COVID - 19 Update - Part IV
It is important to maintain dental visits, even during a pandemic.
Oral health is an important part of overall health.
Prevention and treatment of dental disease is important.
Routine appointments allow us to check for a number of health conditions. Some conditions, like tooth decay, can be more difficult, painful and expensive to treat if not caught early.
Health and safety is first and foremost.
We understand you are concerned about your health and safety. We are too! As doctors of oral health, that is always our top priority. We are taking a number of new precautions to protect you in accordance with the American Dental Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The good news is, these precautions are working.
An October 2020 report published in The Journal of the American Dental Association found that 99 percent of dentists were using enhanced infection control procedures such as screening protocols and enhanced disinfection practices when treating patients.
Our dental team is also carefully monitoring our own health through daily screenings. Our staff takes their temperature to make sure no one has a fever, and we answer health-related questions each day to ensure no one is experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.
Researchers from the ADA Science and Research Institute and the ADA Health Policy Institute are continuing to collect infection rate data among dentists and have added dental hygienists to the research as well. The preliminary data suggest the monthly incidence rate among dentists has remained below one percent.
How are we working to limit the spread of COVID-19?
Dentists were infection control experts before the pandemic, and we have strengthened already-strict infection control procedures in accordance with American Dental Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance to help limit the spread of COVID-19. We continue to have staff meetings to review any new recommendations and implement them accordingly.
For added safety, our reception area now has plexiglass installed on both sides. A new central HEPA grade air filtration system was installed in May that catches particles down to 0.1 microns in size. We have also added another layer of protection with the installation of a UV air purifier in August.
Before your appointment, we are taking many precautions to provide safe dental care.
Our office staff may call and ask some questions about your current health status before your visit. They will repeat these questions when you arrive to make sure nothing has changed.
You will have your temperature taken prior to any procedure.
You will be asked to bring and wear your own masks when you arrive at our office. If you do not have a mask, one will be provided.
You may be asked to limit the number of people you bring to the appointment. That could mean leaving your children at home under proper supervision or allowing your older children to go into the office alone while you wait outside in your vehicle.
We will have hand sanitizer available for you to use.
We will ask you to use a pre-procedural mouth rinse.
During your visit, you can expect the following:
You may be asked to wait outside until the dental team is ready to see you. This is to reduce the number of people in the office and the time you are around other people.
Inside the office, you may notice things like toys and magazines — the things many people tend to touch — have been removed.
Our staff is regularly wiping down items patients often touch like pens, clipboards or furniture.
Our dental team, including me, may be using different protective equipment than you’ve seen at previous appointments, such as N95 masks, face shields, and gowns. Don’t worry, the same smiling faces are still there underneath!
After every visit:
Our team will thoroughly clean the areas where all patients have been, using disinfectants that are effective against the virus that causes COVD-19.
If you need an accommodation due to disability related to our safety protocols, including the requirement to wear masks or cloth face coverings, please contact our office as soon as possible, prior to your appointment.
COVID - 19 Update - Part III
Thank you for your continued trust in our practice.
It has been almost four months since we reopened our doors to provide emergent and non-urgent care. We are so grateful we have been able to once again diagnose and provide treatment for our patients in need.
We are continuing to follow guidelines set out by the American Dental Association (ADA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Oregon Health Authority (OHA). In addition to the HEPA grade air filtration system installed in May, we now also have two UV air purifiers installed to reduce airborne germs.
Our standard Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) since we reopened in May includes isolation gowns, face shields, goggles, gloves, N95 masks and surgical masks. Treatment rooms are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between patients, as always. We continue to regularly clean high traffic areas and take numerous precautions before, during, and after appointments. My staff and I are taking every precaution to limit the risk of COVID-19 transmission at your visit.
ADA President Chad P. Gehani states “ Oral Health is integral to overall health. Dentistry is essential health care. Dentistry is essential health care because of its role in evaluating, diagnosing, preventing or treating oral diseases, which can affect systemic health.”
One question that has been asked is:
Can I put off my dental appointment until after the COVID-19 pandemic is over?
Regular dental appointments are an important part of taking care of your overall health. While it can be tempting to put off your regular checkup until things feel more “normal”, I advise against it. Routine appointments provide an opportunity to check for a number of health conditions and catch them early. Your health and safety is, and has always been, my top priority.
We want to keep you safe, healthy and smiling!
If you need an accommodation due to disability related to our safety protocols, including the requirement to wear masks or cloth face coverings, please contact our office as soon as possible, prior to your appointment.
COVID - 19 Update - Part II
Thank you for your continued patience and support while we gathered the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to keep our patients and dental team as safe as possible. Our new standard for PPE includes N95/KN95 mask and surgical mask, face shield, isolation gown and gloves for all aerosol-generating procedures. For added safety, our reception area now has plexiglass installed on both sides, and a new central HEPA grade air filtration system was installed in May and catches particles down to 0.1 microns in size.
On May 27, 2020, the American Dental Association (ADA) released additional information to enable dentists to provide dental care in a safe and healthy work environment for employees while reducing the risk of COVID-19 spread for all. On a weekly basis, we are tracking the rates of COVID-19 in Linn County through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and our local zip code through Johns Hopkins University & Medicine's Coronavirus Resource Center. Currently, and thankfully, we are experiencing minimal community transmission, and we will continue to follow the guidance of the CDC using strict adherence to Standard Precautions to provide dental care to patients without suspected or confirmed COVID-19. We will continue to balance the need to provide necessary services while minimizing the risks to patients and staff.
On May 29, 2020 the ADA welcomed the updated guidance for dental settings released by the CDC. This guidance echoes the science-based guidance issued in April by the ADA, including:
- Calling patients prior to scheduled appointment to ask about current health status
-Advising patients to wear a face covering when entering the practice
- Limiting number of people who accompany a patient to the appointment
- Completing temperature checks for all patients on arrival
- Social distancing practices for patients while in the office
- Appropriate PPE for all staff members to ensure an environment is a safe and healthy as possible for patients and dental team
- Hand sanitizer available and cleaning surfaces regularly
We have added several Monday's to our summer schedule to help accommodate rescheduling appointments that were missed in March, April and May. We will continue to call and send recall reminder cards out as well. We have increased the length of appointments to allow for the extra time needed for the additional PPE, social distancing of patients, and time to properly clean and disinfect the treatment rooms.
Please see COVID-19 Update Part 1 for additional information. We look forward to seeing you soon!
COVID - 19 Update - Part I
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. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety. On April 14th, Governor Brown announced a pubic health framework for restarting public life and business in Oregon. The plan allowed for restarting non-emergent and elective procedures in medical and dental offices provided they meet specific criteria. The guidance for resuming procedures was issued by the Oregon Health Authority on April 29, 2020.
Rest assured I am taking steps to ensure we have adequate PPE (personal protective equipment) supplies, following strict infection control protocols, and resources for associated care. We will resume procedures slowly once we have the necessary PPE and the criteria will be reassessed every two weeks.
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, its both safe and comfortable. 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 we are up to date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued.
We are actively working on implementing new safety protocols. Among many changes that are being made, a new air filtration system with HEPA filter designation is being installed this coming week.
We will be implementing enhanced risk screening prior to delivering care. Our office will communicate with you to ask some screening questions. You will be asked those same questions again when you are at the office. We will be screening all patients for COVID 19 risk factors and symptoms,including temperature checks.
We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.
You will see the reception room no longer will offer magazines, children's toys and so forth, since those are difficult items to clean and disinfect.
Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. We will allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time. Please limit extra companions to only essential people. We may ask you to wait in your vehicle or outside and contact you by phone when we would like you to come in.
In accordance with the Executive Order, we will have a plan for reducing or stopping non-emergent and elective procedures if a surge / resurgence of COVID 19 cases occur in our area.
We are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. Thank you for being patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.
Sincerely,
Dr. Molly Slack and Team