COVID-19 Update: Eased Restrictions and Every Practice Open
Since March 23, we have only been able to offer limited appointments for dental care. Today we are excited to announce that all three of our locations will be open from Monday, May 18 2020.
Why We Operated On Restricted Hours During April and May
The Coronavirus pandemic has had an enormous impact on Canberra and the rest of the country. The government acted quickly to limit the spread of the virus. The resulting restrictions affected every household and business.
Dentistry is an essential health service. Good dental health is essential for good general health. But, on March 23, the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee recommended that all dental practices implement Level 3 Restrictions. This meant that dentists could not perform dental treatments that generated aerosols. Dentists were asked to defer all routine examinations and treatments.
As a result, dental practices were only able to see patients for limited emergency procedures.
In response, we closed our rooms at Brindabella Business Park and operated solely out of our rooms in Woden or Deakin on a two-week rotation. We cancelled all routine appointments. And we restricted our treatment to the management of emergencies only.
Australia’s response to the pandemic has so far been positive. Our government is cautiously optimistic about the nation’s ability to safely relax restrictions. This applies to the practice of dentistry as well.
On April 26, dentists were able to move back to Level 2 Restrictions and to provide treatments beyond emergencies. Two weeks later we received the exciting news that we could move to Level 1 Restrictions.
What are Level 1 Restrictions for Dentistry?
Under Level 1 restrictions, dentists can provide all dental services, not just emergency treatments. However, they can only treat people who are not at risk for COVID-19 infection transmission.
This means that we must still conduct screenings and to take extra precautions to ensure everyone’s safety. We will continue to limit the number of people in the practice at any one time. We ask that everyone visiting us will practise good hand hygiene.
If you aren’t feeling well or have any viral symptoms, please postpone your appointment until you are well.
Appointments In May and June
There is quite a backlog of appointments to reschedule, so we are giving preference to rebooking those that we have cancelled.
New patients are always welcome to call us, and we will do our best to fit you in.
Our business hours are:
- Monday – Thursday 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Friday 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Our three locations are:
- Woden – 6282 2605
- Brindabella Business Park – 6257 0393
- Deakin – 6281 4666
We are looking forward to seeing you!