A “New Normal” Dental Appointment

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As we continue to battle a pandemic and attempt to move forward with certain aspects of daily life, I wanted to share with you what your “new normal” dental appointment will look like. KDA is taking extra measures in protecting the health of both our patients and staff. These measures generate a few noticable changes. You will notice a difference in your scheduling and confirmation phone calls. Our front office staff will ask specific COVID-19 screening questions to make sure you do not already have any symptoms and/or are at risk. Be aware that you will be asked these same screening questions upon arrival. Our staff is self-screening every morning. We answer the same set of questions as our patients and take our own temperatures when we arrive at work each day.

 For reference here are the screening questions:

  • Do you have fever or have you felt hot or feverish recently (14-21 days)?
  • Are you having shortness of breath or other difficulties breathing?
  • Do you have a cough?
  • Any other flu-like symptoms, such as gastrointestinal upset, headache or fatigue?
  • Have you experienced a recent loss of taste or smell?
  • Are you in contact with any confirmed COVID-19 positive patients?
  • Is your age over 60?
  • Do you have heart disease, lung disease, kidney disease, diabetes or any auto-immune disorders?
  • Have you traveled in the past 14 days to any regions affected by COVID-19?

*Positive response to any of these would likely indicate a deeper discussion with the dentist before proceeding with dental treatment.

Another major change will be for you to call us when you arrive in the parking lot for your appointment. Stay in your car until your clinician calls you back to let you know we are ready for you to enter the office. Our waiting room is currently closed and is being used as a screening area. Once inside, your clinician will greet you already donned in her PPE. At this time, she will ask you the screening questions again and take your temperature. All the information gathered will be noted in your patient chart as part of your appointment. Your clinician will then lead you into the operatory and have you place your personal belongings, including your cell phone and your mask, in a designated spot. She will ask you to use hand sanitizer (provided by the office) before you have a seat in the patient chair.

From this point on, your appointment looks relatively the same to you as the patient. We now wear face shields instead of goggles. You may hear a humming sound coming from the air purifier sitting on the counter. We cannot remove our masks and show our smiles, but rest assured they are still there. You will receive the same first-class treatment you are accustomed to at KDA with added safety precautions to protect everyone from unnecessarily spreading germs. As always at Kizer Dental Associates, we want to go the extra mile for our patients and that is the same with the safety measures taken to protect against COVID-19. Patients seen since our reopening have been very receptive to these changes. We appreciate you all working with us to keep our dental family safe!

Emily LaPlante, RDH