Powers Ferry Family Dentistry Safety Protocols
Our continued commitment to serve our community
We wanted to reassure you that we take your safety very seriously. Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your previous visits to our office. Our infection control processes are established so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to inform 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) and the US 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. We do this to make sure our infection control procedures are current, adhere, and exceed the guidelines to each agencies’ recommendations.
Please be advised for your appointment our office changes and policies to help ease your mind:
- Only scheduled patient’s will be allowed into the office unless you are a minor or have special needs (one extra guardian or caretaker). If multiple family members have appointments (especially children), please be sure that there is only one adult with a child in the chair (if applicable) and another adult to keep the rest of the family in the car to help follow this rule or reschedule accordingly, especially if you have multiple minors coming together as a family. We will try our best to make this as easy on families, but please help us too.
- Try to limit the time in the waiting areas. Wait in the car and call us when you have arrived so we can guide you when there is less traffic in the office to properly follow all social distancing guidelines. We have removed all toys, books, and magazines in the waiting areas to avoid cross contamination. We are also constantly wiping down and sanitizing the common areas, door handles, pens/clipboards and the restroom after each patient use. We will have hand sanitizer available when you first walk in and throughout the office to proper follow hand hygiene.
- If you have a mask, please bring your mask for check in, checkout and to use the restroom. If you do not have a mask please feel free to wear any other protective covering. We do not have extra masks to give out due to the high shortages of personal protective equipment. We will have clear guard barriers at the check-in and check-out desks for additional safety. The office staff will be wearing protective gear from the moment you check in to check out so don’t be surprised when you walk in.
- We will be conducting a temperature screening with non-contact thermometer for all patients and staff along with a COVID screening and consent form. Anyone with a temperature reading of 100.4 or over will not be allowed into the treatment area and will be advised to see their primary care for further testing/recommendations. This includes all guardians and anyone coming into the office. No one will be allowed entry into the treatment areas prior to screening. No exceptions can be made.
- We will be billing out D1999 code for each patient that was established by the American Dental Association for the extra protective gear we are now required to have due to the Coronavirus. There will be a mandatory base fee of $7 per patient that will be added to each visit that will be due on the day of the visit. Our goal is to keep everyone safe with the latest equipment and best protective gear as recommended by the CDC and American Dental Association, to help offset the increased costs per patient per visit.
- We will have protective barriers in the common areas as well as medical grade UV air purifiers throughout the office as well as in each treatment room. We have also installed UV air scrubbers with our HVAC units that will be running throughout the office to help filter bacteria/viruses. Bring your own jacket if you tend to be cold. We also will have modified, American Dental Association, approved, suction devices throughout the appointments to help reduce the risk of aerosols. Feel free to bring your own earplugs/earphones as there will be a slight increase in noise level with the increased suctions etc.
We take your safety very seriously. If you have any additional questions or concerns please let us know.
Thank you for your continued trust,
Dr. Kumar and team