May 2020

Dear Patients and Family,

We are excited to get our office up and running and opened our doors on May 18th.  While many things have changed we want to assure you that the safety of our patients and staff is our highest priority.

We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe. Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the ADA, CDC and OSHA. We have always followed a strict protocol in the clinic and we will continue to do so.  Most of the changes are in the front office.  We will be cleaning the front areas before, between and after patients. 

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:

  • Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You will be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.

  • Hand sanitizer will required upon entering the office and take your temperature with a non contact thermometer  

  • You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and coffee or beverages, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.

  •  Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment to allow for less people in office. Reception chairs have been reduced as well using every other treatment chair.

  • Virtual appointments are also available for select patients.  Invisalign/Aligner patients, observation/eruption patients, expander checks, new patient exams, retainer checks and any general questions.  Please see COVID-19 info on the website for details to see if you qualify or call the office. These types of appointments help reduce the number of people in office and/or appointment time in the office.

In the clinic we will be asking you to use a hydrogen peroxide rinse to reduce the bacteria in your mouth. We may be wearing different jackets, gowns, masks and face shields depending on the types of procedure.  We will be using different vacuum attachments to reduced aerosols. Appointment types will be scheduled differently depending on procedure.    

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,

Dr. DeSantos and Staff