5/13/2020     Covid 19 updates

 

We are opening our doors now for limited appointments. When you come in for an appointment, we are asking you to follow certain procedures to avoid crowds in the waiting room and for the health and safety of everyone involved.

 

When You Come In

 

• Please limit the visit to the patient and one guardian (please let us know if this is not possible)
• Our waiting room will be closed, so only those that are sedation appointments will be allowed to stay in the waiting room. We will ask that you check in and then wait in your car and we will call you to come back in for the appointment.
• Please reschedule your appointment if you are feeling sick. Do not come in if you have a fever or cough, or have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19
• We will be taking temperatures of the patient and guardian and also providing a mouth rinse for the patient prior to any procedure

 

Steps We Are Taking

 

We have always complied with the OSHA-mandated protocols to maintain a highly sterile environment. These guidelines were created to safeguard against the spread of highly contagious diseases such as tuberculosis and measles, and they are equally effective in managing the spread of influenza and coronavirus. Below is a summary of the steps currently in place to ensure patient and employee safety:

 

Patient Health Screening: Due to concerns about patient and employee safety, we ask that nonemergency patients experiencing flu-like symptoms and patients who have traveled outside of the US in the past 14 days reschedule their appointments. Guardians will be asked to complete a COVID-19 screening and temperature check prior to all visits at our offices. This is in accordance with the CDC guidelines.

 

Sterilization Procedures: The foundation of our infection control procedures is based on requirements established by the CDC that state that all body fluids are treated as infectious because patients with blood-borne infections can be asymptomatic. This does include airborne droplets from coughs or sneezes. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) used in our office, which includes jackets, eye- protective wear, face shields, masks including N-95 and gloves are designed to ensure that no bodily fluids can pass between staff and patients. Strict surface sterilization procedures are followed to clean and disinfect all operatory surfaces between patients and, after each use, all dental instruments are cleaned and heat sterilized.

 

Common Area Disinfecting/Aerosol Reduction: As a result of the current coronavirus concern, we have taken added precautions in the common areas. All magazine, books and patient toys have been removed. The patient check-in using our iPads will be wiped down after each use. Lobby surfaces and patient restrooms are disinfected and wiped down hourly. This includes wipe down of all hard surfaces and patient restrooms. We have also installed air purification systems that are HEPA and UV light that filter every 15 minutes and filter particles as small as 0.1 micron. In addition to the air purification, we have installed surgically clean air units in our treatment rooms to combat aerosols produced. These capture ultra- fine air particles including virus and bacteria as well as vapors.

 

We want you to feel comfortable and confident while being treated at Dogwood. Your peace of mind is very important to us, so please do not hesitate to let us know should you have any questions or concerns.

 

Please stay safe and well Dogwood family!

 

Drs. Hinchey, Strickland, Smith and

the Entire Team at Dogwood Pediatric Dentistry