To all of our patients at Plumlee Dentistry,
To begin with, I hope that all of you, and your families, are healthy both physically and emotionally. These have obviously been extremely trying times for all of us for various reasons.
Over the course of the past five weeks I have attempted to stay on top of the information that has been available from as many sources as possible. This has included updates from the American Dental Association, the Indiana Dental Association, Center for Disease Control, and the Governor’s office. During these weeks we have stayed attuned to the recommended and required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that the CDC and the interim guidance of the American Dental Association have put forth.
To protect both you and our staff we have obtained all the recommended PPE put forth by the CDC in order to safely open our practice and treat patients. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Placing a sneeze guard at our front desk
- Placing medical grade air purifiers throughout the office, turning the air over every 15 minutes
- Removing any items that can’t be easily wiped down from areas that patients are present
- Establishing a protocol to keep the number of patients in the reception area to zero when possible
- Taking temperatures on each staff member daily and our patient’s upon arrival
- Establishing a protocol to wipe down all touched surfaces by a dedicated staff member
- Limiting the number of patients in the office at any given time
- Wearing N95 masks when aerosols are being created
- Wearing face shields when aerosols are being created
- Leaving all scrubs and shoes at the office for laundering
- Wearing lab coats or disposable gowns
- Using intra-oral evacuation systems to reduce aerosols
As you can imagine, your appointment will look and feel a little different than it has in the past. Again, these changes are being implemented to assure your safety. We ask that you do not come in for an appointment if you have a fever, cough, or feel ill at all. Since our reception area is currently closed, we ask all patients to call when they arrive for their appointment and we will let you know when to enter the office. We are asking only patients with an appointment to come in although minor children can be accompanied by an adult. You will be asked to wash your hands upon arrival and your temperature will be taken.
As some of you may know, the Governor of Indiana announced this past week that dental offices can begin to provide care to our patients if we have all the required PPE, beginning Monday April 27th. Our office has fulfilled those requirements, and we have actually exceeded it. Therefore, we will be doing what we are calling a “soft” opening Monday the 27th. We will be answering our phone, scheduling our patients, and seeing a limited number of patients this coming week.
Your Dental Hygiene Appointment
Let’s face it. Going to see your dentist cannot stop you from getting COVID-19. On the other hand, should you contract COVID-19, it seems that a key to defeating it is having a healthy body. One of the keys to a healthy body is a healthy immune system. One of the keys to a healthy immune system is having a healthy mouth. One of the biggest gifts that you can give to yourself and to your family is to keep your dental hygiene appointment. This, combined with your home dental hygiene habits will give you a healthy mouth.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we perfect our systems, all the while keeping you and our staff safe. We sincerely thank you for trusting us with your care! We are very happy to be welcoming back our patients!
Sincerely,
Dr Plumlee
