Dear patients and wider community,

 We have been planning our return to dentistry, however we must follow government guidelines. We will therefore be opening up for a limited service on 1st July.

We have already received a high volume of appointment requests, which we will be arranging in order of urgency. Our priority at this time is for the patients who have suffered from dental emergencies, whom we have been unable to treat during lockdown.

Please bear with us while we deal with the demand that we are facing. We will do our very best to accommodate you and are working as hard as possible into order to do so. If an issue should arise during this time, please do not hesitate to contact us, we are available to respond to your enquiries and will do so as soon as possible

We are currently renovating both surgeries which has allowed us to implement updates to create a clean, safe and modernised environment. This will be completed shortly and will allow us to provide the best possible experience for you  during this time.

We have also implemented the following updates to the patient journey and practice protocol:

Practice Updates

We have undergone complete renovation of both treatment and decontamination rooms in line with current guidelines. Several features have been incorporated, to ensure we are able to improve the airflow within the rooms to reduce viral transmission. This includes; extractor fans, minimalistic surgery design, new chairs with increased suction and more comfortable feel. Our bathroom has a new sink withinfrared/touch-free taps. Our reception room will sit a maximum of 1 person at a time, however we aim to take all patients directly into the surgery room on arrival. A clear perspex screen will act as a protective barrier on the reception desk . We have installed a video/intercom system on the front door to ensure that we can control social distancing and coordinate patients safely.

Patient Journey/Protocols

Your experience at Karma will not be the same as before.Dental practices are already safe places to visit as infection control standards are incredibly high.

When booking your appointment, we will carry out a short risk assessment to follow guidelines for the safety of patients and our team. You will receive an email upon booking -please read, sign and return ALL of the forms in the email prior to your appointment. Please ensure that you use the bathroom before arriving as our toilet will only be available for emergency use. As we are trying to reduce the spread of Covid-19 and this is a potentially high-risk area.

Your Appointment

We are now implementing longer gaps between appointments to ensure that we are able to allow for decontamination and ventilation of the room for your safety, and that of our team. This means that we will be seeing around a third of the patients we would normally be able to see each day. We will also attempt to complete treatments in one visit to ensure that we can avoid calling you in at a later date which may prove difficult if we have a long waiting list. And to reduce potential exposure with the return visit.

We apologise for the inconvenience, however this is now current practice for all dentists. We will be utilising both surgeries to keep the waiting time as low as possible with only one dentist operating per day to keep the footfall in the practice to a minimum. This will also mean that we will not be able to catch up or chat to you as much as we normally do. Karma Dental prides ourselves on your experience and this will be just as difficult for us as it will before you, please bear with us.

PPE

We have acquired high-level PPE, we donated our supplies at the height of the crisis to local hospitals in need of them. Getting hold of them has been very difficult with so many of the supplies being in high demand for hospitals.

If you are concerned or worried about your appointment, please be assured we are taking all of the necessary steps and measures to keep you safe. Our practice has always followed stringent infection control procedures. With the extra steps and investments we have made, although they may be inconvenient, they are with your safety and wellness in mind. And we hope that these extra precautions will be over soon.

We appreciate all of the messages of support during this uncertain time which has been challenging for us as a practice, like many of the other businesses in our community.

Patient Plan Members

To say thank you to our Patient Plan Members (KPP/Karma Kard). We would like to show our appreciation for your support at this time with a complimentary coffee and cake or pastry from our friends at Bon Bon Cafe & Deli across the street. This will be one per member and available from Monday 15th June. Just present your Karma Kard and member number to redeem it.

We would like to thank our patients and community for your support during what has been a challenging time for us all. We look forward to seeing you very soon and wish you all good health.

Best wishes, 

The Karma Dental Team