Coronavirus & S3 Dental - A Year In Review

This year has devastated many people’s lives and livelihoods and whilst dentistry is an essential service that has often survived recessions and the impacts of other economic situations, it was impacted heavily during this year.

The mandated closure of dental practices in March this year for nearly two months was shocking. All dental practices overnight had to close doors and figure out what to do with all their patients who were in the middle of treatment or required urgent treatment. The government issued a document stating that all we could do was give advice, prescribe analgesics or antibiotics - the triple AAA. No initial advice on what to do with patients who needed face-to-face treatment was given and we awaited guidance from the Chief Dental Officer of England on how we should proceed. Our dental insurance was restricted to cover the triple AAA only and we set about undoing all the hard work of reducing antibiotic prescribing that we had spent years trying to do.

Our staff continued to work where possible, we reviewed our protocols, we attempted to anticipate what the new guidance may be and we reflected on our clinical philosophy during this time. We took advantage of closed doors and upgraded clinical rooms and did what we believed would benefit our patients when we reopened. The positives of such times were however countered with some negatives.

As many other people faced, work-life and personal lives became very different and difficult overnight. Some reflected on their jobs and considered new possibilities, and we also found these changes amongst us. Long-standing associate dentists decided now may be the time to start their own practice, some to move closer to home and spend time with their family. Whatever the reason, those who left, left on good terms and we give thanks to the many years they provided such excellent care to their patients.

Whilst the government advised that where possible we should work from home, we could not do it. Our clinicians - nurses and dentists embarked on fit testing for new masks to allow them to work, and our reception team figured out ways to help patients with forms and paperwork without being able to see them face to face. All of this in the midst of a hidden enemy that could affect them and their family. I am pleased to say they accepted the risk and took on the challenge to provide care to the patients we see.

What is perhaps overlooked, is what the staff and clinicians have sacrificed during this time. Many continued to work during the national lockdown - manning the phones and helping where possible - many volunteered to help the NHS in any way they could. They dealt with many sad phone calls about patients they knew for many years that passed away during this time and had many difficult conversations with grieving family members of those patients. They also made a commitment to the practice and each other to keep everyone as safe as they could. So when the government relaxed certain rules and the lockdown ended, the team continued to be vigilant and be very strict with their social involvement. Again I give thanks and commend the team members who understood how being safe meant we could stay open and make sure we provided clinical care to those who needed it.

We reopened in early July and set about calling and booking in as many patients as we were allowed to deal with the backlog in clinical treatment needed and have slowly and steadily worked through this. Those patients who have visited us during this time will appreciate that it has not been easy operating under thick plastic layers of PPE and breathing through respirator masks, but we have overcome this challenge and battled on.

The second lockdown was far easier for us. We discovered that our closure during the first lockdown was not for safety reasons - but purely to secure the PPE supply chain for other hospital services. The country simply did not have enough masks and gloves for front line hospital staff, and it needed to ensure we did not use them for routine dental treatments.

When patients return to see us in the future, they will be met with a few changes - “the new normal” that has been forced upon us. However, this is perhaps not a bad thing. The social distancing measures have sparked a new digital revolution and just as video calls, remote working, and webinars are now part of our lives, we have also found new and exciting technologies being developed that improve the clinical care we offer.

We have successfully introduced our patient portal - the ability to fill in your medical history forms and complete health screenings from your phone has been invaluable to us. The option to bypass the queue at reception and check-in for your appointment is fantastic when it will be implemented fully. Our waiting room area remains closed until further notice as mandated by Public Health England, but with the hope of a vaccine and relaxed social distancing, this will make your patient journey through the practice simple and stress-free.

We introduced more communication pathways for patients to contact us - we now have a WhatsApp service, so patients can drop us a message at a convenient time for them and we can get back to them during the day with information about the service - the best bit - it is associated with our practice telephone number so you do not need to add another number.

We have committed to updating and sending out more information about the services we offer and any changes, and patients can expect to have more engagement with us. Our focus will be to provide information about how to care for your teeth and gums with videos posted on our social media on simple things that make a big difference. If you haven’t already - sign up for our newsletter HERE and follow us on social media.

A final reflection on what we discovered was how we previously provided dental care and the approach. All S3 Dental clinicians have aimed to be proactive in their advice and care, in some situations the best option may have been to wait and see. Whilst we are unlikely to be closed again in the event of a third lockdown, we have found that patients who did wait and see, opted to not have treatment when advised did need and seek more urgent care. We appreciate that dental treatment can sometimes seem expensive or unaffordable, but the cost of dealing with problems when they have advanced is often more expensive and unfortunately likely painful.

Many people have been stressed and worried by the events of this year and have likely incurred some form of damage to their teeth and oral health. A report on the increased sales in comfort foods - cakes, biscuits, and chocolates will likely increase the chances of developing tooth decay, and the pressures of working from home or not working have significantly increased the number of patients attending with broken teeth due to grinding and clenching. With the NHS suspending routine dentistry since March, many patients have not had a routine dental inspection between 8 - 18 months. These risks are real and we will aim to deliver important messages on oral care via our social media platforms but also encourage patients to take care and not ignore any dental problems they may have.

In 2021 we hope for a better year, we expect some normality to return from April 2021 and we hope patients will see the hard work that has gone on during this time to improve clinical care.

You may see a new dentist when you attend, required to fill in more paperwork than normal, perhaps be offered different treatment options, find the cost of dental treatment a little dearer (both NHS and Private dental charges have increased), but I hope you will also see the how we have focused on keeping you safe during your visit, learning and providing new treatments that offer a high success in terms of longevity and outcome and ultimately to remain a service that you can depend upon.

Yours sincerely

Dr Sami Butt - Co Founder Of S3 Dental

Principal Dentist