Dear Dental Family and Friends,
May this letter find you and your family in good health. Our community and nation have been through a lot over the last few months. 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 constant commitment to your 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 strict infection control processes have consistently made the care you receive both safe and comfortable. We are working hard now to ensure your confidence in us.
Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the US 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.
The California Department of Public Health has now deemed dentistry an essential service including postponed preventative services. The Dental Board and Dental Hygiene Board of California have also issued notices allowing the delivery of dental services as long as strict guidelines are followed. We want you to know of the necessary changes we have made to our office procedures to protect our patients and staff.
-Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You'll be asked those same questions again when arriving at the office.
-To reduce exposure, we are asking that only patients enter the office. A parent or custodian is welcome to accompany the patient through their appointment.
-Every staff member is screened upon arrival to work and their temperature is taken and recorded.
-Please call upon arrival from your parked car. A staff member will do a health screening and take a temperature reading. If a temperature of 100.4F or higher is registered, we will reschedule your appointment. We will take you to your treatment room as quickly as possible.
-You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines or books since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
-The office may be cooler than normal since your health care providers are wearing additional Personal Protective Equipment. Please dress accordingly and consider bringing a sweater.
-Bring your glasses or dark glasses to your appointment. Otherwise you will be provided with eye protection. Also, please wear a mask or clothing such as a scarf to cover your mouth and nose.
-We are temporarily foregoing using ultrasonic instrumentation and polishing during hygiene appointments to avoid production of aerosols. Aerosol production is the most infectious byproduct of dental care.
-Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you're offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment. Our goal is to allow greater time between patients, reduce waiting times for you and to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.
-We have also modified the facility to change patient traffic flow and installed barriers to help contain aerosols. New equipment has been installed to maximize our High Volume Evacuation, again in an effort to contain the unavoidable production of air borne infectious agents.
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 our office at 209-478-5616 or visit our website at www.bradlouiedds.com.
Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.
Sincerely, Brad Louie and your Dental Team