New town dentists mop up after flood

The newly-opened Family Dental Clinic in Lerwick has suffered a flood caused by a burst pipe which will put the surgery out of action for several days.

However, the staff said they were still taking bookings and the business should be back to normal next week.

The flood only affected the reception area in the central part of the building, leaving the two surgeries unaffected.

Dentist Michael Rylko said all patient records were safe, as was the important decontamination area.

Today Mr Rylko, his wife and practice manager Agnieszka Kozera and dental hygienist and therapist Kelly Nicol were mopping up the reception desk and putting out buckets to catch drops from the ceiling.

Mr Rylko said: “This will mean delay and discomfort for a few days, but it won’t affect dental work.”

Ms Kozera said: “We will carry on and take it as it comes, we’re feeling very motivated and we’re still taking calls. There won’t be any appointments this week, but we’ll be making appointments for next week.”

The alarm was raised some time before 8am by dental nurse Rachael Boxall, who was instructed by the fire brigade to turn off the water to the whole building.

Thereafter firefighters from Lerwick identified a faulty water pipe in the upstairs flat, directly above the reception area, and pumped the area out.

Mr Rylko said water had been running in “like a shower” and dripping off the newly-installed large white light fittings.

The computer at reception and the photocopier were flooded, but could possibly be saved, and the ornamental wooden log front to the main counter would take a while to dry out.

Mr Rylko said he was relieved that the damage had been confined to a relatively small area of the building, and the dental surgeries had separate electrical circuits, meaning that the expensive dental machinery was unaffected.

He said: “I see that as a positive. The lights and the electrics in the surgeries are fine. This has unified us as a team. We’re pulling together to put things right.”

Ms Kozera said: “We will keep going and work hard to get the place back to normal, and we’re relying on our new patients and customers to support us.”

The practice had got off to a steady start since in opened at the beginning of May, she said. The last three or four weeks had been “very busy” with an increasing number of patients, and in the last two weeks they had broken their own records for patient numbers.

Ms Kozera said: “We’ve got plenty of satisfied clients who come back to us, and lots of positive feedback. This [flood] is not going to destroy the calm and relaxing atmosphere.”

The practice had been completely refurbished and decorated with pastel colours and soft lighting prior to its opening.

Ms Nicol, who only started at the practice three weeks ago, added: “We’ll be up and running again soon.”

All patients with appointments this week are being notified, as far as possible, and alternative appointments arranged.