Practice Updates Regarding COVID-19

We are excited to announce we will be reopening on June 8, 2020.

During the past weeks while under “stay at home orders,” our team extensively reviewed all available scientific research regarding the virus we have all come to know as COVID19. We are aware that it is easily transmittable and highly infectious.

What we’ve learned and implemented will keep you safe!

We’d like to share our findings and plan of action. Transmission of the disease is thought to spread through respiratory droplets. Air droplets can be created during dental procedures. By following CDC, OSHA and Pennsylvania DOH guidance, rest assured, we are doing everything possible to mitigate any risk to you or our team while under our care. Even with extra-ordinary precautions, there is always some risk that cannot be avoided.

The dental profession follows stringent infection control procedures, including strict sterilization protocols and barrier techniques such as gloves and masks. In addition to strict adherence of CDC and DOH guidelines, we have added multiple new protective measures. We have taken infection control to a level that all but eliminates the risk of transmission!

Our protocols go

WAY ABOVE 

all current recommendations – because

WE CARE!

What we’re doing now to protect you

We are reopening with complete confidence that all recommended safety measures are in place.      We are taking a calm and deliberate approach and following all governmental mandates.

We know that dental care is essential NOT ONLY to your oral health, but to your overall health. Periodontal disease is a bacterial infection. Maintaining your oral health will protect you from vulnerability to many other systemic diseases.

New systems and policies:

When you see us next, you’ll notice some changes to our standard operations. These are designed to keep all of our team members and patients safe. Some of what we’ve implemented to keep you safe includes:

  • Expanded office hours to allow more time between patients
  • Staggered appointment scheduling to limit patient numbers in the office
  • Pre-visit health screening of all patients
  • Special procedures for patients entering and leaving the office including taking your temperature, hand sanitizers, and providing protective masks.
  • Only one patient will be permitted in the reception area to maintain social distancing
  • Magazines and periodicals which we cannot sanitize will be eliminated.
  • Pre-payment for procedures, to reduce time at the front desk and eliminate the need for our administrative team to handle and process credit cards. (We will no longer be accepting cash payments, in order to eliminate trips to the bank to make deposits)
  • Teledentistry: Many appointments such as some consultations and post-op healing checks may be scheduled remotely to minimize unnecessary contact.
  • An antibacterial and antiviral mouth rinse will be provided before any dental care.
  • An Ultraviolet Light Box to sanitize small items

Updated disinfecting procedures:

You’ll notice that the majority of familiar signs and countertop items have been removed to allow for efficient and effective surface and countertop disinfection early in the morning, during the day and at the end of the day. The coffee station has been replaced with a sanitization station.

Fortunately, the Covid19 virus is easy to kill with an approved surface disinfectant. All of our counters and surfaces will be completely wiped off and disinfected before and after each patient and at the start and end of every day. Pictured here is a fine mist fogger that is used to spray and disinfect the treatment rooms and reception areas.

All door handles and frequent touch surfaces are being disinfected frequently and scrupulously. To keep you safe, we have removed our magazines (as difficult to disinfect), but please feel free to bring your own reading materials or listen to your favorite podcast on your mobile device. We do ask that you wipe your mobile device off with sanitizer before you go back to a treatment room.

New safety equipment

We have ordered the following safety equipment and it is being installed as it arrives. At your next visit to the office you will notice the following additions that we have put in place to keep you safe:

Medify air purifiers. These air filters, present in every room, have HEPA 13 filters and remove 99.97% of all virus particles including COVID19. Additional features include a dust sensor, pre-filter, active carbon filter, and ionizer technology.

Safety partitions The new partitions at our reception counter help provide protection for you and our administrative staff by enforcing social distancing.

Personal Protective Equipment: Don’t be alarmed at our team members’ futuristic new uniform. The administrative staff are all wearing gloves and masks, while members of the clinical team are wearing face shields, shoe coverings, head coverings, masks, gloves, and gowns. These protective measures keep all of us safer while providing or receiving dental treatment.

Aerosol reducers: We have invested in several brand-new devices to capture air droplets before they have a chance to spread through the air. These include:

Kulzer’s Ivory ReLeaf is an innovative Intra-Oral Evacuation System. The Leaf captures the majority of droplets and aerosols before they have a chance to get into the air. It connects to our high-speed evacuation system and rests gently next to your cheek.

Again, we are excited to reopen our doors to patient care on June 8, 2020.

Our team looks forward to seeing you again soon and helping you maintain optimal oral health.

Sincerely,

I. Stephen Brown, DDS, FACD, FICD

The Perio Group