In such a unique and unprecedented time, we’re actively working with our practices to create a strategy and craft announcements for practices, patients, and peace of mind. If you need the words to communicate to your patient base, we’ve provided two statements you can send them, depending on the current state of your practice. Feel free to alter them as needed.

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Response #1: Open with Increased Safety Procedures

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As the coronavirus continues to dramatically impact lives, please know that we stand with you, your family, and our entire community. This is a difficult time for everyone, but we’re all in this together and together we’ll make it through.

Safety is our primary concern – for you, your loved ones, our families, our team, and our community. We genuinely care for those we serve and those we serve alongside.

We have always employed extensive measures to protect our patients and our team from the spread of infections – consistently meeting or exceeding all relevant guidelines for disinfection of patient areas and sterilization of instruments. Surfaces are treated with disinfectants that kill all viruses and bacteria. Instruments are autoclaved to eliminate all viruses and bacteria. We also use disposable, single-use supplies when applicable. Knowing that diseases will always be present in our patient population, we consistently take "universal precautions” to provide a safe environment.

In addition to our normal procedures, we are adding the following steps to help protect our entrance area, waiting room and restrooms from the spread of the coronavirus:

• All handles on doors, chairs, faucets and toilets are disinfected with a bleach or high level disinfecting solution at least every 90 minutes, or more frequently, as needed.
• We rearranged the waiting room to allow the 3 foot radius recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.

Should I cancel my dental appointment because of COVID-19?

If you are healthy, there’s no need to cancel your dental appointment. Staying healthy is one way to minimize the risk of serious consequences of the virus and your oral health is an important part of your overall health. At this time, we will continue to serve our patients.

However, you should cancel your appointment if…

• You have flu-like symptoms. We are asking any patient with cold or flu symptoms to reschedule their appointment for at least 2 weeks after symptoms have passed.
• You or someone you are in close contact with have recently traveled to one of the countries with large outbreaks of COVID-19 (China, Italy, Iran, South Korea) or if you have been exposed to someone else who was diagnosed with COVID-19 or who was quarantined as a precaution, wait 14 days until you see your dentist to make sure you have not caught the coronavirus. 

For symptomatic patients with emergency conditions - broken teeth, pain, swelling, fever, etc, we ask to be notified before the appointment so we can take extra precautionary measures to insure the safety of our team and other patients.

Stay Safe

Most people infected with COVID-19 do not develop serious respiratory complications, but experience flu-like symptoms and eventually recover.

However, elderly people and those with underlying medical conditions such as heart issues, diabetes, kidney disease, etc… have shown an elevated risk of becoming seriously ill. 

Please take the following precautions to help protect yourself and those around you:

• Wash your hands frequently, or use a hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent ethyl alcohol.
• Avoid touching your face, eyes or nose to reduce the spread of germs.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with your elbow. COVID-19 can spread through the tiny droplets in coughs and sneezes. 
• If you feel sick or have flu-like symptoms, stay home. Call our office to reschedule your appointment for a later date. 

Rest assured that we are exercising all essential precautions to safeguard our staff and patients during this time. 

For more information on COVID-19, visit cdc.gov

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Response #2: Open for Non-Elective Emergency Treatment

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As the coronavirus continues to dramatically impact lives, please know that we stand with you, your family, and our entire community. This is a difficult time for everyone, but we’re all in this together and together we’ll make it through.

Safety is our primary concern – for you, your loved ones, our families, our team, and our community. We genuinely care for those we serve and those we serve alongside. With that in mind, we have decided to be proactive and postpone all non-emergency, non-elective dental treatment. This extraordinary step may seem to some like an overreaction, but as healthcare professionals we believe we must do what we can to help minimize spread of the virus and “flatten the curve.” We would never want to put our patients or our team in a situation that has the potential to increase their risk factors for serious illness or death. We sincerely hope this decision is an overreaction and that the virus stops spreading and dissipates quickly.

If you have treatment scheduled to relieve pain, treat infection, restore normal oral function, or repair trauma, we will treat you as scheduled. If you’re unsure whether your scheduled treatment fits these categories, please contact us.

Although appointments for non-elective treatments will not occur during the remainder of March, we will still be available to our entire community for dental emergencies. If you have an appointment scheduled for March, we’ll be in touch to reschedule your appointment for sometime in April. Please be patient with us because we have many patients to contact. We realize this decision may be an inconvenience to you or your family, but we will work hard to accommodate your schedule.

Like everyone else, we are in uncharted waters with this situation. Our goal is always to do what’s in the best interest of our patients. If something changes or we have news to share, we’ll be in touch. Please be safe and take all necessary precautions. Remember, we’re all in this together and together we’ll make it through.

For more information on COVID-19, visit cdc.gov