We hope this finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines.
We appreciate your patience while we were closed to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.
Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures with some important new additions in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.
Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. However, we feel that these are MINIMUM standards and are employing additional measures to reduce everyone’s risk as much as we believe possible.
You will see significant changes when it is time for your next appointment. For example:
- Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask about health screening questions. You’ll be asked additional health questions when you are in the office. These are REQUIRED to be completed BEFORE your appointment.
- All forms and financial arrangements will be completed online before your appointment to minimize time inside and person to person contact. We think you’ll find this more convenient also.
- Masks are required to enter the building and must be worn at all times except when being treated.
- To reduce possible transmission, we ask you to use the bathroom at home before your visit.
- You will be asked to wait in your car, and we will contact you when you are allowed to enter the building. We will immediately take your temperature, have you use hand sanitizer, then escort you to your treatment area.
- Only patients will be allowed in the office. No accompanying persons will be allowed, with the exception of a single accompanying guardian, caretaker or parent when required. Seating has been reduced to provide distance, should more than one person be present.
- We ask you to use hand sanitizer frequently and if you touch surfaces. We will have it widely available.
- Our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
- Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
- We will be providing greater 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. This also allows more time for cleaning and disinfecting between patients, especially aerosol elimination.
- All team members will also have their temperature taken twice per day, and not be allowed to work if they show any signs of Covid-19 or have any possible exposure to known Covid-19 persons.
- All patients will be asked to use a germicidal oral rinse before any treatment.
- Additional high velocity extra oral suctions are being used, in addition to the previously used single intra oral suctions when any aerosol procedures are performed.
- High volume HEPA germ filtering air purifiers have been installed in all treatment rooms.
- All treatment rooms will now be fogged with germicidal disinfectant after each patient, in addition to the surface disinfectants previously used. This will also be applied to the whole office twice per day.
- All team members PPE is required to be completely changed after performing any aerosol procedure before seeing the next patient. This is in addition to the long standing required changes of gloves and masks.
- We have always tested our waterlines and autoclaves regularly to ensure patient protection.
- Tele-dentistry and video conferencing will be used where possible to reduce person to person contact, in addition to the convenience benefits.
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 practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at 301-384-1263 or visit our website at www.DrRever.com.
Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors, and friends.
Sincerely,
David L. Rever, D.D.S., and all the Advanced Total Dental Care team.