COVID-19 OFFICE UPDATE
To Our Dental Family,
We hope you and your family are safe and well. In preparation to resume dental care and elective procedures on JUNE 1, 2020, we want to share some of the changes made to continue providing outstanding care to you as well as protecting everyone who is in our office.
We have expanded and enhanced our routine disinfection protocols to include non-clinical areas. Our current clinical area disinfection protocols are consistent with the existing interim CDC guidelines.
Changes to the office include:
Spaced reception room seating; removing reading materials; added a Plexi-glass sneeze barrier; added HEPA-13 medical grade air filters in each operatory and in the traffic area. Our staff has been trained on the new protocols for Personal Protective Equipment as we continue to put safety first. Appropriate level of PPE is available and utilized following interim CDC guidance. Masks, shields, high velocity suction, as well as other methods to address sources of contamination will be utilized.
Enhanced Patient Risk Assessment which includes patient screening conducted during confirmation calls, before and during appointments. We will be asking additional health and wellness questions and taking your temperature upon arrival (perhaps multiple times). You are and will be asked to contact the office if before or after your appointment you are tested positive for COVID19. You may be asked to practice hand hygiene prior to being seated. Hand sanitizer based upon availability will be available. You may be asked to pre-rinse with an appropriate rinse to reduce the risk of contamination. Patients known positive or suspected COVID19 positive patients will be referred to a local hospital outpatient setting and instructed to contact their physician for follow-up in order to follow existing, appropriate protocols.
We ask all of our patients to wear a mask when entering the office and remove it only when asked by a member of our staff. You will replace your mask after your procedure and before entering the common traffic area. It is acceptable if you chose to wear gloves.
Patients should not be accompanied by a companion unless previously arranged or required by law in order to reduce the number of people in the office. Companions will be asked to wait outside the office. Every attempt will be made to schedule our most vulnerable, high risk patients with their safety in mind. You may be asked to wait in your vehicle until the treatment room is disinfected.
The inconvenient changes, hopefully, are temporary. As updated guidance from the CDC and NJ Division of Consumer Affairs is promulgated, this office will adjust our protocols accordingly. Dentistry has established and maintained the highest levels of infection controls for over 40 years as numerous infectious diseases have been identified and managed successfully resulting in a safe environment. While risk can never be eliminated, your dentist and the staff are making every effort to ensure your safety based upon sensible science. Be confident, our philosophy is to place safety first.
Please do not hesitate to contact the office to discuss your concerns. Until then, Stay Safe and Jersey Strong!