Dentist in Spilsby finds n'ice way to say 'thank you'

A Spilsby dentist found a very n'ice way to say 'thank you' to staff and patients for their support while the practice has been closed due to Covid-19.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Dr Mitchell Clark invited the Farmer Brown's Ice Cream van along to Cygnet House Dental Studio so they could enjoy the home-made ices, while socially distanced in the car park.

Free ice-cream from the popular cafe and farm shop in Huttoft was too tempting to miss and many patients took the opportunity to enjoy their favourite flavours in the sunshine.

"One lady from Mablethorpe hadn't been out for nine weeks and told me she was so pleased she had come and really enjoyed chatting to people," said Mitchell.

Patients of Cygnet House Dental Studio in Spilsby enjoying Farmer Brown's Ice-cream.Patients of Cygnet House Dental Studio in Spilsby enjoying Farmer Brown's Ice-cream.
Patients of Cygnet House Dental Studio in Spilsby enjoying Farmer Brown's Ice-cream.

"Our staff, too, benefited from seeing for themselves the support from patients in what we are doing to make the practice safe for them to return.

"Inviting them was a last minute thing. We held a staff meeting in terms of going through the very intense processes that we have all spent many hours working on to be able to re-open and the staff had worked really hard, so I wondered how can I treat them? So I thought, it's a sunny day - an ice-cream van.

"We invited along patients who had heavily supported us with nice messages while we have been closed as a way of giving something back."

The practice in Grace Swan Close hopes to open for emergency care in about two weeks' time - but the experience will be very different than before.

Dr Mitchell Clark hopes to open the practice for emergency care in two weeks' time.Dr Mitchell Clark hopes to open the practice for emergency care in two weeks' time.
Dr Mitchell Clark hopes to open the practice for emergency care in two weeks' time.

"Patients will notice quite a lot of difference," said Mitchell. "According to current information, the masks we will be wearing and the flow-through of the practice, unfortunately, it's going to feel a far less friendly place to be, because the waiting room is going to have to be quite stark.

"We've invested quite heavily in gates and a one-way flow system through the practice. We've also got some little bleepers, similar to those used in restaurants, so patients can wait in their cars until we are ready - all to maintain social distancing.

"The last thing we want is to open in any way that is unsafe."

This was the first time Farmer Brown's ice-cream van had been out this season and Rowena Gifford, who was serving the ices, said she really enjoyed the opportunity.

Wearing a face shield and PPE, she said the ice-cream cafe and farm shop would be opening for a few hours a day from Monday.

But was ice-cream the best thing for patients' teeth? Mitchell said: "The good thing about ice-cream is it melts and goes away quickly."

Related topics: