03/16/2020
To our exceptional patients at Gufford Dental, this is Dr. Gufford
First off, thank you for choosing us as your dental office. It is a responsibility I take very seriously. Moreover, I have come to think of my patients as close friends and I want to keep that in mind as I write this letter regarding the COVID 19 outbreak. Obviously, the situation appears to be changing rapidly but for the following reasons, we have decided to continue to see patients.
Modern dental practices like Gufford Dental take infection control seriously each and every day. When a concern such as COVID-19 arises, you can rest assured that we are doing everything possible to keep our patients safe and healthy. I take great comfort knowing that being inside the walls of my dental practice interacting with my patients is very likely one of the safest places I can be.
Consider for a moment:
1. In our office, everything is sterilized with state-of-the-art techniques and all surfaces are disinfected between every visit. These are every day universal precautions for us that have always been in place!
2. We are not a volume-based practice, but instead a small, private setting focused on caring for one patient at a time. This means we don’t have a reception area full of people, and unlike your doctor’s office, the people here are HEALTHY.
3. We have implemented additional paid sick leave for all staff members to insure that no staff member feels pressure to be at work in the event that they do not feel well.
4. We will be there for you! Sometimes dentistry simply can’t wait. If you are not feeling well, have concerns about recent travels, or underlying health concerns, we will kindly reschedule your appointment, but we have no plans to close our doors to our patients.
By all means, be cautious, diligent, and prepared! Wash your hands, use hand sanitizer, and take care of your family. The key is to do all these things without letting fear, panic, and worry get the best of us. It’s not good for our health, it’s not good for our sanity, it’s not good for our society, and in many cases, it may be worse than the problem itself.
Sincerely,
Justin Gufford DDS