COVID-19 Statement

5/12/2020

Hello, Centerburg Dental Care Patients!

We hope that this message finds you all safe and well. Our community has been through many changes in the last few months, and we are eager to return to life as normal! While we all desire the return to our routines, there are certain precautions that we all must take to ensure the safety of our community. Our commitment to your safety in our office is forefront in our minds and we would like to share with you how we will be working to ensure that every patient and team member is safe!

As you may have heard, Governor DeWine is allowing for dental practices to continue general care as of May 1st, 2020. With this announcement, we began working on a plan to re-open our practice with additional precautions in place. We wanted to share with you some of those changes and what you can expect when scheduling and arriving for your appointment.

To properly prepare for our patients we have been reviewing and implementing all recommendations and requirements made by the Ohio State Dental Board (OSDB), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the American Dental Association (ADA), the Ohio Dental Association (ODA), the Department of Health (DOH), The Organization for Safety Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). As we continue to move through the pandemic, we want to assure our patients and team members that we will continue to stay versed on any new changes or recommendations, and implement changes as needed.

The first step to opening was ensuring that all members of our team had access to personal protective equipment, PPE. We were able to access these materials which allowed us to move forward with re-opening plans. If at anytime these materials become scarce and we are unable to provide PPE for our team members, we will be unable to treat patients. We are hopeful that this will not occur. You may have heard many discussions about the use of N95 masks, in our offices we have been able to purchase KN95 masks, level 3 masks, shields, gowns, gloves and proper disinfectant. Our office has always followed infection control standards for the protection of patients and team members, and we will continue to follow those standards.

In order to ensure that we have appropriate time for infection control and sterilization, as well as minimal contact between patients (social distancing), we will be allowing for more time between appointments and minimizing the number of patients in the practice at any given time. Other changes you can expect during your visit are:

• One patient will be allowed per practitioner in the practice.
• We will by physically spacing the patients in the practice.
• When patients arrive for appointments, we will ask that they call before entering. We will allow them to enter when the appropriate social distancing is achieved.
• Masks and hand sanitizer will be available in the vestibule of the practice. We will ask that patients don masks, their own or those provided for them, and sanitize their hands before entering the practice. We strongly encourage the use of your own mask, if available, as some of these items may not always be as available as they are now.
• We will ask a series of questions when scheduling or confirming your appointment, as well as when you enter the practice. Examples of what you can expect has been provided below.
• We will take your temperature.
• One parent will be allowed per child visit, and they will be asked to wear a mask for the duration of the visit. Should you choose to stay in your car during the visit, our Doctors will provide you with a report of all information shared during the visit.
• Scheduling may be more restricted than normal. We appreciate your patience and we promise to help you as soon as we are able.
• If a patient is immunocompromised, we will do our best to help you remotely, or schedule you appropriately to ensure the least contact as possible with other patients.
• All staff members will be wearing masks and PPE in the practice.
• Plexiglass has been placed in the front office area.
• New patient paperwork will be sent in advance of your appointment to complete. This is also available on our website.

While you may see some changes in the practice there are also things that we will be doing behind the scenes for your safety as well. Each employee will have their temperature taken upon arrival and will evaluate if they are experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19. If team members are experiencing symptoms they are asked to stay home and seek care with their medical provider. Should any confirmation of COVID-19 occur with members of our team, our office will follow appropriate requirements to quarantine members of the team, closure of office (if appropriate), sanitization and informing of appropriate governing agencies, such as the Department of Health, and patients. We also ask if you become symptomatic with COVID-19 within 14 days of having been seen that you inform us immediately and seek care with your medical provider.

We are looking forward to seeing our patients, again. We have missed each of you! Below we are providing the list of questions that will be asked prior to your appointment. Please review. If you find that you are answering yes to these questions you may be at risk for Covid-19. We can help you to decipher these questions and what their response may dictate and strongly encourage you to speak to your healthcare provider before scheduling an appointment. We are so grateful for our patients and we look forward to helping you with your dental needs!

Patient Screening Questions:

1. Are you currently awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test?
2. Do you have a fever or have you felt feverish recently, 14-21 days?
3. Are you experiencing shortness of breath or difficulty breathing?
4. Do you have a dry cough, runny nose or sore throat?
5. Do you have sneezing, watery eyes, and/or sinus pain/pressure that is unusual and not related to seasonal allergies?
6. Are you experiencing any flu-like symptoms, such as gastrointestinal upset, headache, weakness or fatigue?
7. Are you, or have you, experienced recent loss of taste or smell?
8. Have you been in contact with any confirmed COVID-19 positive patients?
9. Are you over the age of 60?
10. Do you have heart disease, lung disease, kidney disease, diabetes or any auto-immune disorders?
11. Have you traveled in the past 14 days? (foreign country or United States)

5/5/2020

Effective May 4, 2020, Centerburg Dental Care has reopened.
We ask you to be patient with us as we transition into new protocols to ensure the safety of our patients and that of our staff and providers.

3/17/2020

Beginning 3/17/2020, following the strong recommendation of the Ohio State Dental Board, Centerburg Dental Care will be closed for the next two weeks, unless something changes. During this time, we will be answering calls. If you are experiencing a true dental emergency, please call the office at 740-334-4233 and we may be able to treat you during this time. If you are experiencing severe pain, infection/abscess or severe trauma/injury, etc. We will diligently reschedule all other treatment upon our return to our normal schedule. It is our intent to keep our patients, team members, and community safe during this time.

Thank you for your support and partnering with us to diminish the spread of COVID-19 together.