Dear Colleagues, Current and Future Patients
We hope you and your families are safe during this trying time for all of us.
As you may know, at Burlingame Smile Studio, we have always held ourselves to the highest standard of care. This is even truer during this pandemic. We will continue with our existing universal precautions but have also implemented the more recent CDC-OSHA guidelines with regards to addressing COVID-19.
The underlying premise behind these changes is to create a safer environment by minimizing the risk, while reducing the time the patient spends in the office. These measures are twofold:
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE MEASURES:
- Online Pre-Registration and COVID Screening Forms: These are available through our website to minimize the time a patient is in the office, as well as to make sure all health screenings are checked prior to their appointment date.
- Tele-Dentistry: Available for some consultation and follow-up appointments to minimize the number of in-person visits.
- Dental Monitoring: Take-home scan boxes & retractors for patients in treatment wishing to have weekly feedback on the progress of their orthodontic treatment utilizing scan technology. Patients take scans with their smartphones and scan boxes, the information is reviewed by our staff & Dr Lee, and updates are related to them weekly. This reduces the number of in-person office visits and helps us keep a closer eye on their orthodontic treatment.
- Reduced Visits: Consultation and orthodontic treatment starts in the same appointment whenever possible to avoid the need for multiple visits to the office.
- Social Distancing: We are staggering appointment times so that only one patient is checking in at a time.
- Facial Covering: Per CDC and California state requirements every person entering a dental office will need to have facial covering.
- Temperature Readings: Everyone—patients, staff, and doctors—will get their temperatures taken on a daily basis, using a touchless thermometer, upon entering the office.
- Hand Hygiene: This is required of everyone upon entering the office via hand sanitizers or traditional hand washing with soap and water.
- Hydrogen Peroxide: Each patient will rinse with an antiviral hydrogen peroxide solution before their appointment.
- Testing: All staff and doctors have been tested for COVID prior to re-opening the office and staff immunizations will be ongoing per CDC recommendations.
ENGINEERING CONTROLS:
- Frequent disinfection of common area and high contact surfaces.
- EPA certified medical grade anti-viral products proven effective against the Human Coronavirus.
- Electrostatic spray gun with EPA solution effective against Coronavirus to clean hard to reach surfaces such as walls, ceilings, under countertops etc. This is used prior to the start of the day, at lunch and at the end of the patient workday.
- Negative Pressure operatories up to the standards of a traditional operating room in a hospital used to treat patients with airborne diseases such as TB.
- Extra-oral high volume suction machine with HEPA filters and UVC sanitization.
- Office AC/Heating uses MERS 13 HEPA filter installed in office AC unit; it traps bacteria and viruses, including coronavirus.
- 6 Molekule Air purifiers using PECO filter for disinfection of the air throughout the office. One is located in each operatory and each of the common spaces
- Plexiglas barriers at the check-in and check-out desks and in consultation room.
- Full PPE gear with N95 respirators and laundry service for scrubs and isolation gowns for all clinical staff. Sprayable shoes for clinical staff when performing aerosolizing procedures.
- Face shields and masks for all front staff personnel.
- Contactless forms of payment—both in person or over the phone
As always, if you have any questions with regards to any of the above mentioned, please feel free to contact our office for more information. We look forward to working together again soon.
Your Burlingame Smile Studio Team,
Dr. April Lee and Staff
