To Our Dear Patients,
At North Delta Dental, the health and safety of our patients and team members are of our UTMOST importance. Although we will still not be “business as usual” for some time yet, please know that all the enhanced systems, protocols and precautions are in place so that we can provide you the best dental care with the greatest safety in mind. We thank you for your patience and understanding and look forward to seeing you again soon.
As we are still in a pandemic, certain dental procedures and patients will be prioritized over others. There may be certain dental treatment that we may recommend to still defer for the time being. We will be in touch with you if you have any upcoming scheduled appointments. Please contact us if you do have emergency or urgent dental needs and we will triage them accordingly.
The following are the measures we have taken in addition to the strict infection control guidelines that we have always followed:
YOUR APPOINTMENT
If you have any symptoms of coughing, sneezing, fever, difficulty breathing, nausea, vomitting or diarrhea please DO NOT come to the office. You must be symptom-free for at least 14 days before we can make an appointment for you. Also do not come to the office if you have had close contact with anyone with such symptoms. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR YOUR SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF ALL OF US.
In advance of your appointment, a member of our staff will be asking you a COVID-related questionnaire to ensure that we are able to see you in the office.
PHYSICAL DISTANCING
Please come to your appointment wearing a mask or other facial covering. Please call us from your car upon arrival to your dental appointment so we can be ready for you and do not enter the office until we have confirmed with you. A team member will escort you into the treatment room. If you are coming to the office with someone, we ask that they stay in the car to wait for you during your appointment. All of these measures are done to minimize the number of people in the dental office and to maintain social distancing measures. The main exception to this precaution are Parents/Guardians of our child patients.
TEMPERATURE MONITORING AND MOUTH RINSE
Once in the treatment room, your temperature will be taken and your medical history will be reviewed. A special mouth rinse will also be given to you prior to your dental procedure.
HAND SANITIZATION
Hand sanitizers will be available throughout the office for patients and team members. Please either wash your hands or use hand sanitizer prior to and after your dental procedure.
AIR PURIFICATION
Over the last number of years, our dental office has used the Surgically Clean Air medical grade air purifier to help remove germs and allergens from the office air environment. We have added additional units throughout the office so now the air is completely cycled through every 10 minutes. This is one other added precaution we have taken to increase the safety of our office environment.
ENHANCED PPEs
Depending on the dental procedures, all dental team members will be wearing various forms of PPEs, including cap, gowns, face shields and respirator masks. We apologize for the Darth Vader-look, but this is done for the time being for everyone’s safety in mind.
AIR AND SURFACE DISINFECTION
Our protocols have always been to disinfect all surfaces after all dental appointments. However, we will be increasing disinfection of high contact surface areas including door handles, countertops.
PROTECTIVE BARRIERS
We will aim to minimize your need to stay in the office including when interacting with our reception staff. We have placed plexiglass shields for added protection and distancing.
RESTROOMS
Our restroom is closed for public use for the time being with exception of any emergencies of course! Please plan ahead and use the restroom prior to your visit to our office.
We understand that this “new normal” is going to be very strange and somewhat inconvenient for everyone. Know that we are doing our best to keep everyone safe and to still provide you and your family with the best dental care that we can. We thank you for your understanding.
In health,
Dr. Calvin Tham and the North Delta Dental Team