Our Commitment To Safety
The coronavirus has changed the world of dentistry forever. Despite the current events, we are here to continue serving each and every one of our dear patients. We hope you are all staying safe and healthy!
We want you to know that protecting you and our staff is our foremost priority. We expect that as the number of confirmed Covid cases increases, the ability to work without interruption will be a challenge.
Our goal is to limit any potential closure by practicing the protocols that we established when we returned to work in May. In the event of a potential exposure in our office, we will close for 48 - 72 hrs. This will allow us the proper time to have our staff tested. We have our own inventory of Covid tests for employees to ensure minimal downtime. Of course, in the event of a positive result, all patients would be notified and we would have to extend our temporary closure timeline.
Our screening, PPE, and testing regime allows us to assure our patients that arriving for their appointments is safe to do, and we have streamlined the experience to be simple and comfortable.
Here are a few of the things we have done to ensure safety and health at Island House Dental Care:
We’ve added a few new items to our office. In addition to the medical grade air filtration system already installed in our building, each room has a ‘Molekule’ air purifier. These are rated for SARS/COVID and run 24/7. There are also automatic hand sanitizing dispensers placed throughout the office and one outside the front door for patients to use before they enter.
Patients are required to fill out a COVID screening form prior to their appointment. Everyone must be masked and have their temperature taken before entering the office. There is a limit to 2 patients in the waiting room at a time with available patio seating. You’ll also notice sneeze-guards placed at the front desk ‘check in’ and ‘check out’ areas.
In addition to our universal precautions, we will now be changing our gowns, surgical caps, and face shields between each patient. We have upgraded to sterilizable N95 masks. In an effort to reduce the additional waste this will cause we are utilizing washable gowns and sterilizable mask filters.
Before we begin your cleaning or treatment, we use a pre-procedural rinse of half and half chlorhexidine/hydrogen peroxide which the American Dental Association recommends for killing COVID. Patients are also covered in a drape before cleaning begins.
As part of room turnover, we’ve added use of a hospital grade aerosol disinfectant. Then every surface is wiped with CaviCide and barriers are placed. We also spray this throughout reception periodically during the day, along with sanitizing high-touch areas in the reception and patio areas.
These changes are in compliance with recommendations instituted by the American Dental Association and the CDC.
We look forward to seeing each and everyone one of you as soon as we can.
We are still working with a backlog of patient appointments. We so appreciate your ongoing patience with us! As the backlog continues to shorten, please don’t hesitate to reach out about the status of your postponed appointment. Bear in mind we are all navigating a limited schedule (Monday-Thursday 9am to 2pm) and are booking appointments out 2 months at a time in an attempt to avoid a repeat of needing to postpone a large quantity of appointments again.
We hope this helps answer some of the questions and concerns that you may have. We are always happy to answer any further inquiries over the phone at 360.298.9490, or at islandhousedent@gmail.com
Thank you and stay well,
Dr. Chris Wood
