by Christine Parker BDS (GDC 72136), Howardian Dental Practice
It’s been just over 3 years since the start of the Pandemic and many things are getting back to normal however the virus is still around and people are contracting it multiple times. For most people the virus is currently nowhere near as severe as when it first emerged. However dentists cannot relax their guard.
All practices treat a wide mix of society and that includes those deemed to be clinically vulnerable. Indeed some of the staff may fall into that category or have family members who are.
Dentists are in an unusual position in that we produce aerosols, that is, droplets of air, water and exhaled breath. This means that there is vapour released into the surgery. This aerosol is only released when we use ultrasonic scaling equipment or the drill that emits water when we do a filling.
This is why during procedures your dentist may still have to wear additional personal protective equipment. Dental surgeries are safe to attend and all have their own protocols based on national guidance and tailored to their premises.
In our practice we have one patient at a time, an air purifier, all staff wear FFP3 masks (filtering 99.9% of particles) and we change our gowns after each aerosol we generate. Obviously we also wear a plastic visor and gloves as we did pre-pandemic. Additionally we have the windows open and have a timed gap between each patient.
For treatment in safe, caring environment please email us or call and leave a message.
Howardian Dental Practice is conveniently located at 11 Alan Farnaby Way, York Rd Business Park, Sheriff Hutton YO60 6PG
t: 01347 878111. www.howardiandental.co.uk