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Orthoclinic will reopen its orthodontic clinic in Manuka from Tuesday 5 May 2020.

The Australian Health Protection Principal Comittee (AHPPC) comprised of all state and territory Chief Health Officers and chaired by the Australian Chief Medical Officer has recommended an easing of dental practice restrictions from Level 3 to Level 2.

Level 2 dental restrictions allow for simple dental procedures that are unlikely generate aerosol.  Aerosol is the mixture of fine dust or water droplets (mist) in the air that can transmit the COVID-19 virus creating potential cross infection risk between patients and dental staff.

The ADA’s Managing COVID-19 Guidance document does include orthodontic treatment in Level 2 restrictions.  However, our practice will still be limited due to these restrictions.

Please keep your next scheduled appointment.
Most appointment types will be remain as scheduled from 4 May 2020. We will not be able to move your appointment forward due to scheduling issues this shutdown has caused.  We may need to cancel & reappoint certain procedures on a case by case basis to adhere to Level 2 guidelines.  You will receive an appointment reminder prior to your appointment by SMS and email.  Please contact us on 02 6295 2005 to change/confirm this appointment.

Monthly direct debit payments will resume.
Orthoclinic paused all direct debit scheduled payments for the month of April 2020 which will recommence from in May 2020.  The April 2020 installment will be drawn on the month after your scheduled final payment.

Is it safe for me to attend my appointment ?
Yes.  Orthoclinic has all the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and standard infection control protocols to safely treat you within the scope of the Level 2 restrictions.  Additionally, new protocols are being followed to adhere to COVID-19 social distancing rules and surface disinfection procedures.

Instructions for attending your appointment.
1. Please arrive on time – Patients arriving too early will be requested to wait on the street and those arriving too late may not be seen.
2. Patient Plus One Family Member – no more than one additional family member may attend the clinic with patient.  Ideally, only patient will attend the clinic for their appointment.
3. DO NOT ATTEND & call for advice if –
a) you have returned from overseas/interstate in the past 14 days
b) feel unwell, including but not limited to symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath
c) had contact with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 in the past 14 days
d) you are over 70 years old, or have a chronic disease in particular, cadiovascular or respiratory disease or are immunocompromised eg: under cancer treatment or insulin dependent diabetic
4. Use hand santiser provided during check in with reception

Please do not hesitate to contact reception on 02 6295 2005 for questions you may have.  We look forward to seeing you all again soon !

Orthoclinic

Orthoclinic will temporarily shutdown its orthodontic clinic in Manuka effective from Friday 27 March.

The Australian Health Protection Principal Comittee (AHPPC) comprised of all state and territory Chief Health Officers and chaired by the Australian Chief Medical Officer has provided the following recommendations:

“…. that all dental practices implement Level 3 restrictions as outlined in the Australian Dental Association’s (ADA) Managing COVID-19 Guidance document. That is, dentist should only perform dental treatments that do not generate aerosols, or where treatment generating aerosols is limited. All routine examinations and treatment should be deferred.”

The ADA’s Managing COVID-19 Guidance document does not include orthodontic treatment in Level 3 restrictions and therefore, Orthoclinic must no longer see patients until the restrictions are lowered to Level 2 or less.

What does this mean for my next orthodontic appointment ?

We plan on reappointing all current appointments to delay them by 6 weeks.  You will be informed of your new appointment time and date by email and SMS.  If the time provided is not suitable, please contact us on 02 6295 2005 to change this appointment.

What if I have a problem with my braces while Orthoclinic is in shutdown ?

Reception will be contactable by phone (02 6295 2005) or email (reception@orthoclinic.net.au) during normal business hours Monday-Friday during this shutdown period.  We will triage orthodontic issues in accordance with the Level 3 restrictions and provide assistance accordingly.

How does this impact my orthodontic treatment progression ?

Any delay in your next orthodontic treatment appointment will simply add further treatment time to your overall treatment.  This only becomes problematic if your oral hygiene is not adequate, which can lead to dental decay.  For those patients with braces, please ensure that tooth brushing is performed for 2 minutes after morning and evening meals at a minimum.

What about my scheduled direct debit payments for treatment ?

Orthoclinic has paused all direct debit scheduled payments for the month of April 2020.  It is not our intention to charge you for treatment we are not able to deliver.

When will you reopen ?

When dental practice restrictions have been reduced to Level 2 or lower as dictated by the AHPCC.

Please do not hesitate to contact reception on 02 6295 2005 for questions you may have.  More updates to come…

Orthoclinic

Due to the increase of Covid-19 cases in the ACT the Australian Dental Association have given us specific guidelines to follow.

Our practice is currently still open but we are only seeing essential appointments, classifications below:

Essential appointments – orthodontic adjustments, appliance checks, retainer checks if something is wrong with the retainer, braces placement only if teeth have already been removed
Non essential appointments – new patient consults, treatment plan consults, diagnostic records, reviews, retainer checks, braces going on

Removal of braces – We are also not able to produce any aerosol in the practice which means no water spray, no ultrasonic cleaner and no rotary air handpieces for glue removal. We are trying to look at alternative solutions and order some specific instruments in so that we are still able to keep the removal of brace appointments.  We will contact you if your appointment requires alteration.

We are reappointing all non essential appointments that were booked up to Friday 3rd April which then we will reassess the situation and update you accordingly. We are working through contacting everyone who classifies as a non essential appointment and reappointing for 6 weeks time, but if you know your appointment booked prior to Friday 3 April falls under this category please do not attend your appointment.

For patients who are still coming into the practice for their appointments, to reduce the amount of people in the waiting area and keep to the social distancing requirements we ask that patients attend the clinic by themselves or with only 1 family member.

Should you wish to discuss anything urgently please feel free to call the practice on 6295 2005.  Further updates and information to come….

Stay safe,

Orthoclinic