Coronavirus Update

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 is both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the Indiana Dental Association (IDA), the American Dental Association® (ADA), and the Center for Disease Control Prevention (CDC). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up to date on any new rulings or guidance that may be listed. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to the recommendations of each agency.

Before Your Appointment

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:

• We will have you call (765) 447-7878 from your vehicle when you arrive. Please wait in your vehicle and our office will call once we are ready for you to enter the office. No one will be allowed to accompany you into the office unless it is absolutely necessary.
• You will have a questionnaire to answer in regard to your health. Your temperate will be taken at the front desk.
• We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter and exit the office.
• 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.
• We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you.

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 or at (765) 447-7878.

Additional Safety Procautions

Dr. Susan and the team at TOTAL WELLNESS DENTISTRY want to assure you that your health is our highest priority. We have trained and educated our team regarding COVID-19 and have enhanced some of our office protocols to ensure the highest level of safety and health.

As part of our normal daily operations, we continue to observe the following safeguards against the spread of disease. These are the standards that we have abided by from the day we opened our doors to ensure that our off ice is one of the safest places to be:

• Before you enter the examining room, all surfaces, such as the dental chair, dental light, drawer handles and countertops, have been cleaned and disinfected thoroughly with medical grade disinfectants that kill 99.9% of all harmful bacteria and viruses. Disposable protective coverings on equipment are disposed of and replaced after each patient visit.
• Non-disposable items such as dental tools and instruments are cleaned and sterilized between patients using hospital grade sterilization equipment. Our sterilization equipment is monitored and tested on a regular basis.
• Disposable dental tools and needles are always disposed of and never reused.
• All staff involved in patient care use appropriate protective equipment such as gloves, masks, gowns and eyewear when needed. After each patient, disposable gloves and masks are thrown away. Before seeing the next patient, everyone on the treatment team disinfects their hands and puts on a new pair of gloves and mask. This is called PPE or "Personal Protective Equipment" and this protects both the patient and the treatment team.
• We frequently clean and disinfect the lobby area, reception counter and door handles multiple times inside and outside throughout the day, and are even more diligent today.
• Any team member that has any symptoms of a cold or flu are not permitted on the premises and are advised to stay at home for the safety of our patients and other team members.

On top of this, we want you to feel more comfortable and are increasing our investment in your health and well-being by offering the following safeguards:

• Team members have been assigned to wipe down and disinfect all high traffic surfaces including the countertops at the lobby and all handles to doors on an hourly basis. Again, each treatment room is thoroughly disinfected between every patient.
• All patients will rinse with an antimicrobial mouth rinse at every patient visit.
• Hand sanitizer is offered at our front desk and in every treatment room.
• If you would like a mask, please ask someone at the front desk, and you will be given a mask to wear in the reception room for your safety. You will not need the mask when you are being treated as Dr. Susan and your treatment team will be wearing their PPE which includes them wearing masks which will protect you.

What we require from our patients:

• If you are sick, running a fever 100.4 or higher, coughing or not feeling well, please reschedule your appointment and do not enter the office. We are happy to reschedule your appointment at no charge and we thank you for considering the health of others.
• If you are healthy and you come for your regular appointment, please use a tissue when coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose, throw the tissue away, and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water afterwards. Using hand sanitizer of 60% alcohol concentration is also acceptable for washing hands. We offer hand sanitizer at the front desk and in every operatory!
• If you have traveled to any areas outside the state of Indiana within two weeks of your scheduled appointment, please contact our office and we can discuss rescheduling if necessary.
  (http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html)

We are here to serve our patients, and our highest priority is to keep our community safe and healthy. We can assure you that our office is one of the safest places to be during this time, and having the proper dental treatment is one way to make your body healthier. Having untreated dental or oral infections in your mouth can negatively affect your immune system!

If you have any questions or concerns, please call us at (765) 447-7878 or email us at susansnyderdds@gmaiI.com.

Again, we are committed to your health and well-being and we look forward to seeing you at TOTAL WELLNESS DENTISTRY for your oral health treatments.