Dr. Berry and our team’s mission is to give our patients the highest care possible, and your health and safety are of our utmost concern. As a result, while we transition to being able to service both emergency and elective procedures, we have implemented additional measures which include using an increase in Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) in accordance with the ADA guidelines for COVID-19 infection control protocols. Here’s how we’re working to keep you safe and keep your mouth and gums healthy too during COVID-19. 

Our New Procedures

As a measure to maintain guidelines like social distancing and promote safety for our patients and team members, we will now have the following protocols in place:

1. We will screen our staff each day for symptoms of COVID-19. Our staff will wear recommended and appropriate PPE, as such materials are available. 
2. We will screen patients before they enter our office. We will use a forehead thermometer to check patients and essential family members that will be coming to the appointment. Patients will be screened to inquire about COVID-19 symptoms, contact with infected individuals, and travel or other risks associated with COVID-19 infections.
3. All patients and accompanying parent/caregiver will be required to wear masks while in our office. Patients will remove masks as needed for treatment. 
4. We will minimize the number of people visiting the office during this time. Adult patients must attend appointments alone. Minors and patients with special needs may be accompanied by one parent or caregiver. ADA guidelines recommend parents and other family members remain in the car during the duration of the appointment. Safe distancing practices will be followed in our office. 
5. When patients arrive, we will ask that you call us at (303)-731-7755 to check-in. We will then advise when the office is ready for the patient to come in for their appointment.
6. We will stagger the seating of patients to keep them separated in physical distance. After appointments, our chairs and equipment will be thoroughly disinfected for the next patient. 
7. We will stagger the timing of patient scheduling to increase separation. This will help us reduce the number of patients and essential family members in the office at any given time. Adult patients may enter the office alone; minors/special needs patients may be accompanied by one adult only. 
8. Patients will not have the opportunity to brush teeth in our office, in order to reduce infection risks. We ask that patients brush their teeth before coming into their appointments. 

CDC Guidance for Dental Settings Post-COVID-19

The Center for Disease Control has released interim prevention and control guidance for dental settings during the COVID-19 response. Dental settings have unique characteristics that warrant specific infection control considerations. Following their recommendations, we will now:

• Prioritize the most critical dental services and provide care that will minimize harm to patients from delaying care and harm to personnel from potential exposure to COVID-19
• Proactively communicate with our team members and patients the need for them to stay at home if sick

Additionally, we will know the steps to take if a patient with COVID-19 symptoms enters our practice. Those symptoms include:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea 

Though that’s not a list of all possible symptoms, we continue to follow the CDC list as more is learned about COVID-19. If a patient reports COVID-19 symptoms prior to their appointment, we will delay dental care until they’re recovered. 

Dentistry and COVID-19

We know that COVID-19 isn’t going away in the near future, so we will be taking these protective measures for the foreseeable future to keep our community, patients, and team members safe. Dental offices have always taken protective measures in respect to wearing protective equipment during procedures and keeping practices clean, however, we’re now doing even more to ensure the wellbeing of our people. 

Your dental health can’t wait until the pandemic is over, and we know that. If you feel anxious about revisiting the dentist in the midst of COVID-19, we want to ensure you that we are doing all we can to prevent the spread of this illness. If you are having symptoms that require urgent care, we encourage you to come in. Those signs and symptoms can include serious pain, bleeding, swelling, signs of infection, and more.

Call to Learn More

If you still have questions or concerns about visiting the dentist with COVID-19 still prevalent, we encourage you to call our team here at Mountain Aire Dentistry at (303)-731-7755 to learn more about our safety procedures and practices.