Mar 12, 2021
It would seem that there is an end in sight for Lockdown and a new beginning visible in the distance. I know none of us dare get our hopes up too much so as not to be disappointed but I’m hearing tentative plans from lots of clients now - always with a … perhaps we may or a… we hope to… Hopefully this is not a false dawn and we can return to some semblance of normality in the very near future.
At Gentle Dental the team have begun to think about what this new normal will look like. Will we go back to how things have been before? Will we have some restrictions that still remain? Do we and you prefer how things run now? Many, many discussion to be had and decision to be made over the coming months.
One thing that has been reviewed and is changing is what happens when you have an appointment on a Thursday. In order to comply with the ‘work from home if you can’ requirement some of the staff have been doing exactly that so that we only have one team member on reception. This means that on a Thursday Victoria is on the desk alone. She is now 4 months into her pregnancy and we have decided that carrying boxes of bags and coats is not a good idea so if you have an appointment on a Thursday in the next few months you will need to come to the main/front door.
Current guidance is that while the country is on this alert level there should be no face-to-face contact past 28 weeks into a pregnancy so likely we will ask those of you who attend on a Thursday to do the necessary temperature check yourself. Please don’t be offended when Victoria retreats behind the perspex while you do this. She wants to stay working in her current role until she goes on leave at the end of June and these few alterations to the routine allows this to happen. Many thanks in advance for you understanding and assistance. A gentle reminder also about the Covid 19 questionnaire we send out a few days before your appointment. The requirement for this comes from our governing body and it will need to continue until the guidance alters. Having had the vaccine does not do away with the need for you to answer this. I know the vaccine reduces your risk of becoming seriously ill but it does not completely remove the risk of you catching or spreading the virus. So, a request to still complete this even if you have had the vaccine - many others have not as yet.
Now all the housekeeping bits are out of the way I thought I would talk Electric toothbrushes. I’m frequently asked about what one to use. This is a personal view point based on (far too many) years in the business and may not be precisely what you would be told by another hygienist. To my mind the two best brands on the market are Braun/Oral B or Phillips. These are the two that invest the most in R&D of their electric brushes and having trialled many over the years they are the ones that deliver the best clean - when used properly of course. But which one is right for you?
I know this is going to sound strange but I tend to make my recommendation to you based on personality. For those of you who are ‘get it done’ and are already thinking about the next thing on the ‘to do’ list I recommend the Oral B electric toothbrush. While I recommend the Phillips Sonicare electric toothbrush for the ‘I am focused on this right now and I know I have other things on my list but I will think about them when I have finished this’ person. Why? My experience is that the latter find the Oral B too aggressive and it feels almost like a jack hammer going off in the mouth. The flip side is that the Phillips Sonicare just feels too gentle and like it isn’t doing anything for those who are already focused on the next step of their day.So now you know which brand to choose. Which brush? There are so many! I’m going to cover Oral B this month and will cover the Phillips range next time. Otherwise there will be no end to this blog!
If you want to know more about the Oral B Electric toothbrush range and which might be right for you click the link which will take you to another Blog with all of the detail.
And finally - I have given in and undergone a home haircut. As you may be aware barbers traditionally had a red and white pole outside their business and its origins can be traced back to the middle ages. The history is that as well as being a barber they were the ones who performed any necessary surgery and dentistry. So Rob is just going back in time and reviving a role from long ago. I’ve got to say judging from the end result I got the better end of the deal and am definitely sticking to being a hygienist.
Keep well and safe
Niamh, Rob and the Gentle Dental team .