05/11/2020
Dear Patient and Family,
We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines.
Infection control has always been a top priority for our office, and you may have seen this during your visits here. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe. We will be wearing additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This is to protect myself, my dear staff, and patients. We have invested in a new Autoclave Sterilizer, UV Light Sterilizer, Medical Grade Air Filters, and extra oral suction devices to help reduce and eliminate aerosols.
Our office follows the infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings and guidance that may be issued. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to each agencies’ recommendations. My long-term assistant, Terry has become our Infection Control Coordinator. She will create protocols to keep us all safe and our office current with all infection control guidelines.
You may see some new processes when it is time for your next appointment. Please be assured that we have made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:
• Our office will communicate with you before your appointment to ask some screening questions. You will be asked those same questions again when you arrive at the office, and we will need to take your temperature.
• You will be asked to bring a face mask and wear it at all times when you enter the office.
• You will be asked to wash your hands with soap and water or use the hand sanitizer we will have available as soon as you enter the office.
• You will notice that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and other items that are difficult to clean.
• Appointments will be managed to allow for physical distancing between patients. That might mean that you are offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
• We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.
• Patients are asked to not bring others into the dental office, unless they are parents or guardians of patients who are minors or are special needs patients. If someone accompanies a patient, they will be asked to wait in their vehicle. If one does enter the office, they will be asked to bring a mask and wear it at all times upon entering to office.
We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we are taking to keep you, and every patient safe in our practice. Please call the office to make an appointment.
Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors, and friends.
Sincerely,
Mark Koenen, DDS and Team
