March 20th 2020
Open letter to all our patients,
There is no higher priority to our team than the safety of our patients and staff. When visiting us at Portobello Dental Clinic, we want you to feel confident that all health and safety measures are taken to prevent transmission of all disease, including Coronavirus.
We rely on many evidence-based resources for the latest information to keep our patients, our team and our community safe.
So, for now, some of you may think we are overreacting, but based on the science and current evidence that our historical universal precautions are not a safe guarantee against COVID-19, we have chosen to temporarily close our practice, until we feel confident that we can provide our high quality dentistry in a safe environment for our patients and our team.
As of March 16, 2020, the American dental association is now urging dentists to postpone elective procedures and only treat emergencies for the next three weeks. Additionally, the Scottish assembly have advised against non-emergency dental treatments and the Welsh NHS have issued and amber alert which advised postponement of non-urgent dentistry.
The HSE, here in Ireland, have issued guidance to all their general dentists and because we are now in the delay phase of Covid 19, they have cancelled all routine dentistry clinics.
We will continue to answer your dental questions or concerns during the crisis, and can be contacted on (01) 454 2022 or by email info@portobellodental.com. We are also available to see our patients on an emergency only basis during this period.
If you feel that you have a dental emergency, please telephone the practice on the number above, and our coordinators will triage your dental needs over the phone. Please don’t be surprised when they ask you questions about your general well-being, recent travels or possible exposure to COVID-19.
As a patient, you have the right to a safe environment, and we would much rather be safe and proactive than reactive. Politics aside, it is evident that social distancing is the number one preventative method for slowing the spread of this virus so we do not overwhelm our hospitals. Practising high quality dentistry in a safe environment has ALWAYS been at the forefront of preventative measures, and we would like it to stay that way.
We encourage you to follow the guidelines set out by the HSE and W.H.O to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Stay safe and we look forward to welcoming you back to the clinic very soon.
Respectfully,
Dr. Helen Walsh and Dr. Nicholas Beirne
on behalf of all the team at Portobello Dental Clinic
