PATIENT VISIT PROTOCOLS
We are happy to inform you that are open and seeing all patients. Outlined below are the changes that we are implementing at our office due to COVID 1-19. We are taking extended safety measures to further protect our patients and staff by implementing the following protocols.
- Anyone with a cough or fever will not be seen at our office and should stay home. We will be happy to reschedule your appointment for a later date.
- NO Walk-in appts
- Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you arrive for your appointment.
- We will limit the number of patients at the office to allow for social distancing. That may mean fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
- We will only see a maximum of 2 young children with one parent
- Any accompanying person (caregiver, translator, parent) may wait at the office. If they prefer to wait elsewhere we can call them when the patient is ready to leave.
- Everyone entering our office is asked to wear a face mask/covering
BEFORE your appointment:
- We are encouraging a “touch-free” check-in and check-out process. We will need your email address in order for us to provide access to complete forms, email receipts, and receive appointment reminders.
- Please confirm your appointment either by phone or email – this will include the patient screening questionnaire that needs to be completed.
- ALL insurance verification is to be done before your appointment.
- New Patients will be asked to email completed patient forms, a copy of ID, and a copy of the insurance card (front & back).
When you arrive for your appointment:
- Please call the office when you arrive. We ask that you wait in the parking lot and we will call you when it’s okay to come up to the office.
- Please keep your face covering on when you enter our office and do not remove it until you are instructed to do so.
- We will ask you to wash your hands as soon as you arrive.
- We will ask the screening questions again and take your temperature.
- All of the above will also apply to anyone accompanying a patient that wishes to wait in the reception area.
We will inform you ahead of time of any changes to our hours of operation.
We look forward to seeing you all soon! We are happy to address any questions about the steps we’ve taken to
keep everyone safe. To make an appointment, please call or email the office.
These are challenging and uncertain times and we thank you in advance for your patience, understanding and
loyalty as we welcome you all back!
OFFICE SAFETY & PROTOCOLS
We recently received many phone calls from our patients asking about the safety protocols at our office in addition to what was already in place pre-Covid-19. So we wanted to proactively address the extra precautions we have taken in order to mitigate the risks for our patients and staff.
- Plexiglass barrier in the reception area
- Enhanced cleaning measures above OSHA recommendations
- Fogger – (air sterilization through cold fogging)
- Air purifiers in every room
- Aerosol elimination systems for aerosol producing procedures
- All team members wearing appropriate PPE (masks, gloves, goggles, gowns, caps & face shields)
Aside from cleaning & disinfecting surfaces and sterilizing equipment between pa ents we also use a defogging machine as an added layer of precaution. Below is a brief description of the benefits and safety of cold fogging and EOS (Extra Oral Suction) machine/device.
COLD FOGGING
Why is Hypochlorous Acid the Best Solution to Use for Cold Fogging? Hypochlorous acid (HOCl), also known as electrolyzed water, is considered by the FDA to be “the form of free available chlorine that has the highest bactericidal activity against a broad range of microorganisms” (US FDA, 2015). HOCl has no toxic material disposal requirements and, according to the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, is not considered to be hazardous waste, adding yet another advantageous element to HOCl use. The reason hypochlorous acid is such an effective oxidant is that it carries no electrical charge. In contrast, the hypochlorite ion (bleach) carries a negative charge. Because germ surfaces also carry a negative charge, they repel each other. It takes up to half an hour for bleach to do the job, whereas hypochlorous acid’s lack of electrical charge allows it to penetrate the protective lipid barrier surrounding the viral particles quickly and to destroy the proteins in a ma er of seconds.
How safe is it?
Hypochlorous acid, unlike chlorine bleach, is 100% safe, non-irritating, and non-corrosive. Various concentrations of hypochlorous acid are used in the food industry, for eye and wound care and as a surface disinfectant. So, if it gets on your skin or in your eyes, it will not burn. Even if it were accidentally ingested, it is non-toxic.
EXTRA ORAL SUCTION (EOS)
To complement our infection control process, we have added an Extraoral Dental
Suction System which removes aerosols and droplets via a high-speed suction system, a medical-grade HEPA filtration system that removes particles down to 0.1 micron, and a medical-grade UV light disinfectant inside the system to kill all viruses and bacteria that are trapped in the filter. We are committed to your dental health and safety. Thank you for being our pa ent – we value your trust and loyalty.