimimise the potential for cross-contamination at the front desk.

Please email or call us if you have any questions or concerns.  You can now also text us directly on 0488 856 289.  Our website will be updated with any further changes to our practice based on the latest advice from the government, the Dental Board and the Australian Dental Association.

See you soon,

All of us at South Yarra Dental Group

As you are all no doubt aware, we have seen a recent surge in new coronavirus cases in Victoria, resulting in a Stage 4 lockdown for the city of Melbourne.  During these next few weeks, many businesses deemed non-essential have been forced to close their doors.  As an essential service, dental practices have been allowed to remain open, however strictly only for the provision of urgent care as mandated by the government and Dental Board.  The aim of this is to limit the movement of people across our city unless absolutely necessary.

Under these current (“Level 3”) dental practice restrictions, all routine dental treatment must again be deferred until we are advised otherwise by the authorities.  As such we have again limited our practice to the provision of urgent and emergency care, with one dentist in the practice per day until September 13 unless restrictions are eased earlier.

We have again reviewed our infection control practices and have implemented even more stringent processes to reduce as much as possible any risk of cross-contamination between patients, staff and visitors.  As always, the safety of our patients and staff remains our highest priority.

If you have a dental emergency (ie toothache, facial swelling, dental trauma or a broken tooth which is sharp or painful) or require urgent care (eg deep tooth decay which may result in further complications if left untreated for a long time), you can book an appointment online via our website (sydg.com.au) or call the surgery for an appointment on 9827 3314.  If you don’t get through please leave a message and we will ring you back as soon as possible.

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.

Please be aware of the following changes to our usual procedures if you are coming for to the clinic over the next few weeks:

• Please DO NOT come into the clinic if you are feeling unwell.  If you are experiencing any symptoms consistent with coronavirus (eg fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue), please get a COVID-19 test done as soon as possible and stay at home until you receive your results.
• We ask that patients use the toilet at home prior to coming to the clinic. This is to minimise touching of common surfaces by multiple patients.
• The front door will remain locked during business hours.  If you have an appointment, please call us on 9827 3314 to let us know that you have arrived and wait outside or in your car. We will let you in when your dentist is ready to see you.
• Please remember to wear your mask at all times other than when you are seated in the treatment room.  You will be asked to use hand sanitiser upon entry, and will have a temperature check and be asked a series of screening questions prior to being taken through to the surgery.  For the safety of all staff and patients you may be asked to reschedule your appointment if COVID-19 risk factors are identified.
• You will be asked to use a disinfectant (povidone iodine) mouthwash at the commencement of your appointment.  Please advise us if you are pregnant, have any thyroid issues, or are sensitive to iodine prior to this.
• Processes for payment of your account have been further modified to mimimise the potential for cross-contamination at the front desk.

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 as they are implemented, based on the latest advice from the government, the Dental Board and the Australian Dental Association.

Once again, thank you for your patience through these increasingly worrying times.  We all wish for the quickest possible end to this latest phase in the fight against COVID, and to this end we all have our part to play.  We must all follow the government’s advice on how we can all help drive case numbers down.  For the latest on coronavirus situation in Victoria, please visit www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus

Until we see you next at SYDG, stay safe… and sane.  And don’t forget your mask!

We really are all in this together.

All the team at South Yarra Dental Group