Lassus Dental Clinics Amsterdam

What a first half of the year ! Like many of us, I started 2020 just brimming with confidence that it was going to be another excellent year. Fast forward a few weeks and months and the world has changed in a very drastic fashion. It has been interesting to observe the Dutch way of dealing with the whole situation. It has been different from its neighbours. Now, as The Netherlands starts to loosen the restrictions, we will start to see what the next phase brings. Certain services like hairdressing, physiotherapy and beauty treatments, require close personal proximity with the client. Another obvious one is dental care. It is a service that involves being extremely close to the dentists, often over long periods of time. A very intimate procedure. So as dental practices open once again, what new measures have been put in place ? I needed to know more…

In order to understand better, I went to meet with Thomas, the founder of Lassus Dental Clinics Amsterdam and Bastiaan the general director. So, gentlemen, thank you for giving me time from your busy schedules. I just thought that a lot of expats and internationals in Amsterdam must be wondering the same thing as me. Is it safe to visit the dentist once again? This will allow also us to understand better changes at Lassus due to the Corona virus.

1.Lassus is certainly the largest group of dental practices in Amsterdam and well known in the expat community. Please tell us about how a visit to a Lassus dental clinic has changed since you reopened.

Yes, it is very good to be back. We know people were very worried and continue to be very cautious. It is perfectly safe to visit any of our dental clinics. We practice social distancing properly and there is no shaking hands. We ask everyone entering our clinics to use the disinfectant provided on their hands. Punctuality is important, but the clients must not arrive too early. We have rearranged the waiting areas completely too.

2. You have a large teams across all your clinics. What kind of additional safety training have they received?

We do have a large team spread across our clinics and we all follow the safety procedures for client contact. All our dentists now use full face masks and have colour coded gloves depending on the activity they are undertaking. It is important to understand that before the Corona virus arrived, we already practiced the very strictest safety procedures. Most people do not know that. As you can imagine, the world of dentistry is a very intimate one. We are in close contact with our clients and use sharp tools. The cross infection protocols in the Netherlands were always amongst the strictest in Europe. Everything we do is to protect our clients and staff. We use a lot of equipment every day. All our tools are sterilised in our large cleaning machines. These are the same machines that large hospitals use to temperature wash their surgical tools.

3. Your patients also play an important role. What actions do they need to take before coming to their appointments?

Everything is done to reduce risks. We send out reminders prior to their visit. Now with this reminder, a letter is also sent and we ask about their general health. It is a sort of triage. Do they have a temperature? Is anyone sick in their family? They have to satisfy us that they are safe and well. For the moment, we do not accept patients over the age of 65. They are in a risk category for Covid 19. Should they require urgent dental care, a special department for that exists in hospitals. That is the procedure for the moment.

4. If someone were feeling a little anxious about their next appointment, what would you say in order to reassure them?

We understand some people might be anxious, but there really is no need. We are back to our normal levels of activity. All our spaces and waiting areas have been reorganised, so that everyone can follow the distancing rules. We continue to improve the patient experience at Lassus. We calmly receive our patients and the enjoy interaction we have with them on a human level. That is of paramount importance to us.