Believe it or not, I feel the safest from COVID-19 when I am in my office! We take the health and safety of our patients AND staff very seriously!
Safe Place, Trusted Care
Here at Smilesweet Orthodontics we are committed to our community’s safety. During this global COVID-19 pandemic, our promise is to provide a safe and reliable place to receive care. This has and continues to be important to us.
Reopening Our Office and Our Community’s Support
During the height of the pandemic in New York our office temporarily paused services. It was during this time that we went to work planning a safe reopening. Our waiting room policies were changed to follow the CDC guidelines. We placed hand sanitizer stations in the waiting room and throughout the office.
Before somebody enters the patient area, we take a no touch temperature and answer a COVID-19 questionnaire. Patients are only allowed to enter if they are healthy. If a person is at risk, they will be sent home and only allowed to return with two negative COVID-19 test 5 days apart. We do not want patients to run into each other so we have put a system in place whereby the patient will call from their car once they arrive, and we will contact the patient by text or phone when we are ready for you! If a patient does not arrive by car, we have an extra area for patients who need a warm place to wait.
We wanted to be ready as soon we got the green light to open our doors! We acquired all the need personal protective equipment, made new policies, and purchased air filtration units for both the waiting area and the dental operatories. Although one air purifier is capable of filtering 800 square feet in 10 minutes, we have TWO in our 500 square foot office. These medical grade machines rank at the top of the list for recommended air filtration in an office setting. Thanks to the cooperation of our communities, we were able to reopen in June of 2020.
Keeping Patients Safe During the COVID-19 Recovery
Guided by the CDC and New York State, we have taken several steps in addition to our already rigorous infection control measures to ensure our facilities remain safe places for you to confidently receive care.
Restricting Visitors in The Waiting Room and Patient Check-in
For some of our patients, safety means being seen or scheduled as soon as possible. Everyone is prescreened prior to their visit. We are checking temperatures of all people who enter our office. Masks are provided if patients do not have one. Nobody may enter without a mask covering both nose and mouth. Patients are sent directly into the treatment room.
To keep our waiting room empty, when possible, adults are expected to wait in their cars. Payments can be made by phone or by the patient themselves. If a conversation needs to be had between the Doctor and Parent or Staff and Parent, we will call you while you are in the car or a virtual/video call will be scheduled. Our temporary visitor policy restricts non-scheduled patients from waiting in our waiting room. This will reduce the number of people in our office, and therefore, the risk of exposure between patients, visitors, and staff.
Office Cleaning
All common areas such as the waiting room, restroom and front desk are cleaned often with special attention to frequently touched surfaces including doorknobs and arm rests. The treatment rooms are fully cleaned and disinfected between each patient.
You can be confident that you will receive safe, high-quality, and compassionate care from our extraordinary team. Every member of our team is committed to keeping our patients, staff, and communities safe.
Call us today at (718) 464-0768 to make your appointment or to ask any questions you have. We look forward to helping you obtain the most beautiful smile possible!