Current Covid-19 Guidelines (Updated October 2022)

Dear Patients, Parents, and Friends,

Thank you for your patience and understanding throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and the ever-changing CDC guidelines. My dental team and I care deeply about all of you. It is our mission to keep you safe and our office free from germs and viruses. We have reviewed current CDC guidelines and we will be doing the following:

1. Wellness Check and recent exposure questions for every patient and daily for our employees- When confirming appointments and when you arrive in the office we will ask how you are feeling. We know now there are different severities of Covid viral exposures and that some of us will experience very few symptoms and may even test negative. As such, we will ask that if you have a persistent cough you reschedule your appointment.

2. Face masks– Every patient, family member, and friend must wear a face mask at all times, except when sitting in the dental chair. You will be in good company since everyone in our office will be wearing a mask when you meet them.

3. Hand Sanitizer– Every patient, family member, and friend will be required to use hand sanitizer upon entering our office. We have multiple dispensers throughout the office for you to use as needed. You may notice that our reception area has started to offer magazines, children’s toys, and other reading material. These items are difficult to clean and disinfect so you should definitely avail yourself of the hand sanitizer after touching this items.

4. Social Distancing– Previous distancing rules no longer apply. We will try to seat you in our private treatment room as soon as you answer your wellness check questions and have your temperature taken.

5. Separate treatment rooms– Thankfully we don’t have “open bays” like many dental offices. We are already set up to have all of our patients completely separated by a wall when being treated.

6. Pre-procedure mouth rinse– Over the counter peroxide based rinse to temporarily kill any germs in your mouth.

7. Aerosol control– we purchased new Air Purifiers to help eliminate concerns about any germs floating through the air. They are placed in every room throughout the office.

We are also counting on you to help us keep our office germ and virus free.

If you are experiencing or have experienced any of the following, please reschedule your appointment and see your physician.

-Fever, Chills, Muscle pains, Sore Throat, Headache

-Cough and/or Shortness of Breath

-Loss of taste or smell

-You have been exposed to COVID-19 within the past 14 days

-You are “just getting over” a cold or the flu

-Or, if you are not feeling great

We are all in this together and are here to help! We are committed to providing you with the best dental care available and helping keep you and our entire community healthy. Please wash your hands frequently and wear your masks in any healthcare facility so that everyone stays healthy.

IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY OR URGENT CARE, WE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU. If you have any questions for Dr. Lopez Driscoll, she will be available to answer your questions either by email, phone, facetime or zoom.

What constitutes an emergency is actually pretty simple-It’s about pain or trauma. Some common dental emergencies include:

  • Severe dental pain (most people think of this a “toothache”)
  • Pain from a wisdom tooth
  • Post-operative pain from a dental surgery or procedure
  • An abscess or localized pain and swelling
  • A broken tooth resulting in pain or cutting your tongue or cheek
  • A tooth being knocked out
  • Dental treatment if a temporary crown of bridge is lost, broken, or causing gum irritation.

 Other emergency dental care includes extensive decay or defective fillings causing pain; removal of stitches; denture adjustments for radiation/oncology patients, denture adjustments or repairs to address difficulty chewing, replacing a temporary filling on a tooth with a root canal if you are experiencing pain; and snipping or adjusting an orthodontic wire or appliance that is cutting the lips or cheeks.

The ADA has a terrific website for patients called mouthhealthy.org where you can download their guide to help to decide if you’re a having a dental emergency.

Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,

Dr. Luz Lopez Driscoll and her dental team, Maritza, Adela, Tania, Miriam and Mimi