JUST SMILE DENTAL CARE CLINIC
PATIENT APPOINTMENT GUIDELINES
Effective JANUARY 2022
Dental Clinics are one of the most vulnerable to virus exposure due to the close physical contact with patients and to the closed-room clinic setting. As everyone may already know, COVID-19 can be transmitted through salivary droplets and can remain suspended in air once it is aerosolized through coughing, sneezin
g, and medical & dental treatment procedures generated via (Aerosol Generating Procedures - AGP) by our dental instruments. The virus can remain active from 2 to 72 hrs and remain viable on different surfaces aside from the being suspended in air for several hours. This WHY, wearing of FACESHIELDS is still REQUIRED within the clinic premises. With our staffs and patients' safety in mind, the following PROTOCOLS were drafted by our team for strict implementation and obedience in lieu of our mission to provide only quality service. The patient will then undergo a brief History Taking and Triage Interview based on the PDA Regulated Patient Assessment Health Form via email, SMS or accomplishing online via the Google Form.
2. If the patient had recently traveled or was exposed to anyone who recently traveled, please schedule an appointment only after a self-imposed 14-day quarantine period. If the patient has already contracted COVID-19 himself, we may set schedule 30 days after Date of Onset, As per PDA-DOH instructions this is to ensure that the patient has totally regained strength and that he may be at the best state of health upon being exposed to Dental Treatment and its premises.
3. Honesty on your health assessment cannot be stressed enough, we all have roles to play on fighting the spread of this virus, and honesty on these matters are indispensable in flattening the curve of the Coronavirus. Patient must arrive at the exact appointment time to avoid workflow & sterilization process delay.
2. Please notify us in case of cancellation; if delay cannot be avoided, please notify us; 15 minutes past the appointed time will be rescheduled.
3. We advise patients to bring only the necessaries inside the clinic to avoid further cross contamination. Please limit things and bag sizes to be brought to the minimum as much as possible. And also Eating & Drinking inside is discouraged.
4. We encourage patient on schedule to stay in their vehicles or wait at the lobby while queueing and just wait for our call for their treatment time. NO relative/companion will be allowed to stay inside the Clinic's waiting area. This is to avoid their exposure to aerosols which are suspended in the air inside the Clinic.
5. Patient, upon entering the Clinic premises, must properly wear masks (nose up to the chin fully-covered) and appropriate face shield. Masks and face shields may only be removed once patient is seated on the dental chair or when prompted by the the dentist on duty.
6. Patients will be requested to directly proceed to the Physical Disinfection (Full Body and Bags) Area via Exposure to Humidified Hypochlorous Acid and go directly to the washroom to WASH hands with available Anti-Bacterial Hand Soap then GARGLE with the Antibacterial Mouthwash provided and finally SANITIZE HANDS with Food-Grade Hypochlorous Acid Disinfectant on standby.
7. After complete sanitation, patient will be escorted to the treatment room & will be asked to don the PPE provided.
8. Dental Staff will take Body Temperature, O2 Saturation Level, Pulse Rate, Blood Pressure (PRN). Again, Patient will undergo a brief health and travel interview before proceeding to the operatory. On a general note, our team has agreed on seeing only six (6) patients a day regardless of the procedure. This is based on the estimated disinfection time we need to properly sterilze the entire room and instruments, accurately don and doff our PPEs and most importantly to control the number of patients being exposed to aerosols. Please bear with us, this is for everyone's safety. Children, Immuno-compromised patients and Senior Citizens shall take extra precautions and are advised to see us only when immediate treatment is needed; They will be allowed inside the Clinic only when it is their turn for treatment. This is for their own safety, to lessen their exposure to the dental premises & to other people. On our part, we continue to strictly observe proper hygiene and sanitation & disinfection practices at all times. Our team will be wearing Face Masks, Protective Gowns and Eye Shields. Dentists & Staff's Health Status, Body Temperature and O2 Saturation Levels will be checked on a daily basis. We will make sure that they are fit to work, showing no signs of colds, cough, flu & fever before entering the clinic premises. We are still in the middle of the contagion, and in the presence of the new virus variants, we will remain cautious in preventing the spread of the disease. We sincerely hope that you understand that these protocols are set not to burden you but SAFEGUARD you, your family, and our staff who also have family of their own they wish to protect. Together, with your cooperation, we can help stop the spread of COVID-19 . YOUR SAFETY IS OUR TOP PRIORITY. With sincere thanks,
Just Smile Dental Care Team
