03/16/2020
Office Reopening
Dear valued client of the Elgin Dental Centre,
Life has been anything but normal this spring and we sincerely hope you and your family are in good health.
The Ministry of Health has recently lifted the restrictions that were placed on dental offices in March. Therefore, we are happy to announce that we will be reopen on Wednesday, June 10th at 8am to care for you and your family. Although, we open Wednesday to clients, we are already available to schedule appointments over the phone, text message, or by email.
Your next dental appointment will be quite different than any previous one; however, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your health and safety.
Our office has always followed strict infection control standards and, in order to keep us all protected during this pandemic and in the future, we have updated our protocols. Here is an idea of what you can expect at your next appointment:
We will ask you screening questions before booking your appointment and you will be asked those same questions again on the day of your appointment. These questions will be emailed to you and will also be available on our website.
We will be updating medical history, contact information, and insurance information for all clients. Please be patient with us even if this is information that you recently provided. Our goal is to minimize in-office administrative activities and thus reduce possible client interactions.
We are striving to be completely paperless in our interactions with clients. We will not be accepting, nor will we be giving paper for the time being. Receipts and insurance information will be emailed to clients. We ask that forms be sent to us via email/fax and your prescriptions/referrals will be electronically submitted.
You will be asked to call/text us when you arrive at the office and wait outside or in your car until a sanitized room is ready. Please access the clinic via the front door. The back door will be locked temporarily. A staff member will welcome you into the office and bring you directly to the operatory.
We ask that you arrive at the office with your own mask and only articles that can be placed in a pocket. Please do not worry if you do not have a mask or forget yours as we will have one for you if necessary.
We also ask that you come to your appointment alone. Of course, exceptions will be made for children and those who require assistance.
We will take your temperature with a touch-free thermometer and ask you to wash and sanitize your hands.
Unfortunately, our reception area can no longer be a waiting room. Appointments will be spaced out to allow for physical distancing between clients. That might mean less flexibility for scheduling your appointment, but it will also reduce the number of clients in the reception area at any one time.
You will also notice that we now have a plexiglass barrier at our reception and that we are wearing more protective gear – such as masks, face shields, gowns – than we normally do during your visit. Rest assured, all these procedures are designed to create the safest environment for you, other clients, and our team.
We have been closed almost three months which has created quite the backlog of appointments. Please be patient with us while we try and contact everyone who has had a previous appointment cancelled due to COVID-19.
We are closely monitoring ongoing updates from Ottawa Public Health, the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario, the College of Dental Hygienist of Ontario, and the provincial/federal government. We will do our best to notify you of any changes as they are shared with us.
We all look forward to seeing you again very soon. We are almost there. Please feel free to contact us for an appointment and if you have any questions about dentistry in the COVID-19 era.
Thank you for your patience and loyalty throughout this period. We value your trust and look forward to welcoming you back!
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Temporary Closure / Urgent Care Available
UPDATE: Due to ongoing health concerns, the office will be continue to be closed until Monday, June 15th, 2020. Emergencies are still welcome to contact us via email: [email protected]
Hello,
We received notification from our licensing body, the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario strongly recommending the suspension of all non-essential dental treatment. Therefore, all routine appointments for new patient exams, hygiene, fillings, and other none-urgent treatment are cancelled. We will be in touch with you via email to reschedule.
As of now, our College has put this in effect until the first week of April. We are monitoring this situation closely and will update you with any changes.
If during this period you experience a dental emergency, please reach out to us via email immediately. We should be able to make arrangements to either see you in person or guide you through the next steps via phone and/or email.
These are challenging time for everyone. We wish to reassure you that we will do out best to keep our patients and their families safe by following all recommended guidelines.
Please feel free to contact us by email (preferred choice) if you have any questions or concern at [email protected] or at (613) 566-3333
Please stay safe!
The Elgin Dental Team