ENHANCED SAFETY MEASURES IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19
2020 has been a year full of surprises. I think its safe to say, despite the movies, none of us had ever imagined the reality of a pandemic. It is a scary and unprecidented time.
It is important to know that we at Stellar Dental have spent countless hours educating ourselves on this virus and the best policies to ensure the health and safety of both our patients and staff. Based on studies and recommendations from the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), among others, we
have implented a few changes in our practice we are certain you will notice on your next visit.
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We are now screening all patients for COVID-19, before, at the time of, and 48
hours after their appointment to ensure no exposure. -
All patients are required to use hand sanitzer upon entering the practice.
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We are taking all of our patient's temperature upon arrival.
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All staff are being screened for symptoms and having their temperature read twice daily to ensure no signs or symptoms consistent with infection.
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There is a barrier present between all patients and our front desk staff.
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Our front desk staff is now cleaning the waiting area and patient bathroom regularly after patient contacts.
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All our staff, including front desk, are wearing face masks. Similarly, we are insisting that all patients wear their own face masks within the office when they aren’t actively being treated.
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You may notice that our waiting room no longer offers magazines or children’s toys, as these items are difficult to clean and disinfect
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When possible, we are asking patients to pay with credit or debit card to avoid exposing our staff to cash.
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Patients are expected to call upon arrival. We will tell you when we are ready to seat you, so you are not waiting with others in our small waiting room.
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To reduce the number of people in our practice at any time, we are no longer permitting anyone to accompany patients into the practice. Any patients requiring a guardian or caregiver will be permitted a singular companion.
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You may notice our offering of appointments is now different, as we are managing appointments to ensure there is no overcrowding of the waiting room.
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Our providers and their assistants will be utilizing a signficantly greater
amount of Personal Protective Equipment; please forgive their space suits!
We realize COVID-19 is a novel disease and our understanding, as humans, is rapidly changing. Rest assured, we are actively following these agencies and other news outlets to ensure we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. As such, you may find by the time you come to our practice some new policies, not listed above, are being utilized. Trust it is all in our best interest!
As you can imagine all these changes have been quite a costly process to implement. In addition, due to recent shortages and demands, the costs of Personal protective equipment and infection control products has increased significantly. To best offset this we are adding a small $10 fee to each appointment. Though the American Dental Association is actively working with insurance companies to cover this fee, at this time we do not expect it to be a covered service.
We cannot control everything, but we will do our best to ensure that a visit to our office improves your oral and overall health!
We look forward to seeing you in our doors again soon!
In the meantime, if you have any questions, we woud be happy to answer them. Just send us and email or call.
