Despite the claim by health experts that visiting a dental practice is even safer than going to a restaurant during the ongoing pandemic, many patients are still weary of contracting the virus while at an appointment. We, your Tampa Bay oral surgeon and team, are going the extra mile to keep you safe, so you don’t have to put off those important visits or worry about your health. The American Dental Association agrees that oral care appointments are safe even amidst COVID-19.

Here’s what we’re doing to ensure your safety:

We’ve set in place the following strict safety protocols, so that you can attend your appointments, keep up on your oral care, and prevent more complicated dental issues from popping up down the road.

  • Mandating the wearing of masks by all team members and patients
  • Upgrading our team’s basic surgical masks to N-95s
  • Checking temperatures of all team members and patients upon arrival to our office (100.4 and above will not be allowed to enter the building)
  • Sterilizing, cleaning, and disinfecting between patients in strict accordance with all OSHA guidelines
  • Requiring team members wear PPE, including gloves, N-95 masks, face shields, surgical caps, and scrub tops and bottoms with gowns, during all surgical procedures
  • Cleaning and purifying the air with a negative pressure system, evacuating aerosols, bacteria, and germs

New Protocols for Checking In

As you may have already discovered, we’ve designed a new arrival plan for our patients. When you arrive for your appointment:

  1. Call us from outside the office (813-968-5400). Stay in your vehicle with a mask on, and one of our staff members will take your temperature. If your temperature is 100.4 or above, we will reschedule your appointment.
  2. If your temperature is normal, we will walk you through some COVID screening questions and medical forms.
  3. Once these forms have been completed, we’ll take you directly to a consult room. You’ll find we’ve created a one-way flow system throughout our office to help you maintain social distancing.
  4. You will remove your mask right before your procedure begins and replace it once it’s been completed.
  5. When you get up from your chair, we will escort you from the building.

Inside Our Office

Additional changes inside our office include eliminating the use of our reception area. We’ve added hand sanitizer and soap and water to each operatory and our reception area.

Although we can’t eliminate all risk, we are taking every possible step to minimize the chances of spreading the virus while caring for your oral needs. So far, no cases of COVID transmission have been documented as related to dental office’s appointment.  If you have any questions, please call us today. We look forward to seeing you soon!