Dear Patients

Dear Patients:

We hope this 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 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. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in us practice to keep patients and staff safe.

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.

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:

• Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office. You’ll also be asked that any paperwork is done at home and brought in with you. We will be collecting any co-pays at this pre-screening phone call as well to minimize your time and interaction in the office.
• We will be asking all patients to call from the parking lot when you arrive to the office so we can let you know if we are ready for you. Once we are ready you will be asked to come to the front door where a team member will guide you. We will have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed. If you do not have a mask, one will be given and your temperature will be checked.
• You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
• Plexiglass barrier will be put in place. This will be to protect employees and customers from airborne germs in face-to-face transactions.
• Air purifiers with medical grade HEPA filters will be placed around the office to improve air quality.
• Ultraviolet (UV) lights are being installed in the HVAC air ducts to sterilize and kill any viruses or bacteria.
• Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
• We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.

Due to all the changes in protocols and additional protective equipment needed, we are charging a small PPE fee per visit. This has been approved by the ADA. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter.

We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at (978)630-1702.

Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.

Sincerely,

Dr. Lavana, Dr. Karkhanis-Lavana and Team