Gold Coast Orthodontists COVID-19 Practice Update 5 April 2020
Dear Gold Coast Orthodontists Patients, Parents and Caregivers,
We ask that you read all of the information below so that you are fully informed as to the current situation in the dental industry including our practices.
Information received from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), comprised of all state and territory Chief Health Officers and chaired by the Australian Chief Medical Officer and the Australian Dental Association and Dental Board of Australia has advised all types of Dental practices throughout Australia to temporarily suspend treating patients at this time for all non-emergency type appointments as of Friday 27 March 2020.
In order to adhere to this Level 3 advice and to assist in the flattening the curve and reducing the spread of COVID-19, we are unable to perform any routine adjustments including review appointments, new patient appointments, putting braces on or taking braces off or any appointment creating aerosols at this time and will be postponing all non-emergency appointments to help reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19.
In the event of an emergency, please contact us at the practice that you attend between 8:30am and 1:00pm Monday to Friday so that we can offer advice and help as best we can.
If you have an appointment scheduled within the next few weeks, we will contact you as soon as possible to touch base with you. We will review each patient’s treatment plan as the appointment you had scheduled approaches to have a chat to you about how things are going and answer any questions you may have. Rest assured, we are still here for you and we will do our best to keep your treatment on track given the current circumstances.
We are able to post our your clear aligners but will ask you to follow a few steps first, so please get in touch.
If you need elastics, brace relief or wax please email us or call during our reduced office hours so we can arrange for them to be posted. I
In the event of an emergency such as pain or injury outside of the reduced hours, please contact us on 0412 586 908.
Please also visit both our Instagram and Facebook pages which we will be updating regularly.
At the bottom of this page there are links to frequently asked questions you may have at this time and some helpful video’s on what you may be able to do at home. Please have a look. We may also ask you to take photos for us, if we do, the link is below.
It is very important to remember that all Orthodontists and orthodontic patients throughout Australia and most parts of the world are experiencing the same situation, you are not alone, we are here to help you as best we can.
We genuinely appreciate your understanding at this time and look forward to continuing your Orthodontic care and treatment as soon as possible.
Warm regards
The Team at Gold Coast Orthodontists
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To help you through this time, we have put together some questions and answers that will hopefully help resolve some of the concerns you may have.
Your Braces were scheduled to go on in the next few weeks?
What happens now?
For those patients that were due to get your braces on, rest assured we are looking forward to getting you started and on your way to a straight healthy smile. We will be in touch to reschedule your appointments which may require some new impression appointments.
Your Braces were scheduled to come off over the next few weeks?
What happens now?
For those patients that were due to get your braces off, rest assured we are looking forward to taking your braces off for the big reveal. We will be in touch very soon to see how things are going. In the meantime please keep up great oral hygiene by brushing and flossing regularly.
You are currently in braces and are wearing elastics, what do you do?
Please continue to wear your elastics as you have been instructed to do so. We will be in touch closer to your scheduled appointment.
You are currently wearing Invisalign Aligners, what do you do?
Please keep on wearing your current aligners. If you are ready for a new set of aligners please follow the “How To Take Intra Oral Photos Guide” and email us your photos so that we can assess where you are and organise for your new aligners to be posted directly to you.
You are currently in braces and all is going great, do I need to do anything?
For those patients in current treatment with no concerns we would ask that you make sure your oral hygiene is maintained by regular brushing and flossing. Sit tight and we will be contacting you to reschedule your appointment when we are able to do so. We will post regular updates on our website and social media sites to keep you informed and are here to support you should you have any concerns. Just email us when needed.
You are currently in braces and have a concern, a broken bracket, wire digging into your cheek, a missing o-ring or something else going on. What do you do?
If you have a concern or something is broken or causing discomfort, FIRST, watch the video that is relevant to your concern on the VIDEO link on the bottom of this page as it may help assist you in attending to the concern yourself. If it does not please follow the “How To Take Intra Oral Photos Guide” and email us your photos so that we can assess what is happening and provide advice on what to do until such time we can schedule an appointment to see you.
You have recently had your braces off and are wearing your retainers and your appointment is coming up for us to check your retainers.
Please continue to wear your retainers until we are able to schedule a review appointment.
We may ask you to take some photos at home to help us see what is happening. If we have asked you to do this please follow the guide below
How To Take Intra Oral Photos At Home Guide
Please follow these steps below:
Step 1: Please watch our “How To Take Intra Oral Photos” video by clicking on this link: https://youtu.be/FrboWbLt-Rg
Step 2: Create a new email with the subject line: First Name, Last Name, Practice you Attend, Date of Birth.
Example: Melanie Smith, Robina Practice DOB: 11/11/2001
Step 3: Send us the photos you have just taken along with any questions you may have about what is happening with your treatment.
Step 4: Wait for us to get back to you by either phone or email or to organise a Telehealth call via Skype or Facetime.
We may ask you to take some photos of your teeth to help us get a clear picture of what is happening and how we may be able to help. Please follow the steps in the video. Examples of what the photos should like are below.
Patient Left Side Photo Example
Patient Right Side Photo Example
Patient Upper Arch Photo Example
Patient Lower Arch Photo Example
Patient Front Photo Example