Hello all, think of this newsletter as the last 18 months, troughs interspersed with very brief peaks of joy!
As you probably know we have been super busy here at Crown Street and we would like to apologise to those who we have not been able to see in a timely fashion.
The good news is that life seems to be returning to a “little bit more normal” and everyones lives are getting busier.
This does mean that more people are rescheduling their appointments however some people are forgetting them all together and failing to attend, this is leaving gaps in the diary in which we could have seen people in pain.
Please read on…..
Failed appointments and dormant patients
As you will be aware, once you have booked an appointment you will receive a confirmation email. You will also get a reminder 7 days prior to your appointment and again 2 days before. We also contact patients that have not completed their pre-screening forms the day before.
If we are unable to reach you to complete these forms, we will now be taking that as confirmation you will not be attending the practice for your appointment. We have recently had a few ‘Failed to attends’ which is frustrating all around when there are people that would like to be seen sooner.
Our cancellation policy remains at 48 hours’ notice. Appointments cancelled on the day or 24 hours prior will be charged at our rate of £1 per minute.
As a reminder here is a link on how to complete your forms. If you have any problems accessing them, we are here to help.
Long appointments will now require a deposit at booking.
We have a recall system in place to remind you when your Dental appointment is due. If you do not have a future appointment booked you will receive an email/letter/text reminding you to do so after 6 months. We would currently advise you to book your next routine appointment each time you visit so that you do not have to wait to see us.
Any patients that have not been to see us for 3 or more years will be removed from our patient list and marked as inactive.
Aggressive behavior
“WOW” you might say, how could anyone be rude to the lovely bunch of people at Crown Street- you would be right, it doesn’t happen very often. We appreciate the last 18 month has had everyone at breaking point, but so are we and we have unfortunately had to suffer the wrath of a few individuals. If we upset you in any way, please let us know and if you need a few minutes to calm down, please write your thoughts in an email and send it to us. For those who still can’t CALM DOWN, maybe we aren’t the right place for you and we can suggest somewhere else for you to get your care.
Our Fees
You may recall an apology we sent out at the end of August regarding our routine examination and Hygienist fees.
As of November 1st, a Dental Examination in the Hygienist room will be £37.50. A Hygienist appointment will remain at £75. An Examination appointment alone will stay at £55.
We will not be returning to Dentists providing a Scale and Polish. Not only because the hygienists are much better at it ? but because this is in line with our practice ethos and you will be looked after better.
There has been substantial research linking good overall health with good oral health but quite frankly without healthy gums and support tissues, your teeth won’t stay in your mouth forever.
Dentures and implants are costly and are never as good as the real thing.. Seeing a hygienist will help you keep your teeth for your life time, the hygienist will have time to highlight areas of concern and your dentistry will also last longer and the essential advice given will help you to maintain your oral health at home.
Our ethos at Crown Street Dental Group, has always been to be patient led and have a place where any treatment required to be referred to the most qualified person to carry out that procedure.
For example: If you require a root canal treatment, you will see Gan our Endodontist.
If you would like to replace a missing tooth with an implant, you would see Prof. Jag Dhanda,
When you are due for a routine Hygiene visit, you will see one of our wonderful Hygienists.
If your gums require a more specialist treatment, you will see Eva our Periodontist. MEET THE TEAM
Parking
Our car park has 2 spaces available for patients. If these spaces are being used please do not block people in by parking in front of them. We have had a number of issues with cars not being able to get out of the car park for this reason, causing quite a bit of chaos.
If the 2 spaces are taken please make use of the many surrounding car parks in Brentwood. Our nearest one is Chatham way 1 Ropers Yard, Brentwood CM14 4BG. The first 30 minutes are free and then it is £1 per hour. You can pay with coins or alternatively, download the app ‘PhoneAndPay’ Please leave plenty of time to park before your appointment.
Not all doom and gloom!
Since the lift of restrictions, most days have been an absolute joy! We have seen smiling happy faces. Listened to tales of days out and Holidays and exciting events!
Conversation is flowing and the general mood is a much happier one. It has lifted our spirits as well as yours and long may that continue!
Some of you may know that Angie (Hygienist) has been awaiting the arrival of her first Grandchild, Angie is very excited to announce that little Maisie arrived safe and well on the 8th September. Congratulations to the whole family – Mum and baby are doing well.
Damian and Mandy had the best day celebrating the wedding of their daughter. Congratulations Mr and Mrs Mason!
After a very successful Invisalign promotion we held at the end of July, we are pleased to inform you that will be holding another towards the end of the year so keep your eyes peeled as more information on this coming soon!
We are still offering our virtual software consultations if you would like to find out more about treatments such as; Invisalign, composite bonding or teeth whitening, Please click HERE
And finally, we would like to thank you all for your continued support. Once a month we go through our feedback, Google and Facebook reviews and reading your very kind words puts a smile on all our faces it is lovely to share these with our wonderful team. Thank you!
