Practice Update

I certainly hope this finds you and your family in good health. What a crazy time in life this is for ALL of us! While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.

There has been an overwhelming amount of anxiety producing messaging during the pandemic. I wanted to be sure that you know that dentistry is considered an essential service. Our office has not closed during the shelter in place. Even during the time that dentists were asked to limit our treatment to emergencies only because of the shortage of PPE I made myself available for those patients experiencing pain. The Sonoma County Department of Health Services has never asked dental offices to close.

In order to help our dental team practice safely during the pandemic, we follow recommendations from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the American Dental Association (ADA), the California Department of Health and the California Dental Association Practice Support. We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued.

Oral health is integral to one's overall health. My team and I are proud to be able to offer this essential health care service because of its role in evaluating, diagnosing, preventing and treating oral diseases, which can affect systemic health.

Throughout the day patients tell me "thank you" for being open. I've also heard that some patients have asked what we are doing to keep everyone safe. I want to share with you what we are doing. While we have always had high infection control standards, we have added additional protocols due to COVID-19. I take the temperature of each team member when they arrive at the office. We wash our hands frequently and wipe down frequently touched surfaces.

Our clinical team wears their street clothes into the office and then change into their scrubs for their work day. Our treatment rooms have solid walls from floor to ceiling which satisfies the 6 feet of physical distance recommendation and several rooms have doors as well. In the treatment rooms we had already been using barriers and disinfectants to clean the rooms between patients. You'll now see that our clinical team members are wearing a face shield, an N95 mask and changing lab gowns between patients. Each treatment room is equipped with high volume suction.

At the front desk you'll notice Roxanne and Nancy wearing a mask behind a sneeze guard and we have a smiley face on the floor to indicate 6 feet of physical distance. Our reception room is closed and all of the magazines have been removed. The file cabinets are closed since Sherry transitioned our office to a chart-free system to eliminate paper in the treatment rooms. We appreciate your cooperation as appointment times are slightly longer and we are seeing fewer patients per day.

When you have an appointment in our office, out of an abundance of caution we will ask you to:

• Complete an electronic pre-appointment screening COVID-19 symptom questionnaire within 24 hours of your dental appointment.
• Text or call us when you have arrived in our parking lot and wait until you are asked to enter.
• Wear a mask
• Come alone (essential companions only)
• Allow us to take your digital temperature.
• Use our hand sanitizer

I look forward to seeing you soon. To schedule an appointment, call or text (707) 542-1026. You may also email the office at [email protected]. My team and I are in the office Tuesday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with some Fridays being a half day. If you have any further concerns, please reach out as we are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we are taking to keep you, and every patient safe while in our office.

Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty.

In good health,

Justin D. Phillips, DDS