404-633-1853DENTAL OFFICE SAFETY PROTOCOL
Your Safety Is Our No. 1 Priority
We have always been committed to the safety of our patients and staff, and now it is more important than ever. The changes to our office protocols are necessary to keep you safe and healthy and allow us to begin to treat you again.
With your safety in mind, we are taking many additional steps to make sure each visit to our office is as safe as possible. These new protocols are in addition to our normal high standards of care and meet or exceed the CDC, OSHA and ADA® guidelines for dental practices.
You already know we will provide you with excellent dental care backed by our exceptional customer service; the additional protocols will provide you with peace of mind. Changes may be made as we continue to navigate through this difficult time. We will be happy to answer any additional questions or concerns you may have.
We will get through this together.
Staff Training and Education
Each team member has completed numerous hours of additional training in preparation to see patients. We are educated and aware of the situation and prepared to keep you safe. We will continue to educate and train as the situation evolves.
Daily Health Screenings of Our Team
Before beginning work, each team member is asked a series of health questions, and their temperature is taken.
Social Distancing
We miss each of you and consider you family, but it is important to your safety to reduce contact to only what is essential. We will not be shaking hands or hugging each other or our patients. We will be practicing social distancing at all times and cannot wait until we can see those family photos of yours again.
Antimicrobial Rinse
Prior to the start of treatment, each patient will swish with an antimicrobial rinse to reduce bacteria.
Wait in Your Vehicle
Our participation in a virtual waiting room allows us to keep our waiting room and front desk free of patient gatherings. To comply with social distancing guidelines, patients will remain in their vehicles until the provider is ready to seat them.
Paperwork will also be sent electronically to reduce exposure and keep common areas free.
Wear a Mask
Please wear a mask into our office so we can conserve PPE; surgical masks should be reserved for providers. If you do not have one or forget, we will provide you with one at the front door. Please do NOT wear gloves into the office — this will help reduce cross contamination. Hand sanitizer is available for you upon entering the office.
Limited Staggered Scheduling
For the time being, our office hours may be limited and differ from week to week. We will also be staggering appointments so that patients are arriving and departing separately.
Patient Prescreening
As your appointment is made, you will be emailed a questionnaire to fill out and return prior to your visit. We will also be checking each patient’s temperature as they enter the office. Patients with an exposure risk may be seen on a different day with limited staff and varying hours
Extended Appointment Times
In an effort to clean and disinfect extensively between patients, we have lengthened appointment times. Longer appointments mean we will be able to see less patients each day, but we know it is crucial to keep you and our staff safe. We cannot wait until we are able to resume a normal schedule and will work diligently to try to accommodate each of you in due time.
Extensive Cleaning After Each Appointment
Each operatory is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after each appointment. All instruments are steam sterilized, and we use one-time-use disposables whenever we can. If something cannot be steam sterilized, it is thoroughly cleaned, disinfected and covered with a disposable barrier. All surfaces are wiped down, including the dental chairs. Common areas are disinfected throughout the day, and our staff does a final whole-office deep cleaning at the end of each day.
Sterilization Monitoring
We already practice strict sterilization and disinfecting procedures, but did you know that our steam sterilization equipment is also being monitored? We use two different forms of monitoring to ensure our instruments are completely sterilized before going near your mouth.
N95 Masks and Face Shields
Our team members will be smiling at you from behind N95 face masks (doubled mask times depending on procedure) and an ADA-approved face shield. This additional PPE will keep us safe from aerosols and reduce the risk of exposure.
Disposable Lab Jackets
When appropriate, our team will be wearing additional layers of protection in the form of disposable lab jackets or gowns. We will also be changing into clean street clothes and shoes before leaving the office. It is not enough to only do our part inside the office — it is equally important to keep the community safe.
Enhanced Suction Technology
During procedures that may cause aerosols, we have three different forms of enhanced high-volume suction to reduce the risk of exposure. This technology fits comfortably in your mouth and captures aerosols before they can contaminate the air, improving air quality.
Air Filtration
We have added a HEPA-grade air purifier to our office to circulate and purify the air all day, keeping our office environment as pure as possible.
