At Smolen Dentistry we are putting safety protocols in place as part of our Covid-19 program, so your next visit is safe and comfortable.
As many of you may have seen, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently released COVID-19 considerations suggesting that patients delay visiting the dentist for routine procedures.
The Canadian Dental Association (CDA) clarified that the WHO considerations “are not relevant for the current status in Canada since there is not wide-spread community transmission of COVID-19 in our country.”
Keeping our patients safe is our top priority, and we remain committed to following strict guidelines and safety protocols.
Enhanced patient protection measures: All patients are actively screened. We ensure there is no patient interaction with any other patients. All our staff have upgraded their protective gear, this includes appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). In between patients, we meticulously clean and disinfect patient treatment rooms and high touch surfaces throughout the office. The bathrooms are cleaned after every use including the floors.
Sterilizing: We follow very strict protocols (IPAC) for sterilizing all instruments according to recommendations by Public Health and the RCDSO. We use strict monitoring techniques to verify that each load has met all perimeters for sterilizing (time, temperature & pressure) All instruments are cleared of any gross debris at the site of patient care. Instruments are then transported to the reprocessing area where they are placed in an ultrasonic enzyme bath, rinsed, dried, properly placed in an appropriate sized Class 4 bag (which has a visual colour change indicator when the bag has met perimeters) a class 5 indicator is added (another visual marker to verify success) each bag is labelled with the sterilizer number, the load number, the date and the initials of the person who processed them. Once the instruments have completed the appropriate sterilization cycle, the load must be verified and recorded to ensure sterilization has been achieved before the load of instruments are released for patient care. To ensure sterilization was successful we view and record the following:
-A visual on each sterilizer’s screen that indicates that the cycle is complete, and sterilization was achieved,
-Each load is downloaded onto a USB and printed to ensure all aspects of sterilization is met,
- A visual inspection of each bag to ensure its integrity and that all Class 4 bags have recorded a colour change and a visual inspection of the class 5’s success.
Biological spore testing is performed daily and recorded in the first load of every day for each sterilizer.
When we use a bag of instruments the contents, the sterilizer, the sterilization load number, the date, and the person who sterilized the bag is entered into your chart allowing us to trace all pouches.
A virtual waiting room: We have set up a virtual waiting room for you to check-in via text and wait outside until your room is ready.
Tech-enabled screening: We digitally pre-screen patients in advance for COVID-19 symptoms and risk factors to ensure our clinic stays COVID-free. We also screen and keep records of our team members twice daily
Air filtration (HEPA): We have invested in high-efficiency air filtration systems that continuously clean the air.
Cashless Payment: In hopes to reduce infectious spread we encourage electronic forms of payment. Should you have any concerns please give us a call and we can decide on a case by case basis.
Thank You,
And
PPE Challenges
Dear Valued Patients,
In May of 2020, the Ontario Dental Association provided dentists with 3 new codes to offset the rising costs of PPE. After several months of monitoring cost increases and decreases in production due to maintaining social distancing within the office, as well as fallow times (the time the treatment room needs to sit undisturbed between patients and sanitizing) , effective as of Tuesday September 8th, 2020 an additional fee will be added to each visit due to PPE costs. An aspect of the cost increase comes as a direct result of additional enhanced personal protective equipment requirements by health authorities and other regulators. The cost factor is compounded by rising prices of PPE due to worldwide shortages. We will not abuse this fee for profit, and it will be constantly monitored for changes. As costs of supplies return to normal this fee will decrease and/or be eliminated. The ODA codes have a range from $10-$18 that will be determined as follows; an aerosol generating procedure (99902) or a non-aerosol procedure (99901). We will adjust the fee according to the PPE required. Your insurance may or may not cover this expense. We hope that in the year to come cases of Covid-19 will continue to decline and that regulatory boards will ease back on required PPE driving all costs down eliminating the need for a PPE charge. Thank you for your understanding.
Smolen Dentistry
