GREATER SYDNEY LOCKDOWN: COVID-19 UPDATE - 19 July 2021

July 21, 2021 in COVID-19, Dental Practice Standards, Health and Safety, Infection Control

COVID-19 UPDATE: WE ARE OPEN FOR EMERGENCIES AND URGENT DENTAL TREATMENTS

Rest assured that the health and safety of our patients and staff are our utmost priority.

Due to the Greater Sydney Lockdown affecting the Central Coast and the recent guidelines given to dental service providers by the Dental Council of NSW, all routine and non-urgent dental treatments are to be deferred at this time.

To do our part in limiting movement in our community, our services are restricted to the treatment of EMERGENCY and URGENT dental conditions only during the lockdown period.

It is a challenging time for all and it is our fervent prayer that we all remain safe and well amidst this worldwide health crisis.

We are operating with a very small team, but we are here to help our emergency patients on Mondays to Fridays from 8 am - 5 pm. This may change as we keep up with community and government updates.

If you have an appointment with us, our team will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled.

Best Ways to Contact Us & Stay Up-to-Date

If you have concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch via the following ways:

1. Send us a message here on Facebook, or

2. Email us at reception@newleafdentists.com.au, or

3. Call the office on (02) 4367-6222. If unattended, please leave a message and we will endeavour to attend to you as soon as possible.

Please follow us on our social media via Facebook and Instagram for updates or just to keep in touch!

Thank you for your continued support during this time. We hope that you will all keep yourselves and your loved ones safe and well!

See you on the other side!

GREATER SYDNEY LOCKDOWN: COVID-19 UPDATE - 26 JUNE 2021

June 28, 2021 in COVID-19, Dental Practice Standards, Health and Safety, Infection Control

With Greater Sydney including our beloved Central Coast going into lockdown for the next two weeks until 11:59pm on Friday, 09 July 2021, you might be wondering what’s going to happen to dental clinics and our regular business hours here in Erina. Read on to see what’s happening here at New Leaf Dentists at this time.

We're COVID-SAFE!

August 10, 2020 in COVID-19, Dental Practice Standards, Health and Safety, Infection Control

We have a COVID-19 Safety Plan and are committed to keeping you safe.

New Leaf Dentists is a registered COVID Safe business with the NSW Government. The safety and well being of our visitors, patients and our staff remain of utmost priority for us. From our strict infection control standards that we’ve had since the beginning of our practice, to the additional precautionary measures that we’ve implemented in response to the COVID-19 crisis, we are commitment to ensuring that our clinic remains as COVID-safe as possible.

Erina Dentist open under Level 1 Dental Restrictions

From Level 2 to Level 1 Dental Restrictions... Are We Back to Normal?

May 15, 2020 in COVID-19, Dental Practice Standards, Health and Safety, Infection Control

On May 7, the National Cabinet approved a move from Level 2 to Level 1 in Dentistry. What does this mean for us? Is everything back to normal once again? Not entirely, but we can do all dental services provided that we remain vigilant in our screening of patients and only treat those patients who do not meet the epidemiological and clinical risk factors for COVID-19.

We're Back!!!

April 27, 2020 in Dental Practice Standards, General health, Health and Safety, COVID-19

With the government downgrading dental services restrictions from Level 3 to Level 2 effective 27 April 2020, our team is back on board to make sure we are available to provide necessary dental treatments to our patients here on the Central Coast. Though still subject to restrictions, we are able to do more than we were allowed to in the past few weeks. Thank you for your support and understanding at these trying times.

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19): AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM DR. ROUEL VERGARA

March 18, 2020 in Dental Practice Standards, Infection Control

Your health and safety is of upmost priority for us amidst the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

With the ever increasing concerns and evolving Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, we at New Leaf Dentists are committed to ensuring that our clinic remains as safe as possible for our patients, visitors, dentists and our staff. We have been closely monitoring the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Government Health departments and the Australian Dental Association (ADA) to ensure that we minimise the risk to those who enter our doors.

Please read this important message from our Principal Dentist, Dr. Vergara , regarding our response to the Coronavirus situation.

INFECTION CONTROL: An area of focus in dental practice

July 20, 2016 in Oral health care, Infection Control, Dental Practice Standards

Media attention in recent times has put a spotlight on breaches in infection control standards in dental practices, causing public worry and fear. As an infection control educator in Australia and New Zealand, I cannot emphasize enough how this should be at the forefront of every dental health provider’s mind.

The good news is that the Dental Board of Australia has strict guidelines on infection control that outline how to prevent or minimise the risk of spreading infectious diseases in dental practice. This is readily available for all dental practitioners to implement, therefore there’s no excuse for them not to have one in place.

As a patient, you have the right to know whether your dentist is compliant with these guidelines or not, so that you can be confident that your health is not at risk.

Standard Precautions of Infection Control in the Dental Practice

Hand Hygiene: Since hands are the most common mode of disease transmission, it is important that your practitioner regularly cleans his/her hands before and after patient treatment.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): This involves wearing of gloves, masks, gowns, protective eye wear for the health care worker, and protective eye wear for the patient. This is to protect the skin and the mucous membranes from exposure to infectious or potentially infectious materials in spray or splatter.

Environmental Surfaces: Dental health care providers must know the contaminated zones and clean zones within the operatory area. Contaminated areas must be cleaned and disinfected following every patient’s treatment.

Patient Care Equipment: This includes reprocessing of instruments that must comply with Australian and New Zealand Standards AS/NZS 4815 “All steps necessary to make a contaminated reusable device ready for its intended use”. Each reusable instrument must be cleaned, inspected, sterilised using steam sterilisers (also knows as “autoclave”) and stored in a clean, dry place. This process needs to be monitored and if possible, tracked regularly. Any disposable single-use items must be disposed of after use.

Injury Prevention: This involves the handling of sharps, contaminated waste, and the management of spills and potentially infectious matter.

Our sterilisation bay

where each instrument goes through a stringent process to ensure the safety and health of our patients.

It is imperative that all dental practices have infection control protocols in place. It is an obligation by law that each registered dental practitioner complies with the standards.

At New Leaf Dentists, we take our infection control very seriously and have stringent protocols to ensure we continuously comply with Australian Standards.

I hope that this information will guide you in knowing what to expect from your preferred dentist in the area of infection control.

'Til next time!

Dr. Rouel Vergara DMD