May 13, 2020
Dear Patients,
We are SO excited to be able to let you know that we will be back in the office to resume regular patient care starting Monday, May 18th! We have always been ahead of the game with our standards of infection control and the safety equipment and protocols we use in our office, but have taken the advice and guidance of the CDC, ADA, and SCDA very seriously. We have newer and upgraded PPE (personal protective equipment) for our staff and new systems in place. For our patients this means a few changes too, so that we can all work together to make sure we are doing our best to help keep each other safe and healthy. Here are some changes you will notice when you come in for your next appointment:
- First and foremost, we ask that if you have traveled recently, have had a fever (anything over 100⁰) within 24 hours, and/or cough, sore throat, runny nose, or difficulty breathing within the last 2 weeks, PLEASE cancel your appointment. (In these instances, broken appointment fees will not be charged.)
- We will ask that patients call us when they arrive in the parking lot for their appointment and ask that they wait in their car. A member of our team will come to your car and take your temperature and ask some pre-screening questions.
- If you DO NOT have a temperature or any concerns based on your answers to the pre-screening questioning: If your room is ready, you will be taken right in. If your room is not quite ready yet, you will be given the option to wait in your car or come in the waiting room with a face cover.
- If you DO have a temperature or concerns based on your answers to the pre-screening questioning, your appointment will be canceled and we will reschedule to a later time – no exceptions. (Again, we will not be charging broken appointment fees for this reason.)
- For appointments which have an estimated out of pocket payment to collect, we will collect payment over the phone prior to your appointment when possible.
- We will ask patients to sanitize their hands upon entering a treatment room and will have them rinse with an anti-microbial mouthwash prior to treatment.
- We will require that only patients will be allowed in treatment rooms and ask that if anyone other than the patient is coming to the appointment that they wait in their car as we are trying to keep traffic in the waiting room to a bare minimum.
- If you do require to wait in the waiting room, please remember that space is very limited and we will be limiting the number of people allowed in the waiting room at any time. You will also be asked to wear a mask. You will notice that we have fewer chairs which have been placed 6 feet apart for safe social distancing, and all magazines and books have been removed.
Thank you all for your patience as we navigate this situation together and learn to adapt to our new “normal”. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us. We look forward to seeing everyone again SOON!!
Sincerely,
Dr. Vaughan & Team at Sunset Dental
