COVID-19
Our community has been through a lot over the past few years, 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.
Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice. Our office follows the recommendations set forth 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 that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to each agencies’ recommendations. Given the world’s recent COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic, our infection control processes have been enhanced, ensuring that when you receive care, it is both safe and comfortable.
We want to tell you about the heightened infection control procedures we will follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.
- Personal Health: We ask that if you are experiencing any flu-like symptoms (fever, sore throat, cough) prior to your appointment, to kindly cancel and reschedule your visit.
- Personal Protective Equipment: All patients will be asked to wear a mask to our office. We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find more throughout the office for use as needed.
Our staff will look a bit different to you, too. While continuing universal precautions, we will be wearing supplemental protective equipment, including disposable gowns, face shields, head coverings, and specialized masks
- Increased Infection Control: We developed a multi-tiered approach to managing potentially hazardous or contagious particles and droplets in the office that greatly exceeds official recommendations. We have placed medical-grade air purifiers in each operatory, front desk and reception areas to filter residual aerosols and circulate clean air. Each office will also employ a sanitation assistant, who will continuously disinfect common areas and frequently touched surfaces. Each operatory will have the option for a specialized advanced high-volume evacuation system used intraorally to remove aerosols by 90% at their source.
- Pre-Rinse Chairside: All patients will be asked to rinse with a solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide and water for 60 seconds prior to treatment. This rinse decreases potential viral transmission in an asymptomatic patient.
- Scheduling: We will be taking several measures to space out both our dental hygiene and restorative appointments to minimize the number of people in our office at one time. We will be increasing the amount of time between patient appointments to ensure proper disinfection of operatories. While we pride ourselves on accommodating patient needs for appointment times, we may offer you fewer scheduling options than in the past.
We look forward to seeing you again 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. Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.
Sincerely,
Springfield Lorton Dental Group