Covid-19 Update

Dear Patients and Friends:

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our 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.

In accordance with the latest guidance from the American Dental Association (ADA), the Illinois State Dental Society (ISDS) and the Illinois State Government, Stone Falls Dental Care resumed services on June 1, 2020. Thank you so much for your support during a difficult time.

If you had a procedure postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be contacting you to reschedule. And while certain things have changed, one thing has remained the same: the commitment to the safety of our patients and staff. We want you to know that we are implementing stringent social distancing and infection control protocols that have been recommended by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

So, things may look a little different when you return to our facility. That's a good thing. We are taking many important precautions to keep you and your family healthy and safe:

Screening staff and patients before they enter the building.
Cleaning waiting rooms more frequently.
Thoroughly disinfecting exam rooms between each patient visit.
Maintaining a “no visitor” policy.
Reformatting the common areas and waiting room to enable safety and social distancing.
Requiring face masks to enter our facilities.

To set us above and beyond in implementing these protocols, we have recently made a significant additional investment in various extra supplies and equipment, including:

An upgrade of our HVAC system by purchasing and installing furnace/air duct UVC lamps and electronic air cleaners for the ultimate quality of breathable air inside our office space. Traditional HVAC filters are incapable of fully sanitizing air. The moist, dark environments of cooling coils are ideal breeding grounds for bacteria. Vulnerable spaces such as hospitals and airports have effectively utilized UVC lamps in their HVAC's bacteria and virus abatement systems for years. To learn more about the advantages of the new system, please click here.
Highest grade touchless thermometers to help us screen patients and staff.
Highest grade personal protective equipment (PPE) used to protect the wearer from airborne particles and from liquid contaminating the face, including N95 surgical masks for our clinical staff, protective gowns and face shields.
Each clinical and office space will be equipped with brand new GermGuardian 4-in-1 air purifying systems with HEPA filter to additionally improve air quality, kill airborne germs, viruses and bacteria and trap allergens.

Please note that as a result of COVID-19, we have updated some of our daily procedures. You'll still receive the same great service from our dedicated team, however to ensure the safety of all our patients we've implemented the following changes:

Live Appointment Confirmation Screening: When calling to set/confirm your appointment, our treatment coordinators will ask some screening questions.
Electronic Screening: All electronic appointment reminders will contain a link to a short preliminary screening questionnaire. We ask that you please click on the link and provide the necessary Yes/No answers.
Office Entry Restricted: Only patients may enter our office for appointments. Spouses, friends, caregivers and parents need to wait outside unless arrangements are necessary and communicated in advance.
Non-Essential Items: We ask that any non-essential items be stored away. Please refrain from cell phone use during your appointment.
Additional Personal Protective Equipment: Please bring and wear a mask to the appointment. Our team will be exceeding all protocols given by the CDC & Health Department. You can expect for our team to be wearing masks, lab jackets and face shields for your protection and ours.
Patient Entry: Upon arrival, please call us from the parking lot and let us know you have arrived. Please remain in your car. We will call you and/or send a team member out once your room is cleaned thoroughly and prepared for your visit. To protect our patients and team, we will be taking patient temperatures upon entry to our office. Those with a fever will be rescheduled. Patients will be given a dental rinse solution to use prior to treatment. Hand sanitizer will also be placed strategically around the office for patient use.
Insurance Updates: If you have changes to your insurance, please provide these prior to your appointment.
Despite the increased cost of additional PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) required by the CDC and ADA during the coronavirus pandemic, we are currently NOT CHARGING any extra PPE-related fees for the foreseeable future.

Again, thank you so much for your support and understanding. We're happy to continue serving you, and can't wait to see you back!

Sincerely,

The dedicated team at Stone Falls Dental Care