SPILMAN DENTISTRY and Our New Normal
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. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your health and 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.
Our office 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 agencies’ recommendations. We have recently installed a UV light and ActivePure® technology, “the most powerful Air and Surface Purification ever discovered, and the only one of its class recognized by NASA, the Space Foundation as Certified Space Technology.”
We are taking extended safety measures to further protect our patients and team by implementing the following protocols:
- We will monitor the health of all staff, as well as anyone who enters the office in order to limit possible exposures.
- Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients which might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
- We now have a ‘touch-free’ check-in and billing process. Therefore, we will need your email address, birth date and mailing address in order for us to provide you access to the Patient Portal System (complete forms online, email receipts, receive appointment reminders, etc.).
- You will also find touchless hand sanitizer, soap and paper towel dispensers throughout the office for you to use as needed.
- Our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, pamphlets, and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
- We are only allowing one patient to enter or exit the building at a time. Your temperature and COVID Patient Re-screening will be taken when you enter. The number of patients in the office will be limited and appointments will be staggered to further aid in social distancing. Please refrain from bringing any unnecessary family, friends, or partners along except where the patient will need help getting in to and from the office.
Here is what you can expect before your next appointment:
- You will receive an appointment reminder via text and/or email. Please confirm your appointment through one of those reminders.
- Before you arrive please log in to your Patient Portal. Read, sign and complete all required forms. Click on the link below:
- Once you have logged in, click on ‘Go to my forms’, then complete and sign all required forms.
- If this is your first time logging in to your patient portal, then upon login you will be prompted to contact our office. Please call us (727) 321-1427 and we can send you an invitation email to the patient portal (check spam/junk folder too for invite).
- You will need to answer some COVID screening questions and up-date other forms prior to your appointment which can be done through the Patient Portal (email needed), or our kiosk (arrive 15 minutes early to fill out forms) and someone will help with the forms.
Here is what you can expect when you arrive for your appointment:
- Once you arrive, please remain in your vehicle and call us using the number listed on the sign (provide vehicle type/color). You will be asked those same screening questions again. For everyone’s safety, please answer honestly.
- We will call or come out to get you when it is appropriate for you to enter the office.
- When you enter the office, we will take your temperature and ask for you to use the items on the personal protection station.
- Once in the treatment room patients will pre-rinse with a recommended oral rinse to help kill viruses in the oral cavity.
- In order to be compliant with suggested best practices, our office will now be using upgraded forms and increased amounts of personal protective equipment, or PPE, to protect patients and staff members from the transmission of COVID-19. Due to increased global demand and limited supply, the price of PPE has dramatically increased. Unfortunately, our practice can only absorb a portion of these costs; therefore, patients will be assessed a PPE fee of $12.00, associated with each visit.
- Regarding dental benefits: due to several recent hurdles with third-party dental benefits, patients will pay us, we will still submit the dental claim. Then, you will get reimbursed by the insurance company.
We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions that you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe and healthy in our practice.
To contact us for an appointment or a concern, please call our office at (727) 321-1427 or visit our website at www.spilmandentistry.com.
Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.
Keep Smiling and Stay Well!
The Spilman Dentistry Team