WHAT ARE WE DOING TO PROTECT YOU FROM COVID-19?

In accordance with CDC recommendations, we screen potential patients for symptoms of respiratory disease, including COVID-19. This allows us to triage sick patients to the safest place for treatment, which is usually a medical setting.

If you prefer to wait in your car in our parking lot, call when you arrive and we will let you know when we are ready to be see you. This will always remain an option, but if you are comfortable waiting inside, our large reception area allows ample physical distancing well away from other patient families.

Our newly installed clear countertop screen creates a physical barrier between patients and front office staff, protecting both you and our employees.

Just as all dental offices, we take the universal and effective infection control steps used for decades: We wipe down all surfaces before seating each patient, sterilize all instruments, hand wash thoroughly, and wear gloves and masks for patient encounters. But we have now gone well beyond these minimum requirements.

IMPROVED AIR QUALITY WITH FULL AIR EXCHANGE BETWEEN PATIENTS

Negative pressure airflow system completely changes room air between patients.
Recovery area air exchanger
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In response to COVID-19, we recently upgraded the ventilation system both in our treatment and recovery areas to provide negative pressure airflow, which completely replaces room air between patients with over 17 complete room air exchanges per hour. We have increased the time between patients to assure this complete air exchange, so you will be breathing entirely different air than the previous patient. This eliminates viruses or bacteria lingering in the air following an aerosol-producing procedure, which is sometimes necessary in oral surgery. The CDC recently identified aerosols as a significant risk factor in the spread of COVID-19, so this improvement increases safety for both patients and our staff.

Also in response to COVID-19, all air circulating through our office now is treated with a bipolar ionization process, which creates a plasma field of positive and negative ions from water vapor in the air. These ions attach to very small particles including viruses, somewhat akin to static electricity, and produce clumps of larger particles that are easily filtered and removed from the air by the HVAC system. These ions also disrupt and deactivate the living protein surface coats of viruses, bacteria and molds, killing them and rendering them no longer harmful. Laboratory testing had shown bipolar ionization is effective against other coronaviruses, so we presumptively and optimistically installed ionizers early in the COVID crisis. Subsequent testing completed in June of 2020 concluded that ionization neutralizes 99.4% of the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for COVID-19 at 30 minutes. We are pleased to offer this air quality protection to our patrons and staff.

Bipolar ionization improves office air quality.

We are committed to protecting you and our staff from the risk of COVID-19, and are closely monitoring Federal and State recommendations for ways to better protect you and our staff. We are taking an aggressive approach to changes in how we do things, and not waiting for a mandate. If a suggestion, recommendation or guideline is made, rest assured we will be aware of it and implement more changes if there is a reasonable amount of science to back it up.

Stay safe,

Dr. Brent Florine
Oral Surgery Care