The Safety of Our Patients, Our Team, and Our Community
Remains Our Top Priority

 

May 26, 2020

 

Dear Friends and Patients:

 

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and 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 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 infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

 

Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. 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.

 

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff.

 

Before your appointment:

 

• Our Staff is screened each morning. No one is allowed to come to work who has any relevant symptoms.
• For those of you that will require procedures that generate aerosols, you will be asked to get tested for COVID-19 within 5 days prior to your appointment and bring the negative result with you to your appointment. If you happen to test positive, we will work with you to reschedule your visit.
• Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean you are offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
• Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask screening questions. If we call or email you with these questions, please respond ASAP! We need to know that you are planning to be at your appointment as we have a list of patients waiting to see us. If we do not hear back from you with a confirmation, we will take your appointment off the schedule and reappoint you once we hear from you.
• Only the patient appointed will be allowed in the office unless there are extenuating circumstances. One parent may accompany young children. At this time, please do not bring other siblings. If you have someone drive you, please let them know we will ask them to wait in the vehicle and not come into the waiting room area.

 

Things to bring to your appointment:

 

• Please wear a face mask to your appointment.
• Please bring a pen to your appointment that you can use for any paperwork or payment.
• You may also want to bring an extra jacket or blanket; our office may be cooler than normal because we are all wearing extra protective gear and need the A/C on to help us not overheat.
• Our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys, etc, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.

 

Once you arrive: (Please arrive on time for your appointment!)

 

• Please call us once you are in the parking lot. You will be asked to wait in your car until you receive a text or call letting you know we are ready to see you. We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.
• We will be taking patient temperatures before you enter the office. We will also be asking you the screening questions again before you enter. You may be asked the same questions by your hygienists and Dr. Ilies as well.
• We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.

 

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 (860) 646 3003 or visit our website at www.BoltonLakeDental.com.

 

Thank you for being our patient as well as for your trust and understanding as we navigate together this exceptional situation. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.

 

Sincerely,

 

Dr. Ilies and Team at Bolton Lake Dental