COVID-19 OFFICE UPDATES AND SCHEDULING

UPDATED OFFICE TELEPHONE HOURS:

We are happy to be open again for your needed dental care! Please be patient as we do the best we can to reschedule previous appointments. We are also adjusting the current schedule to allow more time to properly disinfect the treatment rooms in between patients. You may therefore receive a call from us to alter existing appointment times.

We love and care for our community. 1700 masks were donated by our office to South Windsor First Responders as well as local elderly facilities.

We hope you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot recently and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. As a member of your local community, we care deeply about the health and the well being of our patients, families and our team. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety. Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

Our office strictly follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to each agency’s recommendations. We have always used CDC and OSHA-mandated cleaning and disinfection protocols for all surfaces in our office and treatment rooms. We use a bactericidal, virucidal, fungicidal and tuberculocidal disinfectant recommended for dental operatories, hospital surgical rooms, anesthesia machines and respiratory therapy equipment.

We at Rubin Family Dentistry & Associates are even going above and beyond these strict requirements and have purchased multiple devices to aid in eliminating aerosols created during dental procedures and are controlled with hospital grade HEPA filters and UV lighting technology.

We have made additional changes to help protect our patients and staff. Here are some examples:

• We will be limiting social interactions and the amount of people present in the office at any one time. Patients ONLY will be allowed to enter the office. Siblings, grandparents, friends, etc. should remain at home or outside in their vehicles. In the case of younger patients, only one accompanying adult should enter the office.
• Patients will be asked to present for their appointments at their regularly scheduled time, not early. This will minimize any waiting in our reception area that would occur. If you do arrive early, please do not be offended if we ask you to return at your appointment time. You may choose to call us from your vehicle to confirm we are running on time and ready for your arrival.
• Hand sanitizer has always been and will continue to be available at the front desk as you enter the office. We will ask that you use this as you enter.
• Please verbally check in with the front desk upon your arrival where we will be taking your temperature with a non-touch infrared thermometer. You will be asked screening questions upon your arrival in our office.
• To avoid the use of pens, after the initial screening questions we will not be asking you to update medical histories. Hygienists and doctors will update your medical histories with you chairside.
• We have removed all magazines, children’s toys, games and books from our waiting area and shut down our water refrigerator during this time.
• As mandated by the state, all patients must be wearing a mask or face covering when entering our office. Yes, you will be removing it once we are ready for treatment. :)
• Although we love the warmth of a good handshake, we will no longer be shaking hands and hugging others while in the office. We will only be contacting patients with gloves and proper personal protective equipment. We may have a lot of gear on, but it’s just our same friendly faces underneath!

All of our staff and doctors are also screened carefully daily, and have been specially trained with extra precautions above and beyond what is required to minimize any risks to our family of patients and team members. Additionally, all providers and assistants have been professionally fit-checked with N95 masks and are safely prepared for any aerosol producing procedures.

Rest assured, great time and care went into creating these protocols. We ask for your cooperation by following these guidelines to help our practice and community. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time. All of us here at Rubin Family Dentistry & Associates have mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, husbands and wives and other family members whose well-being we care about but we are just as concerned about our family of patients and our community. I know that in the long term, this will make us stronger and safer, but in the mean time we have to implement these safety protocols for everyone’s health and safety. We will give you our promise to do everything in our control to maintain a positive, safe environment for all to enjoy.

If you are over the age of 60 or if you have any underlying medical conditions that may put you at higher risk of complications if coronavirus is contracted, please call our office at least one day prior to your appointment to discuss the necessity of your treatment and to determine if we recommend your appointment should be delayed further.

Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.

Sincerely,

The Doctors and staff at Rubin Family Dentistry & Associates