Patient Information: COVID-19
Update: 7th January 2020
Northumberland Dental Care remains open for all patient appointments during Level 5 restrictions.
As an essential healthcare service, patients are permitted to travel more than 5km from home to attend the dentist.
We continue to implement a number procedures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of both our patients and staff. Should you have any concerns, please contact us directly on (01) 6688441.
We are continuing to ensure the safety of patients, dentists and staff with a number of enhanced safety measures, including the following:
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Staff and patient temperature checks
- Pre-appointment screening
- Staggered & lengthened appointments
- Increased infection prevention & control (IPC) processes
- Addition of air purifier machines
We request that patients do not visit us without a pre-arranged appointment.
Update: May 18th 2020
We are delighted to inform you that Northumberland Dental Care will be resuming normal service on a phased and gradual basis from Monday 18th May 2020.
Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.
During our transition to general treatment, Northumberland Dental Care will be following the government, HSE and Irish Dental Council guidelines at all times.
As a result, and to ensure the safety of dentists, staff and patients we have implemented a number of measures, including the following:
- Staggered & lengthened appointments
- Pre-appointment screening
- Staff and patient temperature checks
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Aerosol reduction/mitigation measures
- Increased infection prevention & control (IPC) processes
- Addition of air purifier machines
- Installation of Perspex screen for reception
In the weeks ahead, we will be prioritising those patients who had a dental emergency during lockdown. We will also be contacting any patients who had scheduled appointments cancelled due to the lockdown to re-book these appointments and will then be reintroducing our dental hygiene services later on in the month of June.
We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. Should you wish to make an appointment, contact your local practice.
Update: 23rd March 2020
In the best interests of our patients, team and community, we will be suspending all non-urgent dental treatments until further notice. This will include treatment such as; routine examinations, hygiene visits (scale & polish), fillings, root canal treatment, implants, and all cosmetic procedures including teeth whitening and cosmetic bonding etc.
Our team will still continue to provide emergency dental care to patients.
Should you or your family require urgent dental care at this time, please contact us on (01) 6688441 to schedule an appointment. Our team is available to answer your dental questions and concerns.
Due to the nature of dentistry, our standard infection control processes are designed to protect both patients and staff from the risk of contracting contagious diseases at all times, and especially when facing a situation like the current COVID-19 outbreak. Please be assured that we are receiving daily updates from both the HSE and the HSPC and are adhering to all the current guidelines to allow us to continue to provide the best possible care to you and your family.
If you have an appointment scheduled with us for routine dental treatment, our team will contact you directly to re-arrange. We appreciate that you may have further questions, so please do not hesitate to contact us on (01) 6688441 or info@nidm.ie and we will be more than happy to help.
Should You Need To Visit
We will open for dental emergencies only between 10am-12pm, Monday to Friday. For clarity dental emergencies include, but are not limited to:
- Severe dental pain
- Swelling
- Trauma/bleeding
To arrange an appointment, please email us on info@nidm.ie with a brief description of your emergency and provide a contact telephone number. We will contact you during our emergency opening hours, 10am- 12pm Monday to Friday. Our priority is the safety of our patients and staff, therefore we will be unable to see a patient unless they have booked an appointment by phone and have been triaged by our staff prior to arriving at the practice.
Due to the nature of dentistry, our standard infection control processes and procedures are designed to protect both patients and staff from the risk of contracting contagious diseases at all times, and especially when facing a situation like the current COVID-19 outbreak.
Whilst these procedures are very effective; we are kindly asking patients who have travelled to any of the below areas recently to inform us when they call us.
- China
- Hong Kong
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Iran
- Japan
- Italy
- Spain
*This list is provided by the Health Service Executive (HSE), and is updated daily.
If you have travelled and are also experiencing flu-like symptoms, please phone your GP or your local emergency department, or visit the HSE live website.
As per our usual policy, if you have not travelled but are feeling unwell generally, you should postpone your appointment until you are feeling better. If you find yourself in a dental emergency, call Northumberland Dental Care on (01) 6688441, and we can discuss further.
Please be assured that we are receiving daily updates from both the HSE and the HSPC and are adhering to all the current guidelines to allow us to continue to provide the best possible care to you and your family.
Extra Precautions
As a healthcare environment, we have the highest standard of cleanliness at all times. As standard, we use a variety of methods to in relation to cross infection control, including Personal Protective Equipment, disposable items, barrier methods, sterilised instruments and complete disinfection of clinical areas after each patient.
In response to COVID-19, we have also implemented the following extra precautions:
- Screening of patients with flu-like symptoms and/or travel to affected areas prior to their arrival;
- Screening of all patients again on arrival for any symptoms;
- Implementing a no-handshake policy;
- Asking all patients and visitors to the practice to wash their hands and/or use hand sanitizer gel provided when they enter and leave the practice;
- Removing toys/magazines from the waiting area; and
- Carrying out additional cleaning in the practice such as regular disinfection of door handles and surfaces;
We hope this notice goes some way to reassuring our patients that if you so require an emergency dental appointment, that the safety of both patient and staff is our priority.
We appreciate that you may have further questions, so please do not hesitate to contact your local Dental Care Ireland practice and we will be more than happy to help reassure you.
Thank you to all of our patients for your continued support and understanding at this time. Please stay safe and follow all guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Northumberland Dental Care
