Without a doubt this has been a time of uncertainty for all of us. We have done our best to re-adjust on a daily basis and to continue serving your dental needs to the best of our abilities in the midst of a pandemic. However, it has been hard as dental professionals to postpone so many of your dental appointments knowing what we know about the importance of your oral health. This is why we are excited to now be open and operating normally.
Based on guidelines set forth from the Governor, the ADA, and the VDA, we have resumed routine dental procedures at both our Richmond and Short Pump locations.
Now, a few things are different as we work to make our practice as safe as possible for our patients and for our staff. We have outlined these enhanced safety protocols below and encourage you to let us know if you have any questions about these new procedures. Please know our main priority is for you to feel safe and protected when you visit us for dental care.
1. We have installed FDA Approved Air Scrubber by Aerus air purifiers in our HVAC ducts. This technology attaches directly to the HVAC system to remove air pollution, VOC’s, surface contaminants, as well as much more. These contain a special UV light system which is able to attack contaminants on all surfaces.
2. In addition, we have also installed AirDoctor stand-alone air purifiers in all of our treatment suites. Their Ultra-HEPA filter is 100x more effective than ordinary HEPA filters and is able to capture 99.99% of the most dangerous ultra fine particles in the air.
3. We will now be using a fantastic dental technology called the Isolite in most of our dental procedures. This device eliminates airborne aerosols by over 90%, creating a much safer environment for both our staff and patients.
4. Our staff has been equipped with any and all PPE that they desire for their protection. Everyone will be protected according to OSHA standards, but we have made additional PPE available to our staff as they deem necessary, such as N95 masks, full face shields, and gowns.
5. Our check-in protocols have been modified to encourage social-distancing. We are implementing a vehicle check-in process at our Richmond office as to eliminate any crowded waiting areas. All patients will be met at their vehicle to be screened and to have their temperature taken. No one will be admitted into our facilities with a temperature of 100.4 or greater.
6. All patients will be asked to either wash their hands or use hand sanitizer upon entering the building. Then everyone will be asked to rinse with a pre-procedural mouth rinse prior to their visit. Since COVID-19 is vulnerable to oxidation, any mouth rinse containing oxidative agents such as 1% hydrogen peroxide or .2% povidone is recommended to reduce the salivary load of oral microbes, including potential COVID.
7. We will be limiting the number of people allowed in our facilities at any given time. For the time being we are not allowing anyone to bring guests with them to their appointments. 1 parent or guardian will be permitted for minor patients.
We can’t express how grateful we are for the patience and understanding you have shown to us during this time. Our hope is that these new safety protocols will give you the peace of mind necessary in order to receive your all-important dental care during this time. Thank you for working with us, and we can’t wait to see you soon!
