Coping with Covid

by Dr Amanda Campbell

2020 was meant to be a good year – it had quite a ring to it, didn’t it? Each and every one of us had things planned, places to go to, and loved ones to see. As for me, this was the year I was getting married, going on honeymoon, moving into my first home with my husband…who remains my fiancé for now. Of course, it will all still happen, but many exciting, joyful aspects of life are on hold for us everywhere.

The intention of this article is not doom and gloom, but rather about coping; a challenge that we have risen to individually and collectively with great compliance and integrity. We have learned to appreciate what we have, to value those things we will have again. We have kept in touch with loved ones from a distance, many of us learning new (and mostly useless) facts during ‘pub’ quizzes… who knew that the HP of brown sauce stands for Houses of Parliament? We have also adopted new hobbies (I’ve found my green fingers), become more active, with many of us looking forward to our daily exercise, be that a walk to explore previously undiscovered localities, or taking up running or cycling – watch out 2021 Olympic Games!

This pandemic has deeply affected many on very personal levels; it has of course had a devastating effect on businesses that line our High Streets. I work as an associate dentist at Gentle Dental Care, an independently-owned general dental practice on South Street, St Andrews. I work with an amazing team of people who care deeply about our patients, and I miss them all!

It’s hard to imagine when things might return to ‘normal’. However, we have been doing everything possible to ready ourselves for re-opening the Practice as soon as it is safe to do so, albeit in a reduced capacity to begin with. Chris, our lovely Practice owner, has been sourcing personal protective equipment (PPE) like a man possessed. As a collective team we have been keeping up-to-date with the rapidly changing guidance and information from the Government, our Chief Dental Officer, and wider policy makers, to ensure we hit the ground running when time allows. Additionally, we’ve been busy attending webinars specifically related to infection control and coronavirus. With dental practices in England set to re-open from 8 June, as I write, it’s likely that Scotland will be set to follow in the near future.

In the meantime, we remain just a phone call away. We are able to provide over-the -phone prescriptions, dental advice, and referrals to Urgent Dental Care centres for emergency treatment where indicated. We have also made up DIY dental kits for common dental problems, including lost fillings. If you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of Chris darting in and around St Andrews providing contactless deliveries to doorsteps… we still do not recommend DIY extractions, though!

Look after yourselves and your smiles. We may be socially distancing, but we’ll get through this together and we very much look forward to seeing you all again soon.

NB – from Chris Prichard: Amanda stepped up to fill my role, as I’m immersed in documents and policy making at the moment!!