What protective measures are you taking?
At all times, we adhere to the highest level of safety protocols in our practice to prevent the spread of all infections, including COVID-19. Some examples include:
- Screening all patients and any parent/guardian who accompanies them (questionnaire, contactless temperature check, hand sanitizer)
- Eliminating all unnecessary objects from our reception area & clinic. Unfortunately, this does include our toys and video games.
- Installing clear acrylic barriers at the front desk and in our consultation rooms to allow for additional protection for our team and the families visiting our practice.
- Fewer patients scheduled at once to allow for proper social distancing.
- Reducing overall number of people in the office by allowing only the patient and one parent/guardian. All other family members including siblings without an appointment will need to remain at home or wait in the car.
- All team members will be temperature screened before coming into the office, at lunchtime, and at the end of the day and will be wearing masks.
- All clinical team members will be wearing disposable gowns, scrub caps, N95 masks, face shields and gloves.
- Single-use dental materials & hospital-grade disinfectants as we have always done
- Virtual check-in/check-out process, as well as contactless payment options and consent forms.
- Minimizing the use of the reception area
Can you guarantee my child won’t get COVID- 19 by coming to the dentist?
We are following all infection control guidelines, but just as any public place, there is a chance that you can be exposed to COVID- 19 because of the nature of the virus. We are screening all patients and parents/guardians who enter the building. We are also screening all team members several times throughout the day. In addition, to allow for effective contact tracing, the same team member will accompany your child throughout the entire appointment.
I called/texted that we were here a while ago; why have you not gotten us yet?
We greatly appreciate your patience during this time. We’re sorry during this transition some things may take a little longer than what you are accustomed to, but we can guarantee our doctors and staff are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of our team and families that visit our practice. Please use this time to digitally complete any necessary appointment or consent forms or take advantage of our contactless payment options.
Is there anything special I need to bring to our appointment?
- A mask or face covering for yourself and children over 3 (if medically able to tolerate a face covering).
- Warm clothes- our office will be kept at a temperature that allows our staff to wear additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Can I come back with my child?
Yes. However, to help maintain social distancing and reduce exposure to all, we are only allowing one parent/guardian per patient who must provide and wear their own mask or face covering. In order to respect social distancing and ensure the safety of our dental team, any parent/guardian who accompanies their child into the operatory must remain seated in the chair provided. We also recommend all children over 3 bring a mask or face covering as well for before and after their treatment. Our reception area will continue to be closed. We encourage older children to come back alone while parents wait in their car, as we are trying to minimize the number of people that go through our office each day. We will call or text you when the visit is complete. You can schedule future visits over the phone and utilize our contactless payment options.
Can I bring other children?
No. We are asking at this time you do not bring any one else that does not have an appointment. It’s hard to keep little ones from touching things, and we are unable to practice social distancing with additional people in the office. If there is absolutely no way you can do this, then we encourage you to stay in the car with your other children.
Is there anything I should do to prepare my child for their visit?
Yes, please explain to your child that our team will be dressed in “SUPER HERO” outfits with mask, shields and capes on. Also, prepare them that our toys and video games have been removed from the reception area. While this may be disappointing, we ARE still giving away goodie bags! To make it fun, while still being safe, our patients will be shown a laminated menu of toys to choose from and a team member will place the item in the goodie bag while wearing gloves. We still have iPads and TVs in the rooms to allow our patients to enjoy entertainment during their visit. We admit that these changes are hardest on our younger patients, but truthfully, we’d hate to have your child’s dental needs unchecked, as we don’t know if the COVID pandemic will last for weeks, months, or if this will be the new normal.
Are these precautions really necessary?
We are following the current recommendations by the ADA, CDC, IDPH and AAPD. However, we prefer to go above and beyond what is expected when it comes to the safety of our patients, families, and dental team.
My child has an underlying health condition, is it safe for them to come in?
In this case, we recommend that you use your best judgment or consult with your pediatrician if your child is high risk. We are screening all families and we will not allow any child to be treated if the answer is ‘YES’ to any of our COVID-19 screening questions. We are encouraging medically compromised children to be scheduled for the first appointment of the day before there is more traffic coming in and out of the office.
