What does covid-19 mean for my dental treatments?

September 1 2022

To all our wonderful patients,

We hope you are keeping well, and are enjoying the signs of Spring!

We know it's been a long winter, and like you, we're loving the sun coming out. Bring on summer.

While covid seems to be less prevalent, we still ask you wear a mask for your visit. Along with scupulous hygiene practices are in keeping with our standard cross infection control practices, a reminder that since we also have installed high pressure extractor fans to provide you with the cleanest air possible, our surgery rooms are kept quite cold, so please bring an extra layer to help you keep warm during your appointment. Please let us know if you are feeling unwell or experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms, awaiting test results or think you have been exposed. Alll our staff are fully vaccinated and have been since July 2021 (and have had booster shots too!).

Karen, our Oral Therapist, continues to remain very booked up for all Hygiene Appointments (many weeks in advance), which is why we're so excited to have hired a new Hygienist Sara, who will be beginning this week, and working Fridays.  We encourage you to rebook all next appointments on completion of any Hygiene visits you have, so you get the time-slot that suits you best. We're really looking forward to seeing you soon, and keeping your smile the best it can be.

If you would like a booking, please phone us first on 09 376 4374. 

Online bookings are also open.

If you wish to discuss any cosmetic cases with Matt, this can also be done in person. 

Thanks for your understanding. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Warmly,

Matt, Lucy, Karen, Gemma and Sara

Dr. Matt Sumner and the team @ Accent Your Dentists 

Jan 25th 2022

To our wonderful current and new patients,

We hope you are keeping well, and have enjoyed an aweome summer break! We also wanted to give you an update on what Traffic Light Red means for us over these next weeks. We can do check-ups, hygiene visits (incl. full polish), routine dental work, consults, cosmetic dentistry treatments and general dentistry.

Please note that ALL our staff are fully vaccinated and have been since July 2021 (and have had booster shots too!).
In addition, along with scupulous hygiene practices which are in keeping to our standard cross infection control practices, we also have installed high pressure extractor fans to provide you with the cleanest air possible. However, this means our surgery rooms are kept quite cold, so please bring an extra layer to help you keep warm during your appointment.

We take very seriously the spread of COVID-19 and are committed to doing our part to prevent it. Best practices for managing this virus (cross infection control) are in complete alignment with our standard protocol for how we manage and prevent all infection for all patients at all times. Please let us know if you are feeling unwell or experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms, awaiting test results or think you have been exposed.

Also, due to Covid-19 resitrctions during red light, please arrive as close to your appointment time as possible to minimize cross over in the reception area.  If you are going to be over 10 minutes late from your appointment time, we may not be able to see you. Please wear a mask in our reception area. We also ask that if you need to bring a support person with you, please limit it to 1 person per patient.

If you would like a booking, please phone us first on 09 376 4374. 

Online bookings are also open.

If you wish to discuss any cosmetic cases with Matt, this can also be done in person. 

All our staff are double vaccinated and have been since July 2021 (plus have had booster shots too).

Thanks for your understanding. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Warmly,

Matt, Lucy, Karen and Gemma

Dr. Matt Sumner and the team @ Accent Your Dentists 

Nov 3rd 2021

To our wonderful patients,

We hope you are keeping well, and we also wanted to give you an update on what Level 3 means for us over these next weeks. This time it's a bit different for us at Level 3. We can do check-ups, hygiene visits, routine dental work, consults, cosmetic dentistry treatments and general dentistry. Please note that ALL our staff are fully vaccinated and have been since July 2021. In addition, along with scupulous hygiene practices, we also have installed high pressure extractor fans to provide you with the cleanest air possible.  

We follow all Ministry of Health and the NZ Dental Council guidelines, which require additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and process protocol. If you would like a booking, please phone us first on 09 376 4374. Online bookings are also open.

If you wish to discuss any cosmetic cases with Matt, this can also be done in person. 

Please wear a mask if you are able to.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU WANT DENTAL TREATMENT:

-  Please call our reception on 09 3764374, Monday-Friday between 8.00 and 5.00pm

-  If there is no reply, leave your name and contact number so we can call you back

-  We will assess your problem, your health status, and discuss treatment options. 

Please also note that Bookings online  can also be made here.

Take care team, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Warmly,

Matt, Lucy, Karen and Gemma

Dr. Matt Sumner and the team @ Accent Your Dentists 

Aug 18th 2021

To our wonderful patients,

We hope you are keeping well. The wellbeing and safety of all our patients, our staff, and our community remains our top concern. We take very seriously the potential spread of COVID-19 and are committed to doing our part to prevent it.

By now you've probably heard of the Prime Minister's address to the nation yesterday that New Zealand is now at covid-19 Alert Level 4.

For the next week, we have suspended all elective dental treatment. We will continue to offer emergency dental advice over the phone during nomral business hours - Lucy will be checking all your emails, Dr. Matt is available over the phone for emergency dental advice and treatments for pain management. 

You can also arrange over the phone consults with Dr. Matt. Please note there will be an associated cost with this. We are also taking bookings for after September 1st, although this will remain an evolving situation. Bookings online can also be made here.

We hope you and your family are staying well and healthy, and can catch up with some things around the home yopu've been putting off! We look forward to your continued support when things return to normal (hopefully soon!)

Take care and stay safe,

Matt, Lucy, Karen and Gemma

Dr. Matt Sumner and the team @ Accent Your Dentists 

March 14th, 2021

To our wonderful patients,

We hope you and your family are well, and we're really looking forward to seeing you soon, and hearing about your summer.

Karen, our Oral Therapist/Full-Time Hygienist, continues to remain very booked up for all Hygiene Appointments (many weeks in advance), and we encourage you to rebook all next appointments on completion of any Hygiene visits you have, so you get the time-slot that suits you best. We're really looking forward to seeing you soon, and keeping your smile the best it can be.

Please contact us by phone on 09 376 4374, or you can leave us a message by contacting us here.

Bookings online can also be made here.

Warmly,

Matt, Lucy, Karen and Gemma

 Dr. Matt Sumner and the team @ Accent Your Dentists 

March 1st, 2021

To our wonderful patients,

We hope you are keeping well, and we also wanted to give you an update on what Level 3 means for us over these next 7 days. Mostly for us it means only providing urgent and emergency treatment so that we keep you well and safe.

This is in response to Ministry of Health and the NZ Dental Council guidelines. Based on previous guidelines, our expectation is that at Alert Level 2 we can go back to doing routine dentistry, subject to additional Health & Safety and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) protocol.

ALERT LEVEL 3 TREATMENT RESTRICTIONS:

At Alert Level 3 we are still only able to provide urgent and emergency treatment for:

-  Pain

-  Infection

-  Swelling

-  Dental or Facial Trauma

- Post-treatment bleeding

We will continue to be offering emergency dental advice over the phone (09 376 4374), and treatment for pain management. This will be done via a phone consult with Dr. Matt - please note there will be an associated cost with this. If you wish to discuss any cosmetic cases with Matt, this can also be done over the phone.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE A DENTAL PROBLEM:

-  All treatment will begin with a telephone consultation.

-  Please call our reception on 09 3764374, Monday-Friday between 8.00 and 5.00pm

-  If there is no reply, leave your name and contact number so we can call you back

-  We will assess your problem, your health status, and discuss treatment options. While in Alert Level 3, any ‘in surgery’ treatment will need to be prearranged so we can organise staff and appropriate levels of personal protective equipment (PPE). 

Please also note that Bookings online for after March 8th 2021 can also be made here.

Take care team, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Warmly,

Matt, Lucy, Karen and Gemma

Dr. Matt Sumner and the team @ Accent Your Dentists 

February 23rd, 2021

To our wonderful patients,

And back to Level 1! We hope you and your family are well, and we're really looking forward to seeing you soon, and hearing about your summer.

Karen, our Oral Therapist/Full-Time Hygienist, continues to remain very booked up for all Hygiene Appointments (many weeks in advance), and we encourage you to rebook all next appointments on completion of any Hygiene visits you have, so you get the time-slot that suits you best. We're really looking forward to seeing you soon, and keeping your smile the best it can be.

Please contact us by phone on 09 376 4374, or you can leave us a message by contacting us here.

Bookings online can also be made here.

Warmly,

Matt, Lucy, Karen and Gemma

 Dr. Matt Sumner and the team @ Accent Your Dentists 

February 22nd, 2021

To our wonderful patients,

We hope you and your family are well, and we're really looking forward to seeing you soon, and hearing about your summer.

Karen, our Oral Therapist/Full-Time Hygienist, continues to remain very booked up for all Hygiene Appointments (many weeks in advance), and we encourage you to rebook all next appointments on completion of any Hygiene visits you have, so you get the time-slot that suits you best. We're really looking forward to seeing you soon, and keeping your smile the best it can be.

Please contact us by phone on 09 376 4374, or you can leave us a message by contacting us here.

Bookings online can also be made here.

Warmly,

Matt, Lucy, Karen and Gemma

 Dr. Matt Sumner and the team @ Accent Your Dentists 

August 31st, 2020

To our wonderful patients,

Hi and welcome back. We're really looking forward to seeing you again soon. At Level 2 (now operational), we’re excited we can continue to see you for all your dental treatments—this includes your hygiene appointments, checkups, consults, plus cosmetic dental solutions to make your teeth look great. We’re also continuing to implement additional Health & Safety procedures in the practice in surplus to general Ministry Health guidelines—the health and wellbeing of you, and our staff, remains our top priority. With Covid-19 am evolving situation, we will continue to take guidance from Ministry of Health and The Dental Council in all matters on this.

Paris, our Oral Therapist, continues to remain very booked up for all Hygiene Appointments (many weeks in advance), and we encourage you to rebook all next appointments on completion of any Hygiene visits you have, so you get the time-slot that suits you best. We're really looking forward to seeing you soon, and keeping your smile the best it can be.

Please contact us by phone on 09 376 4374, or you can leave us a message by contacting us here.

Bookings online can also be made here.

Warmly,

Matt, Lucy, Paris and Gemma

 Dr. Matt Sumner and the team @ Accent Your Dentists 

August 16th, 2020

To our wonderful patients,

We hope you are keeping well, and we also wanted to give you an update on what Level 3 means for us over these next 10 days. Mostly for us it means only providing urgent and emergency treatment so that we keep you well and safe.

This is in response to Ministry of Health and the NZ Dental Council guidelines. Based on previous guidelines, our expectation is that at Alert Level 2 we can go back to doing routine dentistry, subject to additional Health & Safety and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) protocol.

ALERT LEVEL 3 TREATMENT RESTRICTIONS:

At Alert Level 3 we are still only able to provide urgent and emergency treatment for:

-  Pain

-  Infection

-  Swelling

-  Dental or Facial Trauma

- Post-treatment bleeding

We will continue to be offering emergency dental advice over the phone (09 376 4374), and treatment for pain management. This will be done via a phone consult with Dr. Matt - please note there will be an associated cost with this. If you wish to discuss any cosmetic cases with Matt, this can also be done over the phone.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE A DENTAL PROBLEM:

-  All treatment will begin with a telephone consultation.

-  Please call our reception on 09 3764374, Monday-Friday between 8.00 and 5.00pm

-  If there is no reply, leave your name and contact number so we can call you back

-  We will assess your problem, your health status, and discuss treatment options. While in Alert Level 3, any ‘in surgery’ treatment will need to be prearranged so we can organise staff and appropriate levels of personal protective equipment (PPE). 

Please also note that Bookings online for after August 28th 2020 can also be made here.

Take care team, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Warmly,

Matt, Lucy, Paris and Gemma

 Dr. Matt Sumner and the team @ Accent Your Dentists 

June 24th, 2020

To our wonderful patients,

We hope you and your family are well, and want to thank you so much for your continued support. You're amazing—you're stories have been inspiring, and it's been great to see so many of you back in the practice recently. And who isn't happy to have children back at school—we certainly are! One thing we've noticed is everyone has had very different experiences in lockdown, reminding us of the importance of continuing to be kind and understanding with each other. It sure goes a long way.

On another note, woohoo.....we've now past the shortest day of the year. So that means the days are getting longer—with this year offering all of us challenges, one of the great things living in New Zealand is being able to get into our beautiful outdoors. And never has it been more appreciated. 

With Covid-19 a continually monitored situation, at Level 1 (now operational) we’re excited we can continue to see you for all your dental treatments—this includes your hygiene appointments, checkups, consults, plus cosmetic dental solutions to make your teeth look great. We’re also continuing to implement additional Health & Safety procedures in the practice in surplus to general Ministry Health guidelines—the health and wellbeing of you, and our staff, remains our top priority.

Paris, our Oral Therapist, continues to remain very booked up for all Hygiene Appointments (many weeks in advance), and we encourage you to rebook all next appointments on completion of any Hygiene visits you have, so you get the time-slot that suits you best. We're really looking forward to seeing you soon, and keeping your smile the best it can be.

Please contact us by phone on 09 376 4374, or you can leave us a message by contacting us here.

Bookings online can also be made here.

Warmly,

Matt, Lucy, Paris and Gemma

 Dr. Matt Sumner and the team @ Accent Your Dentists 

May 14th, 2020

To our wonderful patients,

We hope you and your family are well, and we're really looking forward to seeing you soon, and hearing all your stories.

Please contact us by phone on 09 376 4374, or you can leave us a message by contacting us here.

Bookings online can also be made here.

Warmly,

Matt, Lucy, Paris and Gemma

April 29th, 2020

To our wonderful patients,

We hope you are keeping well and haven't gone too stir crazy. We’re incredibly proud of how well New Zealand has done with covid-19, and we think you're amazing!!  A special thank you to any of you brave essentials keeping us going in these times. Also to any parents wearing all the hats right now, Kia Kaha! You’ve got this. Our hearts go out to everyone experiencing challenging times. We take very seriously the potential spread of this virus, and as a dental practice will continue to play our part, doing whatever it takes to support you all, wherever we can. 

We also wanted to let you know, in response to Ministry of Health and the NZ Dental Council guidelines, until we are in Level 2 we have suspended all elective dental treatment. Our expectation is that at Alert Level 2 we can go back to doing routine dentistry, subject to further guidelines from the MOH/Dental Council, plus additional Health & Safety and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) protocol.

ALERT LEVEL 3 TREATMENT RESTRICTIONS:

At Alert Level 3 we are still only able to provide urgent and emergency treatment for:

-  Pain

-  Infection

-  Swelling

-  Dental or Facial Trauma

- Post-treatment bleeding

We will continue to be offering emergency dental advice over the phone, and treatment for pain management. This will be done via a phone consult with Dr. Matt - please note there will be an associated cost with this. If you wish to discuss any cosmetic cases with Matt, this can also be done over the phone.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE A DENTAL PROBLEM:

-  All treatment will begin with a telephone consultation.

-  Please call our reception on 09 3764374, Monday-Friday between 8.00 and 5.00pm

-  If there is no reply, leave your name and contact number so we can call you back

-  We will assess your problem, your health status, and discuss treatment options. While in Alert Level 3, any ‘in surgery’ treatment will need to be prearranged so we can organise staff and appropriate levels of personal protective equipment (PPE).

A special note from Paris:

“We have been isolating by the beach and made the most of the sunshine in the first couple of weeks house painting. A foodie at heart, there has been a lot of cooking happening, trying my hand at new recipes including pasta making. I would highly recommend Josh Emett’s ‘easy crumpets’ for anyone looking to try an indulgent breakfast with the family, an iso highlight for me!

Days at home has also meant lots of time for learning. I love a good podcast or keeping up with our dental knowledge with webinars online. Self-care has also been a priority, so beach walks, home workouts and meditation – to balance all the time in the kitchen. I look forward to hearing about how everyone has spent their time in Iso, whether it has been busier than ever, a chance to slow down, rest and restore or new skills or goals you have been working towards.”

GOING FORWARD:

Going forward you’ll see some new Health & Safety procedures in the practice, alongside personal protective equipment being used, which we have in stock. Our surgery is ready to operate, we’re ready, rearing to go and waiting on further guidelines from the Ministry of Health and the Dental Council of New Zealand. We thank you all for your understanding and patience, especially as we look to rescheduling all your appointments. If you have an existing appointment, yours will be prioritised for appointment availability. All new client requests will be added to a separate waiting list to give priority to existing patients. We will begin to reschedule your appointments once we have clarity on how Alert 2 will look for us.

We're really looking forward to seeing you soon, and keeping your smile the best it can be.

Please leave us a message by contacting us here, or phone on 09 376 4374

Bookings for after Monday May 11th can also be made here.

Warmly,

Matt, Lucy, Paris and Gemma

Dr. Matt Sumner and the team @ Accent Your Dentists

P.s. Paris' Home Care Challenge:

Your challenge (in the name of self-care of course) is to improve or maintain your great oral health habits; keep up a thorough (but gentle!) brush for two minutes twice daily, and of course your preferred mode of interdental care at least daily. If the latter is not yet a part of your regular routine, try to experiment over the next 21 days to find your preferred interdental care method, whether it be floss, water-flossing or interdental brushes, and work towards creating a daily habit. Bonus points if you are tongue scraping as well! This will mean healthier gums (and overall health) for when we eventually catch up again. As stress levels for many of us are heightened right now, scheduling time for daily self-care rituals that work you has become more important than ever, as we all aim to maintain our health at this time.

March 24th 2020

To our wonderful patients,

We hope you are keeping well. As the coronavirus situation continues to evolve, we know it is top of mind for all of our patients, and for everyone. The wellbeing and safety of all our patients, and our staff, remains our top concern. We take very seriously the potential spread of COVID-19 and are committed to doing our part to prevent it.

By now you've probably heard of the Prime Minister's address to the nation yesterday that New Zealand is now at covid-19 Alert Level 3, and soon to be Alert Level 4 by tomorrow with a nationwide lockdown. 

For the next four weeks, we have suspended all elective dental treatment. We will continue to offer emergency dental advice over the phone and treatments for pain management and will be checking our phone and email every day within normal business hours. 

You can also arrange over the phone consults with Dr. Matt. Please note there will be an associated cost with this. We are also taking bookings for after April 20th, although this will remain an evolving situation.  

During these unprecedented times, we hope you and your family are staying well and healthy, and we look forward to your continued support when things return to normal!

Take care and stay safe,

Matt, Lucy, Paris and Gemma

Dr. Matt Sumner and the team @ Accent Your Dentists

March 23rd 2020

To our wonderful patients,

As the coronavirus situation continues to evolve, we know it is top of mind for all of our patients. The wellbeing and safety of all our patients, and our staff, remains our top concern. We take very seriously the potential spread of COVID-19 and are committed to doing our part to prevent it.

This is a rapidly evolving situation, and over the weekend we received a guideline recommendation from the Ministry of Health and the New Zealand Dental Council to suspend all non-essential and elective dental services. This is to further reduce the risk of community spread to our staff and our patients.

While at this stage, this is not mandatory, we have made a decision for the next fortnight that we will only be offering emergency dental treatment, including essential dental-medical services, and dental treatment for the relief of pain. Dr. Matt will be available for phone consultation-- if you would like one, please phone us or email we will be checking this daily. And, if you have a dental emergency, please phone to organise to speak to Dr. Matt. There will be an associated cost with this. 

We may get back to you later than we usually do (outside our usual speedy response time – thanks Lucy!), and trust in your understanding. 

We appreciate your co-operation and understanding at this unprecedented time. This is a changing situation and we will update you as we know more. As always, your health, wellbeing and safety remain our top priority, and we look forward your continued support, when things return to normal!

For now, we will be taking appointments that are non-emergency from 6th April onwards. This will be reassessed on a weekly basis.

We appreciate it’s frustrating to have to wait, but we are doing it in the best interest of public health, and hope you and your family are well.

Take care and stay safe,

The Accent Team

Dr. Matt Sumner and the team @ Accent Your Dentists

March 17th 2020

To all our wonderful patients,

As the coronavirus situation continues to evolve, we know it is top of mind for all of our patients.  I want to reassure you that the wellbeing and safety of all our patients and our staff is always our top concern. We take very seriously the potential spread of COVID-19 and are committed to doing our part to prevent it. Best practices for managing this virus (cross infection control) are in complete alignment with our standard protocol for how we manage and prevent all infection for all patients at all times.

We also believe it’s important to share additional steps we are taking to do our best to keep everyone we see and interact with well and healthy, and you will see these detailed further below.

Our team relies on the support of our clients in these unprecedented times and we thank you for continuing to provide us with your custom.

Additional steps we are taking:

-           There are multiple hand sanitizers placed around reception which we ask you to use when you come in; if for some reason you do not see them, please ask

-           A pre-op mouth rinse will be provided to you at the start of your appointment

-           We may evolve to taking everyone’s temperature prior to seeing people in surgery

We also kindly request all our patients to assist us as follows, under guidance from the Ministry of Health, and the NZ Dental Association 

-           We will be asking all our patients to confirm that they have not been overseas in the last 14 days

-           We will be asking all our patients to confirm that they have not been in contact with anyone that has been overseas in the last 14 days

Your safety is always paramount to us. If you are feeling unwell for any reason, we ask that you do not come in until you are feeling well again.

At the same time, your health is crucial to you at this time. Immunity starts from being healthy. Your hygiene appointments with our Oral Hygienist Paris become even more important, because there is a strong relationship between oral health and body immunity. So, as long as you are well, please be rigorous in keeping your appointments.

In addition, if you are unwell and have a tooth problem, and need to talk to Dr. Matt about it, we can schedule a phone consult for you as available. Please phone Lucy to organise this. There will be an associated cost with this.

Accent continues to offer the highest standard in cosmetic and general dental care with a focus on your wellness and feeling and looking good. As long as you are feeling well, be sure the practice is open for business as usual and the team will (as always) provide you with the best service and care.

Please appreciate that the above measures are be taken to look after you, your family, our staff, and our whole community, and we thank you in advance for your assistance and understanding in helping us to play our part in trying to avoid the spread of COVID-19 in New Zealand.  
  
For now, we are business as usual and I am pleased to confirm that all of all of us are well and healthy, and making sure we have lots of sleep! Remember to take your vitamins. Thank you so much for your ongoing support and for your understanding during this global crisis period.

We look forward to seeing you soon. 
  
Best regards, and well wishes.

Dr. Matt, Paris, Lucy and Gemma.

See you soon. 

Dr. Matt Sumner and the team @ Accent Your Dentists