10 Jun Covid-19 Visit Guide

Posted at 20:12h in Announcement by

Dear valued member of our dental family,

(un message français suivra)

 We hope all is well with you and your family during these challenging times.

We are now scheduling dental appointments, and taking extensive precautionary measures to ensure the safety of our patients.  We are fully compliant with infection control procedures set by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Health.

We have also changed our appointment procedures and taken other safety measures to provide a safe and comfortable dental appointment, which we have explained below.

Before Your Appointment

  • Patients will be pre-screened for COVID-19
  • Intake screening forms will be provided to review and bring to appointments.

Upon Your Arrival At The Office

  • To maintain social distancing, please call or text when you arrive and wait in your vehicle or outside of the office until your scheduled appointment time. The office will call or text you back when your treatment room is ready and a staff member will then greet you at the entrance.
  • Patients will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms and possible contact with COVID-19 positive persons upon entering the practice.
  • Temperature checks will be performed upon entering the practice.
  • Patients showing signs or symptoms of illness, or exposure to COVID-19 will be asked to reschedule their appointments.
  • Patients will be asked to arrive at the office wearing a face mask. Reusable masks will be sold at cost to patients who are not wearing masks upon entrance to the office.
  • Patients will be provided with hand sanitizer upon entering the clinic.
  • Only scheduled patients will be allowed into the office other than patients requiring care from a guardian or caregiver.
  • The number of patients at any given time in the practice will be limited and appointments will be staggered.
  • Waiting area chairs will be limited due to lack of space to allow for 6 feet (2 meters) of distancing.
  • We ask that patients continue to practice social distancing measures in the office at all times.
  • There will be no physical contact with patients except for treatment.

In-Office Measures

  • You will find hand sanitizer at our entrance and throughout the office
  • Magazines, children’s toys, chairs and other items that are difficult to disinfect will be removed from the waiting area.
  • Common areas will be cleaned and sanitized throughout the day.
  • To respect new sanitary guidelines, we will kindly ask all our patients to use the public restrooms just outside our suite near the elevators.

Your Treatment and Care

  • All staff will be screened daily for COVID-19 symptoms and possible contact with COVID-19 positive persons.
  • Staff temperatures will be taken daily upon entering the practice.
  • Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) will be provided for all clinical and administrative staff including, N95 (or equivalent) masks, face shields, gowns, gloves, and other protective equipment as required.
  • Treatment rooms will be completely sterilized before patients are seated – extra time will be scheduled in-between appointments to allow for the thorough cleaning and disinfection of treatment rooms and equipment
  • All treatment rooms have air filtration systems that renew the ambient air several times per hour.
  • All treatment rooms have water purification systems that treat all city water before it enters the treatment room equipment.
  • During treatment, our team will strictly follow guidelines set by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Health.

Checking Out After Your Appointment

  • Plexiglas screens have been installed at reception counters to protect patients and staff.
  • The payment protocol will change to respect social distancing guidelines in the reception area. Point of Sale terminals will be used in the treatment rooms when possible.  The dental provider will accept payment and schedule future appointments if applicable.  Patients will be asked not to use cash and to provide their credit card information before the appointment as much as possible.  Touchless payments will be favoured.
  • You will notice a modest fee adjustment to account for the cost of enhanced precautions to keep you safe.
  • Payment processing terminals will be wiped and sanitized after each use.
  • Patients will then be escorted out of the office.
  • The above changes will help streamline the exit process and reduce waiting times at the front desk for payment purposes.

The safety of our patients and staff is our top priority, and our entire dental team is committed to ensuring your safety and comfort in receiving dental care from our office.  We are looking forward to reconnecting with our patients and providing for your dental needs.

If you have any questions or concerns related to your care after reviewing this information, please contact us directly.

Sincerely,

Drs Rochon, Racicot and Team