While things are certainly not “business as usual,” we wanted to let you know we are here for you and are committed to providing a clean, comfortable, and safe environment. Our dental office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We follow the recommendations of these agencies so that we are up to date on any new rulings or guidelines that may be issued. We set our standards well “above and beyond” what the American Dental Association and CDC recommend. We love what we do and the people we do it for. We are always here for you.
Infection control has always been a top priority for our dental office. Our infection control processes are implemented so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow and the new procedures we have implemented in our dental office.
We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. All protocols, methods, and materials have been reviewed to ensure that we can provide state-of-the-art sterilization, disinfection systems, and dental office procedures. Safety is our #1 priority.
Here are a few things we have done to ensure the safety of everyone who comes into our dental office:
New Procedures For Our Dental Patients:
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Our dental office will communicate with you by phone at your appointment confirmation to ask some health screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the dental office.
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We ask that ANY patient experiencing fever, cold, or flu-like symptoms stay home.
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We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the dental office and use again after your treatment before interacting with the business area.
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We will be measuring the temperature of all patients before your appointment (with a touchless forehead thermometer).
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For now, we encourage all patients to wear their own masks into the dental office and leave their masks on until treatment commences. Once treatment is complete, masks are to be replaced and worn out of the dental office.
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At the beginning of your appointment, you may be asked to pre-rinse with an oral rinse to reduce the fungal, bacterial, and viral load in your saliva.
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We ask that patients attend their appointments by themselves, if possible. If you need someone to come with you, we ask that a maximum of one other person accompany you. Of course, any number of people may wait in a vehicle while you are treated.
New General Dental Office Procedures:
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The reception area has been cleared of all shared items. We will no longer offer magazines since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
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Seating has been reconfigured to allow for social distancing.
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New and frequent disinfection protocols have been established for all common area contact surfaces: all doors, patient seating, reception counters, and bathrooms.
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We have installed medical-grade air filtration systems in treatment rooms and common areas.
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Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you are offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
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To maximize your safety and minimize contact interaction between patients, we ask that you arrive on time for your appointment. If you arrive early, please wait in your car until your scheduled appointment time (or about 5 minutes beforehand) and then come into the dental office and check-in. If you are late, we have a reduced capacity to accommodate you, so we may have to reschedule your appointment.
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We will do our best to allow more time between patients to reduce waiting times for you as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.
New Dental Staff Procedures:
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Staff members have been directed to take their temperatures before leaving for work. Their temperatures will be measured again when presenting to the dentla office each day.
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All staff must complete and attest to pre-screening before work every day. Our staff has been trained to recognize symptoms and have been instructed to remain home if there is any chance they are symptomatic or have been in contact with anyone showing symptoms. If necessary, in appropriate circumstances, staff will be referred for testing and medical clearance before returning to work.
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All staff has been educated in the use of all PPE equipment appropriate for patient safety and their safety as well.
We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our dental office. To make an appointment, please call our dental office.
