COVID-19 Office Protocols and Policies

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Our team members will complete and sign a daily health assessment log and also requires a daily temperature is taken before we start our day
  • Team members have been strongly encouraged to stay home if they are sick and to quickly report any potential symptoms they may be experiencing
  • All scrubs are sterilized and personal protective equipment discarded when necessary

Enhanced PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)

  • Our office is following the latest OSHA and CDC guidelines and providing the following to our team members
    • N95 Respirator Masks
    • Faceshields
    • Surgical Gowns
  • These guidelines serve to make sure our risk of transmission is as low as possible
  • As guidelines evolve, our office is making sure to implement any required changes immediately


WAITING ROOM/FRONT DESK

“Curbside” Waiting Room 

  • Our office is also offering and encouraging a “waiting in your car” option for our patients
  • We are offering the option to call our office to let us know you are here and so that we can come and get you from your car prior to your appointment time to reduce traffic in our waiting room and allow you the freedom to wait comfortably in your own space

Wearing masks when coming to an appointment

  • We ask that if you have an appointment, to please wear a cloth or surgical mask while in our office
  • If you do not have a mask, we will be happy to provide one for you 

Removal of magazines/pamphlets in waiting room

  • We have removed all magazines and pamphlets from the waiting room to reduce the potential for cross contamination between patients
  • All pamphlets with important information related to dentistry or financing of dental treatment are still available and can be handed out individually, as requested

Showing up at scheduled appointment time

  • We are encouraging everyone to show up at their scheduled appointment time and trying your best to not come early or be late
  • By coming on time, we can better regulate the flow of people through our doors and ensure we are keeping our occupancy low

Disinfection of waiting room

  • Once a patient has been taken back to the operatory for their appointment, the door and chairs in the waiting room will be disinfected with a hospital grade disinfectant wipe so you can feel comfortable opening the door and sitting in the provided chairs

Removal of chairs from waiting room 

  • In order to comply with social distancing recommendations (6 feet), we have removed a number of chairs from our waiting room area so each patient can be safely seated

Only patient allowed to come to appointments

  • Please ensure that only scheduled patients are showing up to your appointment
  • If you are able to come to your appointment by yourself, that is preferred
  • If you require a caregiver or driver, we ask that you make arrangements for them to drop you off and pick you up, but to have them have a place to sit or wait outside of our office to reduce occupancy in our office


Please reduce walk-ins and call our office if you need anything

  • If you have a question about an appointment, a bill, or anything else please call whenever possible instead of coming in without an appointment
  • While we love seeing each and every one of you, we can handle all requests (paying a bill, scheduling/rescheduling an appointment, answering insurance related questions) over the phone 

Plastic protective screen for front desk

  • We had custom built plastic protective screens built for our front desk area to ensure you can safely communicate with our administrative staff 

Credit card usage

  • We have the ability to manually input your credit card number, so if you prefer a no contact transaction please let out front desk know and we can process your transaction that way


TREATMENT ROOMS

Mouth rinse for patients before appointments to reduce viral load

  • Patients will rinse with Hydrogen Peroxide prior to commencing treatment to reduce viral load in the oral cavity

Temperature Readings for all Patients

  • Our office has purchased temporal thermometers and will take temperatures on all patients prior to commencing with treatment
  • Anybody with a fever greater than 100.4 F will be asked to reschedule to a later date 

Office Sterilization 

  • Our office has always, and will always, follow universal precautions when it comes to sterilizing instruments and disinfecting and sterilizing treatment areas in our office
  • All instruments used are heat sterilized in an autoclave as per CDC and OSHA guidelines
  • We utilize a weekly service which tests the efficacy of our autoclave to ensure the instruments are being sterilized effectively 
  • Viral grade disinfectant is used in rooms between patients and each operatory and common area is thoroughly cleaned at the end of the day


Weekly cleaning crew 

  • Our office has a weekly cleaning crew that does a thorough job of disinfecting the office, replacing air filters, and keeping our space clean


PATIENTS

Reliance on patients

  • While we are doing everything we can inside of our office, we recognize we cannot control what is going on outside of it
  • It is extremely important that if you are sick, or have been around someone who was recently sick, to please reschedule your appointment
  • Additionally, we want our patients to be diligent about self-identifying for potential enhanced risk factors for COVID-19
    • Age, health risks, immune disorders, chemotherapy, etc.
  • While we never encourage missing or pushing back an appointment, we recognize that these are unique times that require sacrifice and a deviation from our normal routines

Social distancing in the office

  • As a means of reducing potential routes of transmission our office will be doing our best to maintain social distance during non-treatment times 
    • No handshaking
    • Maintaining a safe distance during non-treatment time and patient consultations