A letter to our Community
COVID-19 and Blairmore Dental Centre
To our Wonderful Patients,
What a whirlwind the last two years have been! It has been a stressful and scary time filled with uncertainty and unknown for what the future may hold. We have seen a lot of challenges placed on front-line workers, and have seen many ups and downs with the introduction of new variants during the past 18 months.
Our office is blessed to be part of such a wonderful community, and it has been heartwarming to see the community come together like it has. We are all thankful for our health and the health of our families and friends during this time, and are endlessly thinking about those directly and indirectly affected by this unfortunate pandemic.
We felt it was important to provide an update on our COVID-19 protocols, and give some context around how we are handling this pandemic as a Dental Office. Our clinic is fully operational, and we are actively treating patients and accepting new patients into our clinic.
As restrictions begin to lift around the province of Saskatchewan, it’s important to note that our clinic will continue to follow guidelines set forth by the Dental College. As you may be aware, we already have robust infection control protocols in place meant to combat all forms of infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Please see some of our updated protocols below.
We will continuously disinfect commonly touched surfaces such as doorknobs, countertops, clip boards, pens, washrooms, etc. (anything someone might touch from the front desk to the treatment room) at high frequency.
We will continue to use a screening process (however it has been revamped, with less questions). If you are not feeling well (or have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 5 days), we kindly ask that you reschedule your appointment.
We have removed all magazines, books, communal refreshments, and the treasure bin from the front office for the time being. (We still have prizes of course! However a staff member will aid in acquiring them)
Patients will be asked to use hand sanitizer (available for use) upon arrival, and to ensure the use of masks..
The number of patients in the office will be limited with extended time between appointments to support patient distancing and leave extra time for air filtration and disinfection.
Patients will use a pre-treatment rinse prior to any procedure. This has been shown to be effective at killing bacteria and viruses for a short time, so even if a patient does happen to be a silent carrier of the virus, this will significantly decrease the viral load in their mouth and the environment!
All team members will be screened daily and asked to stay home if they are not feeling well.
Our team will wear significant amounts of additional personal protective equipment. This includes scrubs, surgical caps, gowns or lab coats, fit tested N95 masks, level 3 surgical masks over top of the N95, glasses, face shields, and gloves. All staff members have been trained on the latest practices for minimizing transmission of the virus.
Rooms designated for aerosol generating procedures have had the walls and ceilings sealed off. As well, they have been equipped with HEPA filtration units to further enhance the air filtration and air exchange time.
Protective protocols will continue to evolve as the world learns more about this virus and how to keep everyone safe. Rest assured that we will stay up to date with all new developments, and will implement all recommended protocols designed to keep you and our team safe while here in the office.
WE ARE OPEN and available for all routine care, including treatment, hygiene and checkups, and may be contacted by phone as we have been throughout this time for emergencies, scheduling/rescheduling appointments, and any general inquiries you might have.
We truly appreciate your trust and loyalty, and hope to return that with the honest, high quality care we love to provide to you and your family. We look forward to seeing you in the clinic!
Best wishes to you and your families!