COVID Precautions

Dear Families,

The last few months have been very difficult in many ways for all of us. Parents have suddenly had to provide “school at home”, often while simultaneously managing work obligations; teachers have had to drastically alter the way they educate, perhaps while having young children at home themselves; others have had to navigate layoffs and furloughs; we are staying away from family, friends, and loved ones, and the list goes on and on. Let’s be honest, life has become more difficult with the challenges the novel coronavirus has introduced. 

We want to assure you that we have taken the challenge of providing a safe dental office very seriously. We have implemented a robust risk abatement protocol to protect our patients and ourselves, and to do our part in minimizing the spread of COVID-19.

We understand that cleanliness and sanitation are on everyone’s mind. Our top priority is to ensure the health, safety, and comfort of each patient and team member who walks through our doors. We adhere to the sanitation and infection prevention standards set forth by OSHA, the ADA, and the CDC. 

Our practice is also taking extra steps to ensure that social distancing regulations are respected within our office. 

Here’s what you can expect: 

• Separate rooms with closed doors (rather than partial dividers or an open floor plan, like many other dental offices) for safety and privacy. A more open area is available for families with multiple children.
• METICULOUS disinfection protocol and sterilization system. Since we are a new office, all of our equipment is also brand new and state-of-the-art.
• Medical grade air purifiers with HEPA-13 filters
• High-volume suction used for all procedural dentistry (much of the time with a custom-fitting intraoral suction device), which helps reduce aerosols by up to 98%
• A schedule built around patient needs and safety; not profit and production. Until further notice, only 1 family will be seen in the office at a given time (except in cases of a true emergency). 
• We are “paperless” and will also be as “contact-less” as possible. All forms (patient info, health history, insurance, etc) will be required to be filled out electronically prior to arrival. For those who are unable to complete forms beforehand, we will have a tablet available for use.  All consent forms or anything else that requires signing will be sent directly to your personal smartphone and completed in that manner. Payments can also be made via a text-to-pay method if you'd rather not hand over your credit card.
• Pre-appointment screening questionnaire to ensure all members of a family unit are symptom-free. Anyone experiencing COVID-19 related symptoms with or without a fever will need to be rescheduled.
• Temperature checks for patients and parents, as well as our own team members prior to entry into the office.
• Upon entry, patient and parent will be asked to wash hands or use hand sanitizer. Our own team members will be following a diligent hand hygiene protocol at all times.
• Face masks are required to be worn AT ALL TIMES for any person over the age of 3. Please refrain from bringing any additional family members.  We try to keep our visits short and sweet. Any issue that requires a lengthy conversation should be brought to our attention prior to the appointment, so that a virtual consultation can be arranged, if appropriate. 
• REQUIRED ON-TIME ARRIVAL FOR ALL PATIENTS. A staggered appointment model is being followed to ensure safety for your family, as well as our other patients and families.
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With the added costs and uncertainty affecting dental practices due to COVID-19, we know that many of our colleagues have chosen to assess an additional “PPE fee” to their patients. We know that these times have been difficult for us all and we are not adding any additional out-of-pocket expense for families. Since some insurance plans are reimbursing a nominal amount for the additional PPE cost, we will submit the ADA-suggested code to your insurance company, but we would only collect payment from them, if they provide this benefit. If they do not provide the benefit, you don’t have to worry about it. 

At Shady Grove Pediatric Dentistry, we want our patients to become part of our extended family. All of these protocols have been carefully mapped out with each of you in mind, and we want you to know that we are here for you, and we want to hear from you. 

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding while we do our best to navigate this “new normal”. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please don’t hesitate to call us at 240.848.7074 or send a message to smile@shadygrovepediatricdentistry.com.

Sincerely,  

Dr. Bana Ball & your Shady Grove Pediatric Dentistry Team