To Our Valued Patients,
We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our worldwide community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines, knowing that we must all adjust to a 'new normal’. The Ministry of Health has lifted restrictions set back in March and our date for re-opening the office for in-person care is
Monday, June 8, 2020.
Initially we will prioritize appointments to emergency and urgent care. However, we will also resume non- essential and elective dental services, including hygiene appointments. In the coming weeks, our office will begin calling and re-scheduling patients whose treatment was cancelled or deferred during our office closure.
While many things have changed, one thing that has remained constant is
our commitment to the health and safety of our patients and staff. Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice. Our infection control protocols and procedures are in place to make you feel both safe and comfortable. Our office continues to follow the Infection Control measures set by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO) as well as all new restrictions that have been put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to COVID-19, you will see many changes when it is time for your next appointment. The following are just a few of the changes we have made to protect both our patients and staff:
- Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients and to reduce the number of patients in the waiting room at one time. This means there will be fewer appointment times per day. We would appreciate if you give us as much notice as possible if you need to cancel or re-schedule an appointment.
- When you book an appointment, our office will go over some COVID-19 screening questions. On the day of your appointment you will be asked these same questions, as well as to complete a treatment consent form.
- You will be asked to wait in your car until your appointment time, or you may choose to wait in the hallway. Please text us on our new text only phone # (519) 761-2971, or call our regular phone # (519) 622-3330 when you have arrived, and we will let you know when we are ready to bring you into the office.
- We also ask that patients attend their appointments alone, except for children, seniors, or disabled patients who may have one parent/guardian/caregiver to accompany them.
- Please bring and wear your own mask to the office if you have one, as our supply of masks is limited.
- You will be asked to wash your hands upon entering the office. You will find hand sanitizer in several areas of the office, to be used as needed.
- A member of our staff will go over your COVID-19 questionnaire, then take and record your temperature.
- We have installed plexiglass barriers at the front desk as well as HEPA Air Purifiers in each of the treatment rooms to reduce the spread of aerosols.
- Our waiting room will no longer offer magazines and children’s toys since these items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
- You will notice that our staff may be wearing more protective equipment than you are normally accustomed to seeing us in during certain dental procedures. All our clinical staff have been fit-tested for N95 masks, to wear as required.
We look forward to seeing you again and will answer any questions you may have about the steps we are taking to keep you and your family safe in our practice. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we navigate these challenging times. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming you back.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ken and Dr. Kelsey Motomura and Team
See PATIENT FORMS for COVID screening and Dental Treatment Consent forms.