Like many Kiwi businesses, we at Totara Orthodontists moved into lockdown on Wednesday the 25th of March. What does this mean for us? How can you cope over the coming weeks? We explain in this post.
Holding the fort
First off, we are keeping busy. All of us are working remotely and spending lots of time in Zoom and What’s App meetings. Everything must continue to run efficiently so that we can ‘hit the ground running’ when everything gets back to normal. And, although we’re working fewer hours — many of us have to juggle our time around kids — it’s important for everybody’s wellbeing to stay active and have a sense of purpose.
Free virtual consultations
Our clinic may be closed, but we are determined to be available for our patients. And, thankfully, there is some amazing technology around that allows us to do that.
So, we are now conducting free virtual consultations. Using your smartphone, just take some simple photos of your mouth and teeth, and send them to us at reception@totaraortho.co.nz. If you’re a NEW PATIENT, send your photos to us using SmileMate on our website (more information).
By sending in your ‘teeth selfies,’ you’ll enable us to remotely see your progress and modify your plan to ensure your progress continues.
What you can do during lockdown
It is super important that you take extra care of your braces because, at the moment, we can’t fix or replace anything.
- Wear your appliances as recommended. If you have any doubts, please contact us via email.
- Only eat recommended foods. Avoid tough-to-bite fruit, like apples; chewy sweets, like toffee and bubble gum; or other foods, like nuts, carrots and corn chips. For more information about looking after your braces, read this post.
- Be careful to not lose your retainers. As mentioned, we are unable to provide replacements.
Do you have an emergency?
At the moment, we are thinking laterally about how to be available to our patients. So, we will take significant consideration on how to manage emergencies.
Don’t forget to brush and floss. Remember that it’s essential that you brush your teeth two to three times a day for at least two minutes at a time. And, floss for a couple of minutes each time that you brush — before or after is okay.
Moving forward
Like with other things that test us in life, positives will come out of the covid-19 pandemic. For example, have you seen how our environment is recovering? Also, in our business going forward, we will be working smarter and carrying out more virtual consultations. Doing so will mean that we will be able to operate more efficiently, and many of our patients won’t have to waste time in traffic getting to appointments. That’s got to be a good thing.
Finally, please look after yourself and stay within the government’s guidelines. The sooner we beat this virus, the sooner we start enjoying the ‘new normal.
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