COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Updates

Covid-19 Pandemic News and Updates

Transform Orthodontic Care provides the following Covid-19 pandemic news and updates for patients. This information is updated regularly.

COVID-19 UPDATE AS STATE BORDERS RE-OPEN ON TUESDAY 23 NOVEMBER

To our valued patients

As an accredited practice we have strict infection control standards however, we are taking extra measures to ensure the safety of our staff and patients.

* Please try to arrive only 5 mins before your appointment to ensure we maintain social distancing in our waiting rooms.

* Please wear a mask.

* We ask if it’s possible, that only one parent attends the appointment and no other siblings. We ask adult patients to attend their appointment on their own.

* If you are unwell please call us on 133 862 to reschedule your appointment.

* If you are a close contact of a Covid-19 case, or you’ve been directed to self isolate please call us on 133 862 to reschedule your appointment.

* If you have travelled to a known COVID-19 hot spot or have recently returned from interstate and/or overseas in the last 7 days, please call us on 133 862 to reschedule your appointment.

Thank you for your understanding as we strive to keep our patients, staff and community safe.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us on 133 862.

COVID-19 PANDEMIC UPDATE – 21 July 2021 [Level 4 Restrictions]

UPDATED FAQ GUIDE FOR PATIENTS // DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC LEVEL 2 RESTRICTED SERVICE PERIOD

27 April 2020

HOW LONG WILL TRANSFORM ORTHODONTIC CARE BE RESTRICTING SOME SERVICES?

Following the latest advice from government and health authorities, in South Australia we are able to perform limited in-clinic appointments for procedures that don’t produce any, or minimal, aerosols from 27 April 2020.

These restrictions will be reviewed in mid May 2020 by the government and health authorities, however, the social distancing requirements will continue until a vaccine is available.

Therefore, while we are in this climate of restricted practice and to support social distancing, we encourage all our patients to continue their Dental Monitoring (DM) scans. Dr De Angelis will continue to closely monitor your treatment progress via DM and from there we will inform you when it is necessary to schedule an in-clinic appointment.

We ask that you please bear with us as we do our best to maintain close communication with our patients during these unprecedented times.

As the Covid-19 situation evolves, we will provide regular updates here on our web site, Facebook and Instagram. Our team will still be available to assist patients during this period. We ask that you email our team at info@transformorthocare.com.au or call us on 133 TOC (862). Please check our practice hours on our web site as they may change during this period.

WHY DO ORTHODONTIC CLINICS NEED TO OPERATE WITH RESTRICTED SERVICES?

Due to the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the sweeping recommendations of numerous health and government officials including the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, we must restrict our in-clinic visits to appointments that do not produce (or produce minimal) aerosols, for the safety of our community in slowing the spread of this virus.

Any treatment that causes an ‘aerosol’ – or a spray of saliva – has been banned, except in urgent circumstances and under strict guidelines. Although orthodontic procedures are very safe for patients and clinic staffs with hospital level sterilisation and infection control protocols, cleaning teeth and the removal of orthodontic bonding materials produces aerosols that can possibly contain biological material, including viruses. For some of these aerosol producing procedures, there may be alternative practices that could be undertaken. If this affects you or your child’s appointments, we will be in touch with regard to how we are able to provide alternative care.

WHAT EQUIPMENT PRODUCES AEROSOLS?

Aerosols are produced when water and air are mixed. Dental equipment which is known to produce aerosols includes high-speed handpieces, low speed/prophy handpieces and triplex syringes when water and air are used together, ultrasonic handpieces, piezo surgical handpieces, hard tissue lasers that use water mist spray, particle beam jets/air-polishers, air-abrasion units as well as surgical handpieces.

DO I NEED TO BE ON DENTAL MONITORING (DM)?

For those patients in active treatment we strongly encourage that they participate in DM. Whilst we are still in this climate of restricted practice and to support social distancing, DM will enable Dr De Angelis to continue to closely monitor your treatment progress remotely.

From there we will be able to inform you when it is necessary to schedule your next in-clinic appointment. This will minimise the extension of treatment times resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there is a monthly cost for the use of DM per patient, this cost will be covered by Transform Orthodontic Care to the end of your treatment allowing us to continue your high quality care and at the same time minimising the impact to you due to these unprecedented times.

IS DENTAL MONITORING (DM) EFFECTIVE?

Yes! The great thing about Dental Monitoring is Dr De Angelis is actually able to monitor your treatment more frequently, fortnightly or weekly.

With this greater ability to monitor treatment progress, this allows for aligner or wire change frequency, to be built around patient compliance and biology of the patient and improved tooth movement; through early detection of broken attachments or brackets, poor oral hygiene; and poor compliance of elastic wear.

Using Dental Monitoring means treatment times have been reduced with less in-clinic visits.

With Dr De Angelis increasing his monitoring our patients should feel confident their treatment is progressing well and as originally planned. While patients are uploading photos to DM from the comfort of their homes Dr De Angelis is working hard from the practice and from home to ensure his patients receive the highest level of care.

WILL MY TREATMENT BE EXTENDED BECAUSE OF THE LEVEL 2 COVID-19 RESTRICTION OF SERVICE?

This will vary depending on the stage of your treatment, however, with the use of Dental Monitoring there should be no or minimal impact/extension to your treatment time.

HOW SHOULD I PROCEED IF I AM WEARING BRACES OR AN APPLIANCE?

Please make sure you maintain excellent oral hygiene by brushing and flossing three times a day. Also remember, please DO NOT eat forbidden foods to avoid any breakage of our braces or appliances. If wearing any elastic continue to do so as directed. Your braces will continue to straighten your teeth all day and night. Proper elastic wear will continue to correct your bite so your treatment will continue to progress, and we will virtually monitor the progress of your treatment via our Dental Monitoring Service and direct you as needed.

We will make contact with you via the DM platform when you are next due to see us in clinic.

HOW SHOULD I PROCEED IF I AM WEARING INVISALIGN/SPARK ALIGNERS?

Please ensure that you keep wearing your active aligners as instructed to continue progressing your treatment. Remember to use your chewie’s, biting and holding to seat the aligners in areas where you may see visible space between your tooth and the aligner. For best results, bite into your chewie for 10 seconds and work it around your teeth lightly biting and holding for a 10-minute session.

We will make contact with you via the DM platform when you are next due to see us in clinic.

If you no longer have aligners to continue to your next week, please contact us and we will organise to either post you your next set of aligners, or you can pick them up from one of our clinic locations.  Until then it is perfectly fine to reduce your last aligner wear to a retainer phase of 10-12 hours per day to ensure that your teeth stay in position and make your aligner last longer. Keep your aligners clean and avoid all drinks, other than water, while wearing them.

Always remember to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before placing and removing your aligners or elastics.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I WAS SCHEDULED TO START ALIGNER TREATMENT SOON?

We are excited for all our patients to take this big step, and are pleased to announce we can get you started with your aligner treatment without further delay! We will contact you to schedule an X-ray and scan where these have not yet been performed and prepare your aligners.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I WAS SCHEDULED TO START BRACES TREATMENT SOON?

We are excited for all our patients to take this big step and are pleased to announce we can get you started with your braces treatment without further delay! We will contact you to schedule an X-ray and scan where these have not yet been performed and start your transformative treatment.

WHAT ABOUT GETTING MY BRACES OFF?

Although orthodontic procedures are very safe for patients and clinic staff with hospital level sterilisation and infection control protocols, cleaning teeth and the removal of orthodontic bonding materials produces aerosols that can possibly contain biological material, including viruses.

Therefore, we are able to remove the brackets, however, the bonding material that holds the brackets in place cannot be fully removed at this time.

The brackets and wires have many nooks and crannies that can trap food and plaque. This means your risk of tooth decay and gum problems may be higher while you are wearing braces.  For this reason, our recommendation is to remove the brackets and where possible remove any excess bonded material using an alternative procedure that produces minimal aerosols.

I HAVE A ROUTINE REVIEW APPOINTMENT UPCOMING (RETAINER CHECK, GROWTH MONITORING, EXAM)

These appointments are very important. We will contact you soon to either schedule a virtual appointment or an in-clinic visit.

WE ARE TOLD TO WASH OUR HANDS FREQUENTLY; HOW SHOULD WE HANDLE WEARING ALIGNERS, RETAINERS, ETC?

It is important to continue wearing your aligners and your rubber bands to progress your treatment, or your treatment result, if currently wearing retainers. Follow recommendations by washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after removing or placing your aligners, retainers, or elastics. These appliances can also be washed or cleaned in a diluted soap and water solution. An old toothbrush is ideal for this purpose. After cleaning the appliance, rinse thoroughly in cold water to minimize the soapy taste, just like when doing the dishes.

I LOST OR BROKE MY RETAINER OR ALIGNER. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

It is always important to wear your retainers as prescribed. In the event that replacement retainers are required, please send us an email or call on 133 TOC (862), and a member of our team will be in contact to provide advice. We are pleased to advise our lab is operational and we are again able to provide replacement retainers.

If you have broken or lost an Invisalign/SPARK aligner, simply move forward to the next aligner in the sequence and wear it for an extra week.

WILL PATIENTS BE ALLOWED IN THE PRACTICES AT ALL?

We are adhering to the highest health care protocols and social distancing measures, so please be assured we have our patient’s best interests at heart. Patients can feel every confidence under our care as we move to level 2 restricted in-clinic appointments.

In additional to our regular and ongoing infection control measures that occurs between EACH patient appointment (which includes sterilisation of all instruments, disinfection all surfaces, including the dental chair, and changing of our staff’s personal protective equipment), to minimise the risk of exposure, we will continue to provide additional measures including reducing the number of patients we see to ensure we are able to support and practice social distancing within our clinics.

Furthermore, to comply with social distancing we ask that only the patient attend the appointment unless with an essential carer. As part of our Child Safe Environments Policy, children are considered ‘vulnerable’ and we welcome a parent or carer to attend their appointment, however, ask siblings to avoid attending where possible.

I HAVE A POKING WIRE OR OTHER IRRITATION THAT IS BOTHERING ME.  WHAT DO I DO?

Most minor orthodontic irritations from braces can be managed at home. Please review the information that was provided to you at the beginning of your treatment plan. If you are unsure about what to do, please contact us and we can provide advice on what short term measures are needed to assist you or schedule an in-clinic appointment.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MY ONGOING MONTHLY PAYMENT?

As we are continuing with your orthodontic treatment plan and monitoring your progress virtually via Dental Monitoring, your payment will continue as agreed, however, if you find yourself under financial strain due to recent events, please call our office on 133 862 to discuss payment options.

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To stay updated on how we are responding to the Covid-19 pandemic please follow us on our social media channels where we post regular updates: Facebook, Instagram, or contact us via email: info@transformorthocare.com.au.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, as we implement new and innovative protocols for progressing your treatment plans.

We wish you all good health, and we can’t wait to see you again in person very soon!

Dr Daniel De Angelis and the team at Transform Orthodontic Care

COVID-19 PANDEMIC UPDATE – 21 April 2020 [Level 2 Restrictions]

A message to our valued patients

Following the latest advice from government and health authorities regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, we are delighted to inform you our practice will now be able to hold in-clinic appointments for procedures that don’t require aerosols from 28 April 2020.

While there are still some restrictions regarding the types of procedures we can perform, we are able to begin seeing patients again. We will be in touch with you as soon as possible to schedule an appointment.

We ask that you please bear with us at this time as we do our best to contact patients as quickly as we can. 

Your health and safety is of the utmost importance to us and we will continue to operate with additional precautions. We will also be implementing new processes aimed at best protecting you and our staff. These will be communicated over the coming weeks. Until then we ask that when visiting our practice, please observe the health and safety information displayed and follow the directions of our staff.

We will continue to support and practice social distancing and high standards of hygiene including, but not limited to, friends and family remaining in the car for appointments and using hand sanitiser that we will have available on entry and exit.

If you have any questions or concerns or an urgent need prior to your appointment, please contact us on 133 TOC (862) or via info@transformorthocare.com.au.

We look forward to seeing you very soon.

FAQ GUIDE FOR PATIENTS // DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC LEVEL 3 RESTRICTED SERVICE PERIOD

29 March 2020

Due to these unprecedented and rapidly changing circumstances, we know you might have some questions about the COVID-19 pandemic and how it may affect you or your child’s orthodontic care. This FAQ should answer most of your questions but please call us on 133 TOC (862) if you can’t find the answers you need. We are here to support you and will continue to find new ways to provide you with world-class orthodontic care.

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HOW LONG WILL TRANSFORM ORTHODONTIC CARE BE RESTRICTED FROM PROVIDING IN-CLINIC SERVICES?

We are frequently assessing the advice of the government and health regulators and will reopen our in-clinic visits as soon as is permitted. We will provide regular updates here and on our social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram as the situation evolves. Our team will still be available to assist patients during this period. We ask that you email our team at info@transformorthocare.com.au or call us on 133 TOC (862).  Please check our business hours as they may change during this period.

WHY DO ORTHODONTIC CLINICS NEED TO OPERATE UNDER THESE RESTRICTED SERVICES?

Due to nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the sweeping recommendations of numerous health and government officials including the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, we must restrict our in-clinic visits to only emergency patients such as trauma, infection and acute pain, for the safety of our community in slowing the spread of this virus.

HOW SHOULD I PROCEED IF I AM WEARING BRACES OR AN APPLIANCE?

Please make sure you maintain excellent oral hygiene by brushing and flossing your teeth three times a day. Also remember, DO NOT eat forbidden foods to avoid any chance of breakage of our braces or appliances. If wearing any elastic continue to do so as directed. Your braces will continue to straighten your teeth all day and night. Proper elastic wear will continue to correct your bite so your treatment will continue to progress, and we will virtually monitor the progress of your treatment via our Dental Monitoring Service and direct you as needed.

We will be able to make changes to your treatment plan once we reopen for in-clinic visits.

HOW SHOULD I PROCEED IF I AM WEARING INVISALGN ALIGNERS?

Please ensure that you keep wearing your active aligners as instructed to continue progressing your treatment. Remember to use your chewie’s, biting and holding to seat the aligners in areas where you may see visible space between your tooth and the aligner. For best results, bite into your chewie for 10 seconds and work it around your teeth lightly biting and holding for a 10-minute session.

If you no longer have aligners to continue to your next week, it is perfectly fine to reduce your last aligner wear to a retainer phase of 10-12 hours per day to ensure that your teeth stay in position and make your aligner last longer. Keep your aligners clean and avoid all drinks, other than water, while wearing them. When our clinics re-open, we will make a new digital scan for your new aligners. Always remember to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before placing and removing your aligners or elastics.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I WAS SCHEDULED TO START TREATMENT SOON?

We are excited for all our patients to take this big step and look forward to seeing you again as soon as possible to start your transformative treatment plan. We are hopeful that this delay will be short. Luckily a delay of a few weeks or months will have no impact on your treatment and results. When this situation has stabilized, and we are permitted to reopen our clinics we will increase our capacity so that we can prioritise patients and get you started without further delay!

WHAT ABOUT GETTING MY BRACES OFF?

Although orthodontic procedures are very safe for patients and clinic workers with hospital level sterilisation and infection control protocols, cleaning teeth and the removal of orthodontic bonding materials produces aerosols that can possibly contain biological material, including viruses. Therefore, these types of dental procedure cannot be carried out at this time. We will resume removal of braces when we are advised that it is safe to do so. In the meantime, remember to maintain excellent oral hygiene by brushing and flossing your teeth three times a day.

I HAVE A ROUTINE REVIEW APPOINTMENT UPCOMING (RETAINER CHECK, GROWTH MONITORING, EXAM)

These appointments are very important but are classified as elective so we cannot perform these checks in clinic.  We will maintain all appointment records within our computer system and will contact you to either reschedule you to a virtual appointment or defer your review appointments to an in-clinic visit at some time in the future.

WE ARE TOLD TO WASH OUR HANDS FREQENTLY; HOW SHOULD WE HANDLE WEARING ALIGNERS, RETAINERS, ETC?

It is important to continue wearing your aligners and your rubber bands to progress your treatment, or your treatment result if currently wearing retainers. Follow recommendations by washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after removing or placing your aligners, retainers, or elastics. These appliances can also be washed or cleaned in a diluted soap and water solution. An old toothbrush is ideal for this purpose. After cleaning the appliance, rinse thoroughly in cold water to minimize the soapy taste, just like when doing the dishes.

I LOST OR BROKE MY RETAINER OR ALIGNER. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

It is always important to wear your retainers as prescribed. In the event that replacement retainers are required, please send us an email and a member of our team will be in contact to provide advice. If you have broken or lost an Invisalign aligner, simply move forward to the next aligner in the sequence and wear it for an extra week.

WILL PATIENTS BE ALLOWED IN THE CLINICS AT ALL?

Unless in the case of an extreme emergency (trauma, infection, extreme pain), orthodontic practices are not permitted to treat patients in-clinic at this time. We cannot see anyone infected with Coronavirus or persons with infected family members UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. Our clinics will reopen for in-clinic visits as soon as we are permitted to do so, however in the meantime, our team is still available to support the progression of your treatment plan and answer any of your concerns during this time.

I HAVE A POKING WIRE OR OTHER IRRITATION THAT IS BOTHERING ME.  WHAT DO I DO?

Most minor orthodontic irritations from braces can be managed at home. Please review the information that was provided to you at the beginning of your treatment plan. If you are unsure about what to do, we can arrange a Dental Monitoring session for you. Alternatively, please email us and attach some clear photographs of the problem, so that we can then contact you to provide advice on what short term measures are needed to assist you.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MY ONGOING MONTHLY PAYMENT?

As we are continuing with your orthodontic treatment plan and monitoring your progress virtually via Dental Monitoring, your payment will continue as agreed, however, if you find yourself under financial strain due to recent events, please call our office on 133 862 to discuss payment options.

______________________________________________________

To stay updated on how our Practice is responding to the Covid-19 pandemic please follow us on our social media channels where we post regular updates: Facebook, Instagram, or contact us via email: info@transformorthocare.com.au.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, as we implement new and innovative protocols for progressing your treatment plans. We wish you all good health, and we can’t wait to see you again in person very soon!

Dr Daniel De Angelis and the Team at Transform Orthodontic Care

COVID-19 PANDEMIC UPDATE – 18 March 2020

A Message to our Valued Patients

As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak continues to evolve, we wanted to let you know about the measures we have taken to minimise the risk of exposure in our clinics and the greater community.

We want to reassure patients that our highest priority is our patients, our staff and our community.

We are adhering to the highest health care protocols, so please be assured we have our patient’s best interests at heart and they can feel every confidence under our care moving forward.

COVID-19 PANDEMIC UPDATE – 16 March 2020

We appreciate the growing concern and unease that some of you may be feeling regarding the COVID-19 outbreak.

If you are worried about whether your care can continue with us through this period, please rest assured we are still open and ready to look after you.

The latest advice from the Australian Government is people entering the country from overseas must self isolate for 14 days. If this applies to you and you have an appointment upon your return, please contact us (once you’re back in the country) and we will be happy to reschedule your appointment.

As is usual practice, we continue to make sure our clinics remain as safe as possible to give you the confidence that you can continue coming in to receive treatment and advice as necessary.

As a fully Accredited Dental Practice we ensure the most hygienic practices are observed with every client. To protect you and our team, in addition to our current infection control standards, we are implementing the following plan. Things may of course change but at this stage, this would seem to be the best approach.

1. Hand hygiene and cleaning practices will continue to be emphasised to reduce the spread of any infections.

2. Be aware of the following prior to and whilst you are in our clinics: