Dear LaSalle Family Dentistry Clients
COVID-19 has been a very difficult time for all of us and with the shutdown of dentistry in Ontario, we understand that many of you have been forced to wait for your dental care.
We deeply appreciate your understanding while we were closed to non emergency care in order to comply with the Royal College of Dentistry’s guidelines and that of the Federal and Provincial Health Ministry’s rules. This was done to help control the spread of the corona virus (COVID-19).
We are happy to say that we are planning to reopen our office on Monday June 1, 2020. Our office hours will be different and these are being worked out at the time this is being written. The new hours will be announced on our website and our Facebook site shortly.
Your health and well-being continue to be our highest priority. We are carefully preparing and updating our practice procedures. We are also training our dental team to do all that we can to minimize the risk of COVID-19 for everyone. Please be assured that we will be taking care of you just as well as we will be taking care of our own families.
So what does reopening look like under the phase 2 guidelines? At this time dentists in Ontario are permitted to provide treatment for emergencies and urgent dental care needs. Unfortunately, we are not able to do elective treatment such as dental cleanings, cosmetic dentistry nor regular orthodontic continued care (with some exceptions). If you are not sure where your needs fall please give us a call and we will be more than happy to assist you. Our number is 519-734-8184. Please also go to our website lasallefamilydentistry.com or our Facebook page at LaSalle Family Dentistry.
We have made a number of changes and additions to the office that we are excited to share with you demonstrating that it is safe to return to our office to take care of your dental health. Such as a virtual waiting room, hand sanitizer stations, masks for patients, closed treatment rooms, state of the art air purification systems in each op (go to surgicallycleanair.com and learn more), and much much more.
For your peace of mind and preparation, the process below is to provide a safe dental treatment experience including (but not limited to), the following:
Day Before Your Appointment
- You will be emailed the intake screening forms to review, answer and sign to bring with you to your appointment.
Upon Your Arrival at the Office
- Please wait in your car or outside the office until your scheduled appointment time and notify the receptionist that you have arrived by texting or calling.
- The office will text you when we are ready to bring you in and confirm your screening. The office door is locked at all times and will be opened only when patients are requested to enter. No walk-ins are being permitted at this time.
- Your screening will be reviewed BEFORE entering the clinical office space.
- We will be taking your temperature with a non touch infra-red thermometer.
- ONLY scheduled patients will be allowed entry into the office at this time to allow for social distancing. (Parents and other family members will be asked to wait outside the office when ever possible. Of course this will be discussed on a patient specific basis). We greatly appreciate your understanding in this, as it is part of the stage 2 guidelines.
- The waiting area chairs will be spaced apart to allow for social distancing. These are new chairs that will permit regular wiping down.
- Disinfectant wipes will be placed in the bathroom area and the bathroom will be cleaned regularly through out the day.
- We are suspending coffee and water service at this time.
- We will ask that you use the hand sanitizer at the concierge desk, located inside our front door and keep the mask on that you already wear or place one on that we are providing. This mask will only be removed during treatment. There are some exceptions to this rule such as patients with moderate to severe asthma, COPD, and those individuals with autism that cannot tolerate face coverings.
- We ask that you help us help you by respecting social distancing measures in the common areas of the office at all times.
- There will be no physical contact with patients with the exception of treatment.
- Any patients showing signs of fever or other symptoms of illness will be asked to reschedule their appointment and by law be directed to the COVID-19 assessment centre and Windsor Regional Hospital.
Your Treatment
- All rooms will be COMPLETELY sterilized before each patient is seated.
- All operatories have high-volume air filtration and purification units. The units are capable of removing particles smaller than the COVID-19 virus.
- Our team will STRICTLY follow the guidelines set forth by the CDC, public health and that of our governing bodies.
- The dental team has all needed personal protective equipment (PPE).
- During patient care, appropriate masks, face shields, gloves, and gowns will be worn by the treating team and changed between patients. Note, different procedures require different levels of PPE and that will be determined at the time of your appointment.
Checking Out of Your Appointment
- Clear sneeze shields will be in place at the front desk to protect you and the receptionist.
- We would prefer to settle your account via non touch interaction and those options will be explained to you. Options such as e-transfer, tap visa, tap debit are available. We are not accepting cash at this time for obvious reasons.
- After every transaction, the checkout desk will be wiped down with disinfectant.
We are proceeding with an abundance of caution, but we want you to feel as confident as we do that any visit you make to our office will be a safe one.
You are probably wondering what’s with the photo of the red pot. Well, this is a family heirloom. It was obtained by my mother in law’s family while they lived in a concentration/refugee camp after they escaped from Hungary during the dark times of Soviet Occupation, just after the Hungarian Revolution. It represents hope and a new future. I think it is more important now than ever to keep those things in mind. The next time we see each other please feel free to ask me more about it, it’s a very cool story. One worthy of a novel. We look forward to seeing your smile soon.
Sincerely,
Dr. Colin Belanger and the team at LaSalle Family Dentistry
