All our staff have been back since mid-July, and we are operating at about 60% of pre-COVID levels. Our greatest challenge has been the traffic control of our patients in the reception area, as we have people coming and going all the time. And with our increased protocols for screening and cleaning and room turnover, we’ve needed more time to prepare for each patient.
We are required to have a consent form signed at least once by every one of our patients before they come to their appointment. The form is available on our website as the ‘Patient acknowledgement form’. We have also made it available on a Patient portal which we will attach to the reminders. The portal requires that you set up a password to access the form. It’s more of a hassle this way, but the advantage of this method is that it goes directly into your digital file, and we can have you update your medical history to keep it up to date through the portal. Subsequent appointments will also require a declaration of wellness so that we can determine if you are a higher risk for us to treat.
Thank you all for your patience as we navigate through all the new protocols. It all takes more time and effort, but it’s there to protect us and lower our risks of transmission of the virus. We feel safe to work with all that we have implemented. The World Health Organization happened to have published an announcement yesterday to advise against seeing your dentist for regular cleanings. It was quickly amended to exclude countries with low infection rates, including Canada. It did, however, cause some panic and concern. Rest assured, we would not take a chance in causing harm to our staff and patients at any time.
We look forward to seeing you all again soon! Please remember to bring a mask to wear inside our office. If there are 4 people in the waiting area, please wait outside until we call you or when there is space for you to come in. Please have your consent form filled out before you arrive to be efficient.
Stay Well and Stay Safe!
