Since MFD’s last update on what we are doing to help keep our staff and patient’s in the best health possible, much more information has come to light regarding this now pandemic – the Coronavirus. I want to start by saying that we are experts regarding oral health, dental procedures and care, as well as using universal precautions to help reduce and eliminate the spread of disease in our office.
We will remain open and continue treating our patients pending new information or further development either from external government agencies or our own staff
The fact is that our office is and will continue to be one of the cleanest and safest places to be, both during the time of this pandemic as well as during normal life. We use personal protective equipment (PPE), sterilize our equipment, clean rooms between each patient, and take universal precautions according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Dental Association (ADA), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines. On top of that, we regularly clean our office during and after the workday (even before this new pandemic) and we also hire a separate cleaning service that comes regularly on the weekends.
These are some of the measures we’ve taken from Day 1 of starting MFD.
However, in light of what we’ve learned through additional ADA and CDC guidelines, we have implemented the following precautions in addition to those above:
–As we’ve written and shared in our previous post, if you are currently feeling ill, have tested positive for the Coronavirus, traveled to a “red area” in the last two weeks we simply ask you not to come into the office. Please give us a call and we’ll be more than happy to reschedule your appointment for a few weeks down the road.
-We are also temporarily suspending our 24-hour cancellation policy so that you are able to call the morning of your appointment and reschedule if you need to.
-We ask that only you (the patient) come to your appointment and not additional members of your family or friends. If the patient is a minor, we ask that only 1 guardian comes with them.
-If multiple family members have appointments at the same time and one person may be ill, we ask that only the well-feeling family members come to the office. Please have those who feel ill remain at home if at all possible. If we need to reschedule the entire family for any reason (i.e. no caregiver at home while you’re at our office), we are more than happy to reschedule for a time that works better.
-One of the few early signs of infection with COVID-19 is elevated temperature. For this reason, we will be taking a quick forehead temperature for all patients prior to their appointments. For any patient with a fever over 100.4, we will reschedule your appointment.
We do understand that some of these measures may seem like ‘overkill’ to a segment of our patients, however, in times like these we would rather be overly cautious than dangerously confident.
As always, if you have any questions about these new policies or any questions at all, please give us a call. Your health and the health of our Team are our top priorities and this new policy is another step we’ve taken to back our words up with action.
All our best,
-MFD
