Covid-19 put a lot of stress on medical care professionals. Dental clinics have been affected perhaps more than other services. Currently in Te Anau one has to wait at least two months for a dental appointment and those who just want a check-up, are likely to hear a simple “No”.

“What’s happening at our clinic is symptomatic of the New Zealand health system at the moment. Everybody is about two months behind,” Te Anau dentist, Rex Forrest said.

If that seems like a long wait, well, it could be worse. Last Saturday (September 19) the Otago Daily Times reported that the University of Otago’s Faculty of Dentistry operation is facing unprecedented demand for its services this year due to Covid-19’s financial fallout. The school that is viewed by the public as an inexpensive alternative to private practices, has been receiving lots of inquiries from patients looking to enrol, to the point that the wait time for some clinics could be up to two years.

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When local dentist, Courtney Robertson-Jones bought the Te Anau Dental Clinic in April last year, she didn’t expect the rocky road ahead in her first year of running the business.

Having handed over the practice to the new generation, its previous owner, Rex Forrest, was looking forward to semi-retirement after 17 years of taking care of the Te Anau Basin community’s teeth. He continued a part-time involvement in the clinic in order to help Courtney in her initial year and also because he really enjoys his job. 

 “We’ve been advertising for a new dentist since last year, but couldn’t find anyone, and we are still lookin," Mrs Robertson-Jones said.

During Covid-19 lockdown the clinic had to close its doors for six weeks. When it reopened at alert level 2, not only was the clinic six weeks behind with its appointments, but on top of that they had to meet the Ministry of Health safety and hygiene requirements.

“We are triaging and trying to meet the needs of our patients, but the precautions we have to take slow us down.”

The clinic now allows one hour between patients. After each visit the aerosols generated by dental hand pieces and scalers are allowed to settle for 30 minutes, before the room can be deep cleaned, then after another 20 minutes it’s cleaned again for the next patient. 

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“It’s [the dental surgery] like an operating theatre in a hospital, so we’ve got to be scrupulous. We’ve got to make sure our patients, staff and our families are safe,” Mr Forrest said.

Other precautions include physical distancing, wearing masks, hand washing, measuring each patient’s temperature and filling questionnaires. This means the practice operates below 50% of its normal efficiency, he said.

For Mr Forrest, the elusive retirement had moved even further away when Mrs Robertson-Jones took maternity leave at the beginning of May. He stepped in to help and found himself again being the only dentist in town.

“I failed at retirement miserably,” he said.