Dear Patient Family,
We are so excited to welcome you back to our practice! We appreciate your understanding and patience during this unprecedented time. We are eager to open our doors again and would like to update you on how we will be protecting one another. It is very important that we continue to build trust with our patients so that you continue to feel at home at our practice. Here are some things to expect as we transition into a new phase of patient care.
Your health and safety are our top priority.
At Grand Dental Arts, we have always adhered to strict infection control standards. We are doing so many more things since COVID-19 to ensure you (and our team) are safe and healthy. Our office has invested in medical grade air filters which are installed in all treatment rooms, waiting room and reception area. We have also installed a HALO-LED air purification into our office HVAC system. We have incorporated new suction devices, both inside and outside the mouth, to capture any aerosols or droplets created during treatment. In addition to our strict disinfection procedures that we already follow, we have introduced a non-toxic disinfectant called hypochlorous acid (HOCl) that is more effective at destroying viruses and bacteria than chlorine bleach. Each treatment room will be fogged with HOCl after every patient to kill viruses and bacteria that remain in the air. We will also regularly fog other areas of the office. To learn more about HOCl and our sterilization and infection control procedures, please click on our ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY PAGE.
Before any scheduled appointment, the staff at Grand Dental Arts will review the COVID-19 screening questions and discuss any concerns you may have. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office. If additional “paperwork” is requested from us, we will send you user-friendly forms to complete on your phone or computer at your convenience. The information you will submit is secure and encrypted for your protection and is sent directly to our office. In order to stay as paperless as possible, we have begun to incorporate the use of iPads for electronic signatures and forms completed in our office. If you prefer, we can also send the forms straight to your own personal device (phone or tablet) during your appointment.
When you visit our office, we may look a little different to keep everyone safe! Our staff has increased our Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and will be wearing our masks at all times. During any treatment, we will be also wearing a face shield, gown and of course, our gloves. You will notice we have installed Purell hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the office including one outside the front door. We encourage all patients to sanitize your hands before, during and after your dental appointment.
Our office is a place you should continue to feel safe, although it may look and feel a little different for a while. As much as we love chatting with our patients at our front desk, we will need to be politely brief during this time. We have installed a sneeze guard at our front reception desk and will prefer to keep all transactions digital and paper free. You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines or recipe books since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
By implementing a wait in car policy, your contact with other patients is minimized. We will do our best to 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. All patients will have their temperature taken and recorded prior to entering the office. We do require that all patients wear masks inside the office until you are asked to remove it for treatment. We also kindly ask that companions do not enter the building and limit only one guardian per child.
Due to the new CDC guidelines, we have reduced the number of patients we can see each day to help keep everyone safe. This means that we need to schedule appointments a few days later than we normally would. Additionally, we are asking all our patients to give us a two-day notice for cancellations. We have so many patients who are trying to schedule appointments and we are doing everything we can to get everyone in as quickly as possible. Every appointment time is so incredibly important.
As we continue to face uncertainty as a community due to COVID-19 and the social distancing guidelines passed down from the federal, state, and local leadership, our team at Grand Dental Arts has realized the continued importance of strong and on-going relationships. We look forward to seeing all our patient family 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. We will continue to communicate all updates through our website and social media so please like or follow us on FACEBOOK and Instagram.
Stay safe and healthy,
Dr. Williamson
