Greetings! According to Governor Northam’s Guidance for Virginia, dental and medical practices are allowed to perform elective procedures starting May 1.
As we return to routine patient care, there are many accommodations we’ll be making so we can continue to ensure the health of our patients, staff, and families. Your safety is prioritized above everything else!
Some of the accommodations we are making include:
- Sanitizing high-traffic surfaces such as doorknobs and counter spaces every hour.
- We’ll only have one restroom available for patients at this time, please plan accordingly.
- When confirming appointments, we’ll be asking you if anyone in the home has experienced fevers, shortness of breath, coughing, or has been exposed to coronavirus.
- Our waiting rooms will be closed. Please call the office to notify us that you’re here when you arrive for your appointment and wait in your car. A staff member will be out to escort you in shortly.
- Please do not bring any children that do not have appointments with you. If at all possible, other children will not be permitted into the office.
- Only one adult will be allowed to accompany children into the treatment area. Whenever possible, children will be encouraged to enter into the treatment areas without parental accompaniment. No adults will be permitted to accompany children over 13 years old.
- To minimize aerosolization of respiratory and oral secretions, we’ll be performing hand instrument cleanings.
- Whenever we use a dental handpiece for fillings and crown preparations, we’ll use a rubber dam and suction to minimize the aerosolization of respiratory and oral secretions.
- We’ll be using heavier duty personal protective equipment than you may be accustomed to. This new equipment may be intimidating to your children, but please know that we are smiling underneath all of this new gear.
- Due to the fact that some personal protective equipment is in short supply, some equipment will be sanitized and reused. To do this, we will be following guidance from OSHA, the CDC, and the manufacturer’s recommendations.
- If you have a mask, bandana, or handkerchief, please consider wearing it when you attend appointments with your child. It will help us keep the office as safe as possible for other patients and ourselves.
Returning to work during a pandemic will mean that things will look different for now. We thank you in advance for your patience and assistance in helping us make our return to practicing dentistry as safe as possible.
We spent the last month treating only urgent and emergent cases due to the governor’s executive orders, but we are excited to resume caring for your children’s oral health and provide preventive and elective care.
We’re all in this together.
John Will and the Children’s Dentistry of Charlottesville team
A graduate of Loma Linda University Dental School and a resident in the Loma Linda Dental Anesthesiology Program, Dr. Will received extensive education in pharmacology, physiology, internal medicine, and general anesthesia. Dr. Will is a member of the Special Care Dentistry Association and the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists. He’s also a Diplomate of the American Dental Board of Anesthesiology. Dr. Will believes every patient should be treated with kindness and respect and is focused on treating the unique dental and oral health needs of all young people.