In December 2019, as we prepared to celebrate Christmas and the New Year, most of us can say we had no idea about the totally unexpected and unpredictable way that 2020 was heading. Reports of a new virus emerging from China at that time seemed very distant from the UK, but within weeks it was clear that this was something very serious and quickly became a global issue.
The ‘COVID-19 pandemic’ has affected every one of us and it has changed our personal and working lives in ways that we could never have imagined. We’ve become used to words such as ‘socially distanced’, ‘support bubbles’, ‘coronavirus’, ‘furlough’ and ‘lockdown’ – words that many of us hope to one day never hear of again!
The major burden of COVID-19 has fallen on our much-loved NHS, in which NHS staff have gone above and beyond the call of duty to care for so many and do their utmost to prevent the virus from spreading further.
Dentistry has also been hit very hard by the pandemic, especially when dental practices had to close their doors to patients in March as the first wave peaked. During the subsequent lockdown, 543 Dental Centre operated as an ‘Urgent Dental Centre’ where we were able to treat those in desperate need of emergency dental treatment. This meant by the time we reopened in June, our team was fully familiar with the practical infection control measures necessary to ensure patient and staff safety.
A massive thank you!
As we look forward to a new, and hopefully much better year ahead, we want to say a huge thank you to the team at 543 Dental Centre for their incredible hard work during such a difficult time. And of course, we want to really thank our patients, for your understanding and for complying with the new rules over such an extended period of time whilst we have continued to work under local constraints.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our patients a very happy Christmas, and without wanting to spoil the fun (we are a dental practice after all!), just a reminder to take really good care of your teeth during the festivities, especially with all those extra sugary foods and drinks that we all enjoy so much.
Remember to keep brushing your teeth twice a day and if you can, try to have a few healthy snacks such as breadsticks, rice cakes, cheese, plain popcorn or carrot/cucumber sticks to give your teeth a sugar-break, and maybe also help the waistline!
With promising news of several COVID-19 vaccines on the horizon, we really hope that this is the start of much better times ahead. While a vaccine will take considerable time to be distributed and take real effect, we can all begin to feel just a little more optimistic about the year ahead.
543 Christmas opening hours
Over the Christmas period 543 Dental Centre will be open:
Monday – Friday 8.00am – 5.00pm
EXCEPT for Christmas Day, Boxing Day, 28th December and 1st January 2021 when we will be CLOSED.
For dental emergencies outside these hours please call NHS 111. Please do not visit the practice without an appointment.
Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year from everyone at 543 Dental Centre!
