H S September 2014 THE HIGH STREET DENTAL PRACTICE IG TR H E MEMBERSHIP PLAN E E

T The High Street Dental Practice has been serving WHAT DOES OUR MEMBERSHIP PLAN H Chippenham for over 50 years. We provide continuity and T commitment to care while keeping abreast of advances in INCLUDE? D

modern and our aim is to provide high quality Our Membership Plan is only £14.91 per month.

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treatment in a relaxed and safe environment. E

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Patients who are members of the Membership Plan will be Membership Fee per Item T

T registered with their own dentist who, with the assistance Plan A

C of the hygienist team, will personally provide all routine L A P care and treatment. This encourages the development of a Examination Included £40.00 R sound and trusting relationship between patients and the Hygienist Visit Included £50.00 Practice Improvements dental team. Other Treatment 15% Discount Full Fee Research has shown that much of dental disease is pre- HI, MY NAME IS SAM E signature pads ventable and that regular advice and care will improve oral We are required to Hi my name is Sam. I am a update your medical health and help to maintain a healthy mouth. We are firm HOW DO I JOIN THE MEMBERSHIP PLAN? believers in such an approach and have designed a dental registered dental nurse and histories on a regular There is no need for assessment. All you have to do is care plan which will encourage regular attendance for pre- joined the High Street Dental basis. Until recently complete a registration form and direct debit mandate. Our this involved having to ventive advice and early detection of dental disease, whilst Practice in May 2014. Before trained and helpful reception staff will be available to assist fill out and sign a paper also financially rewarding patients committed to the training to become a dental you and answer any further questions. nurse, I worked as an form every time you practice and our philosophy. administration assistant for a attended, which many The Plan arrangement can be terminated with one months mortgage broker. patients found quite When you join the High Street Membership Plan you can notice. tedious if they had not relax in the knowledge that all your preventive dental care Approximately 8 years ago, I changed their personal details or had a complex medical is covered by a convenient monthly payment plan. In changed careers and obtained history and were taking a lot of medication. Many of you will addition you will receive a 15% discount on any subsequent WHAT HAPPENS IN AN EMERGENCY? a trainee dental nurse position have seen or used the three signature pads in Reception, You will have access to a 24 hour worldwide dental necessary treatment from your dentist. As an extra benefit in a dental practice in Bath which enable you to check your medical history kept in your emergency helpline. The helpline will assist you in finding you will also obtain worldwide Supplementary Insurance where I worked with a dentist who placed implants, computer records and then sign a digital copy. No more form an English speaking dentist where ever you are in the for dental emergencies and dental injuries at home or provided cosmetic dentistry and Botox. filling and a big step towards reducing our paper abroad. world. consumption. In 2009 I took my dental examinations and obtained X-rays YOUR BENEFITS WHAT DOES SUPPLEMENTARY a qualification as a Registered Dental Nurse from the We have also introduced a new digital x-ray system. This is one NEBDN. After qualification, I worked for several years as a ✓ All preventive dental care, including diet and oral INSURANCE COVER? of the most advanced systems available and is a major self-employed, freelance dental nurse, providing nursing The details of the insurance can be found on our web page improvement on our old equipment. The image quality is sig- hygiene advice. cover to various dental practices in Wiltshire and Somerset. at www.thehighstreetdentalpractice.co.uk. nificantly better, enabling us to more accurately assess the ✓ Regular examinations and hygienist visits as health of your teeth. And surrounding structures. Additionally Since starting work at the High Street Dental Practice I have recommended by your dentist. Up to maximum of 2 per GH ST the new sensors are much thinner than the old sensors, mak- I R nursed alongside Dr Christopher Lambert-Rose, who has a ing them easier to position and better tolerated by patients. year. H E special interest in and Cosmetic Dentistry and Once exposed, the sensors are then processed through a have also assisted Dr Laurinda Watt, Dr Gerry Davies and Dr ✓ All small Xrays taken in the surgery. E scanner to extract the image file, which is then displayed on E Graham Walker. They all work in different ways and have the PC in the appropriate surgery. special interests in various dental treatments including ✓ 15% discount on all treatment provided in addition to the T H , using sedation techniques for dental treatment Washroom cover by your plan. and preparing bridges, crowns and dentures. Many of you will have noticed our new patient washroom. T ✓ Payment by convenient monthly direct debit, allowing D Designed by Jacquelina Lambert-Rose, it is the first stage in

Dental nursing is a very rewarding career; every day is our refurbishment program for the Practice that will take place you to budget. E different and you are constantly learning new facts and over the next two to three years. The old washroom had a

E techniques. I have a particular interest in implantology and

✓ Access to our 24 hour dental emergency helpline, N cramped and cluttered feel, with outdated decor and fittings.

C oral surgery and plan to expand my knowledge in this area This new washroom has been designed to create a modern, I

every day of the year. T by attending training courses and lectures in the future. light, airy and clean

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✓ Worldwide Supplementary Dental Injury and A space. Responses from C L

A I enjoy being part of the team at the High Street Dental patients have been very P Emergency Insurance at terms not available elsewhere. R Practice and feel that we are providing an excellent favourable which we hope ✓ Membership card with 24 hour helpline numbers for service to all our patients. will continue as we update the rest of the Practice. If dental emergencies at home or abroad. Telephone: 0844 499 6626 you have not seen it yet ✓ Guaranteed registration with the High Street Dental Miss Sam Anteney then go and have a look! Fax: 0844 499 6627 Registered Dental Nurse Practice and continuing access to your dentist. www.thehighstreetdentalpractice.co.uk continued on page 2 - d ushed Miss Zoe Fletcher Registered Dental Nurse and how to facilitate patient’s treatment when they receive intravenous, inhalational or oral sedation. it is Sedation is available to all patients. However, mostly used to help those who feel anxious when having dental treatment. It is also offered to patients more complex or lengthy treatments such undergoing A thorough discussion as implants and oral surgery. with and assessment of the patient is undertaken a decision is made as to which form of sedation most suitable. It is a requirement that chaperone attends the practice with patient undergoing sedation and that the patient will be accompanied home after the procedure. The course was fascinating and very informative. I thoroughly enjoyed this new learning experience and am now very interested in furthering my knowledge in sedation and aim to obtain an additional formal qualification in Sedation Nursing. If you would like to know more about receiving dental treatment under sedation please ask your dentist the next time you see them or speak to me one of my will be pleased to answer any nursing colleagues. We of your questions. SEDATION My name is Zoe and I am a Registered Dental Nurse and have worked here at the High for three Street Dental Practice years. I nurse with the Orthodontists and John Atkins Graham Walker and find this very rewarding. In addition, I also assist Gerry Davies, who has a special interest in implants, oral surgery and treating patients under sedation. Therefore, I experience a wide variety of dental treat- ment and nursing in my job. In April this year I and another nurse from the practice, attended a comprehensive Foundation Hayley, Course at Bristol Dental Hospital Sedation Training over two days. Sedation comes in many forms; including oral sedation, inhalational sedation and intravenous sedation. The course covered all three of these areas and gave us instruction in how to care for the patient when using these forms of treatment in surgery. familiarised ourselves with the equipment We required in a practical situation, the importance of monitoring patients during sedation, recognising normal and abnormal readings, how to work within the current legislation associated with dental sedation a regular deep cleaning. If the dentist or hygienist is away, a nurse takes the opportunity to ‘spring clean’ a regular deep cleaning. If the dentist or hygienist is away, their room; you will find our nurses are cleaning fiends! On top of this we also have contract cleaners who come in every night and keep the rest of practice clean tidy. In the future we hope to have a “sterilisation room” which will contain sinks, ultrasonic baths, washer disinfectors (like dish staff will take their instruments to this one room be cleaned, washers) and autoclaves. All the surgery will have staff who be employed to work in that to be stored. We sterilised, bagged, dated and returned to the surgeries area and be responsible for the sterilising of instruments. This will reduce noise heat from autoclaves in the surgeries. the end of working day we have another cleaning regime, similar to morning drill, in that all water lines are fl At stored in special locked bins awaiting collection. Cleanliness and general hygiene is very important to us all and we pride ourselves on the level of care provide in this area to keep our patients and staff safe. Mrs Cathy Thatcher RDN Registered Dental Nurse through, the suction is cleaned and traps emptied all surfaces are thoroughly disinfected. Instruments autoclaved stored in their sterilised bags. The autoclaves are drained of water and left clean to dry out. All clinical waste is bagged an STERILISATION Hygiene is very important at the High Street Dental Practice, have We but also for the staff. not only for the patients’ safety, a strict regime of cleanliness from the washing our hands to the disposal of clinical waste. A typical day in the surgery would start with a clean uniform (which is not worn outside of the practice premises) for nurse/dentist/hygienist, removal of jewellery except a plain wedding band and then thorough hand washing. gloves, Dentists, hygienists and nurses all wear surgical masks and safety glasses to ensure airborne bacteria or will notice that contaminated material is not transferred. You we provide you with a disposable apron and safety glasses as well. Once the patient has received their treatment, all gloves, masks and contaminated items are disposed of in orange clinical waste bags which are stored safely until They collected by a contracted waste disposal company. take the waste away and incinerate it at their disposal sites. is set up with cleaned surfaces, plastic covers The surgery on handles and head rests disposable sheets the bracket tables. The water we use through the hand piece system is distilled at the practice and an additional agent added (Alpron) to ensure the water is as pure possible. The water lines are run through each morning so that if any have We bacterial film is present (biofilm) it flushed away. a contract with company who inspect and test our water lines every year to certify their cleanliness. have a system for cold sterilisation of impressions taken We so that when they are delivered to the during the day, laboratory technicians they are free from bacteria. Instruments are scrubbed to remove debris, and then placed in the ultrasonic bath for 5 minutes vibrations to shake off any debris left after scrubbing. They are then checked by eye, with a microscope and if necessary washed again before being placed in the steriliser (auto- clave) with a test slip to ensure the temperature reached is sufficient to kill any bacteria present. Once the instruments have been autoclaved they are placed in sterile bags, which are dated. If they not used again for more than 12 months the instruments have to be re-auto- claved before they can be used. The autoclaves are filled with the distilled water and drained and cleaned every night. They are regularly The ultra- serviced and certified by a contracted company. The sonic baths are tested and results logged weekly. are thoroughly cleaned daily and also have surgeries Fax: 0844 499 6627 Fax: Telephone: 0844 499 6626 Telephone: www.thehighstreetdentalpractice.co.uk continued Newsletter STAFF NEWS STAFF D ET EN E T R A T L

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E H T Congratulations to Alex, one of our nurses, who recently passed her dental nursing exams and is now a fully qualified member of our team. This was the culmination of two years part-time study and involved written practical exams as well as final viva with two examiners. A lot of hard work so well done Alex! also have a new dentist on our team: Dr John We has joined us on a part-time basis, sharing Atkins the care of our orthodontic patients with Dr Graham John and Graham alternate every Tuesday Walker, morning. John had his own practice in xxxx where he provided NHS and private dental care for many years. co-principal Chris Lambert-Rose is about Practice to commence his second year of part-time post- graduate studies in endodontics (root fillings) that will eventually lead to the award of a Masters degree. The course is based near Manchester and involves 12 study days over months, as well several assignments and practical assessments. Survey As part of our drive to improve customer service we are about to implement an ‘instant survey’ for patients after they have had an appointment with a dentist or hygienist. You may be handed a ipad and asked to answer four simple questions and make any comments if you wish, concerning The responses can your recent experience at the Practice. feedback is very be anonymous if so desired. Patient important to us as we endeavour improve our service and any feedback on our performance is very welcome. New Sterilisation facilities are well on the way with scanning and storage of We old written clinical records. Once this is completed, our plan is to convert the records room upstairs into a dedicated clinical decontamination area. Please see Cathy’s excellent piece elsewhere in the Newsletter for fur- ther information on our sterilisation and cleaning regimes.”