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. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your health and safety.
Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. 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.
Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued.
You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:
- Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office and your temperature will be taken.
- We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.
- You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys, coffee, water or snacks, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
- Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
- All patients will be required to reschedule their appointments after 14 days: if they feel any of these symptoms - fever, dry cough, loss of taste and/or smell, flu-like symptoms, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, and fatigue.
- All patients who have travelled or will be travelling over 100 miles up to their appointment date will be asked to reschedule their appointment after 14 days from the day they returned home from travelling.
- 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.
- The practice may use telehealth (virtual or phone appointments) in order to limit a patient’s need to physically be in the office.
- Patients are asked to not bring others into the dental practice, 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 or outside the office.
- Patients are asked to wear a mask while in the office.
We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call or text our office at (949) 347-7083.
Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.
Sincerely,
Dr. Mai Ly and Team