We hope this message finds you and your family in good health, and we are pleased to announce that we will be reopening our dental office on May 26! As we re-open, we would love to be able to treat everyone during the first few weeks, especially those who had their appointments changed or delayed due to this pandemic, but we have to prioritize appointments and procedures to see as many patients as possible as safely as possible. So, thank you for your continued patience. As an aside, this two month “vacation” from dentistry made us realize how much we enjoy dentistry and our patients. We missed you.
We continue to strive to
create a healthy environment where we can contribute to your health. We are a
healthy office treating healthy patients, and we believe this is because of the
procedures and precautions that we have always taken to ensure your safety and
ours. During the last two months of our office closure due to COVID-19, we have
been working hard researching and preparing to continue to provide you with a
happy, healthy environment for your dental care. In order to address the new challenges
presented by COVID-19, we have instituted additional protocols and
procedures.
Besides following our normal
meticulous sterilization procedures and universal precautions, we have added
additional equipment to reduce aerosols during your dental procedure. This
includes:
Having the
highest filtration HEPA filters in our air conditioning system that are rated
to last three months, and we change them every month.
We have added
additional HEPA filters throughout the office and in each treatment room.
One of the
advantages of an older building like ours, is that we have windows that open
and allow us to bring in fresh air rather than just recycling air. So, do not
be surprised if it seems a little noisier.
We have installed
UVC/Ozone generating lights to further sterilize the office, and we have always
used high volume evacuation to reduce aerosols.
To additionally ensure a
healthy environment, we have made procedural changes set forth by the Centers
for Disease Control and American Dental Association to help protect our
patients and staff. This includes:
Our bathroom and
toothbrushing area will be closed, so please be sure to brush prior to coming
in the office.
Screening each
patient with health questions during their confirmation call or through a
health questionnaire to make sure that no patients with active symptoms will be
seen at this time.
We have always
tried to respect your time and limit your wait, but to ensure social
distancing, at this time we are eliminating the waiting room. You will be asked
to notify us by phone upon your arrival and will be asked to wait in your car. We will contact you when your treatment room
is ready, so you can be brought directly back to your room.
Hand sanitizer
will be available as you enter, and plastic shields are in place to help
isolate the front desk during checkout.
We will be taking
everyone’s temperature with no-contact thermometer’s, including our own, prior
to any dental treatment, and we ask that you wear a mask or face covering as
you enter the office.
We also have the
advantage of multiple entrances/exits so that we can maintain social distancing
more easily.
We
will be contacting you soon to reschedule missed appointments and to get
everyone back on schedule. Please be
patient as we will do our best to accommodate everyone. This has been a difficult and challenging
time and will probably continue to be, but we cannot wait to see you!