COVID-19 OFFICE POLICIES AND PROTOCOLS
Last updated: 02/04/2021

Our Policies

Your health as well as the health of Dr. Chalmers and her staff is of the utmost importance. We are screening all patients for known COVID-19 exposures or recent COVID-19 symptoms including fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat and loss of taste or smell. However, as you may be aware, a majority of people who test positive for COVID-19 are asymptomatic or display mild non-specific symptoms.  At this time, we ask all patients to wear a mask or facial covering when coming into the office and all patients will be required to have their temperature taken prior to going in for treatment.

All staff members and doctor are screened daily for temperature and symptoms, and are also tested regularly for Covid-19.

We’ve changed our operating procedures to not have patients waiting in the waiting room.  For this reason we ask all patients to call the office when they arrive for their appointment prior to walking in.

We have updated our PPE (masks, face shields, gowns) to better protect ourselves and our patients.

Prior to treatment, all patients will rinse with hydrogen peroxide which has been shown to decrease the number of pathogens in the mouth.

Treatment rooms have been upgraded to have what is called negative pressure.  Negative pressure is used medical treatment rooms and operating rooms to prevent the spread of contagions from one area to another.  Air is pumped out of the treatment area creating a negatively pressured space so that when a door is opened from the hallway, air rushes into the treatment area and not out, and the air from the treatment room is pumped outside.  Air inside the treatment rooms is turned over between 9-12x per hour.  The ventilation system has been upgraded to include UVC disinfection so that air coming into the rooms has been disinfected.  In addition, we are using extraoral suction to reduce aerosols produced during procedures.  And we are using HEPA filters in the office, as we always have.

We use UV light disinfection in the reception area and business office over night.

Fortunately the SMART mercury amalgam removal protocols Dr. Chalmers has had in place since 2007 (specifically our HEPA filters, P-100 respirators, disposable gowns and head coverings etc.) have placed us in an excellent position to implement the new stringent PPE guidelines to protect against aerosols.

Nevertheless, despite our enhanced infection control protocols, dentistry by nature has inherent risks as the transmission of COVID-19 seems to occur via droplets and aerosols. We will be providing care as safely as possible, however that does not eliminate the risks posed by the way our drills aerosolize oral pathogens. You as a patient have to exercise your own judgment with respect to your individual health risks. We are happy to discuss your individual concerns and health situation with you if needed.

Take care and stay safe!