At DiStefano Family Dentistry, We Do the Safe Thing!

Your safety is our top concern. We’ve taken extra precautions so that you can be safe and feel confident when you visit DiStefano Family Dentistry. 

YES...It’s safe to go to the Dentist! 

As the world begins to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, one question that I’m often asked is “Do you think it’s safe to go to the dentist?” My immediate answer is an overwhelming, “YES!” 

Dental offices are one of the SAFEST places you can be. Dentistry is a profession of obsessive-compulsive cleaners. Dental treatment rooms are cleaned with bactericidal and virucidal cleaners before and after each patient visit. We utilize barrier protection to prevent germs from spreading when we touch things. All instruments are heat sterilized and used only on you before they are sterilized again. In addition to using many disposable products, we wear PPE for the safety of our patients. 

Recently, you may have heard about aerosols and their potential danger, especially as it relates to COVID-19. Aerosols are part of our daily lives. We generate aerosols when we speak, cough, sneeze, laugh, and breathe. The human body has a well-developed immune system to protect us from aerosols. As it specifically relates to aerosols generated in a dental office, The American Dental Association and the Connecticut State Dental Association have been leaders in helping dental offices stay safe before, during, and after the pandemic. 

Utilizing guidelines that have been developed by both the CDC and OSHA, we have taken great care to work out a plan for full reopening that puts our patients’ safety at the highest possible priority. You may not realize that our office has been open during the entire shutdown period seeing patients for emergency dental care. Those patients who have been here, as well as our dental team members, felt safe the entire time. In fact, the patients who came in all felt extremely comfortable receiving care at our office. 

Now, as the state is preparing for partial reopening on May 20th, we will begin our second phase, opening for elective restorative procedures. This phase will not include 

dental hygiene appointments. We will continue to treat emergency patients and begin treating patients who had to either reschedule or postpone their restorative appointments due to the COVID-19 shutdown. Our third phase will be to reopen our Dental Hygiene Department. Opening the office in stages allows us to keep the patient volume lower as we adjust to our new safety protocols. 

We have implemented additional protocols to keep you safe during your visit. 

Safer Scheduling 

1. You can expect a call from a member of our team the day before your appointment. We will review your appointment date and time as well as review our new COVID-19 pre-appointment screening process.
2. On the day of your appointment please arrive 10 minutes early and please stay in your car. 3.
3. When you arrive at our office call us at 860-633-1635 to begin our curbside check in process.
4. Once you have checked in, a team member will come out to your car. They will begin by taking your temperature with a no-touch infrared thermometer. If your temperature is less than 100 degrees fahrenheit they will proceed with the COVID-19 pre-appointment patient screening.
5. Once this has been completed the team member will escort you inside directly to our hand washing and sanitizing station. We will ask that you wash your hands and sanitize your cell phone. Please be advised all patients are required to wear a mask or face covering upon entering and exiting the building. 
6. Your clinical provider will then greet you and escort you directly to your personal treatment room.
7. Our facility will be limited with our reception room unavailable at this time. 

Safer Care 

1. Our team will be wearing full personal protective equipment including facemask, gloves, gowns, goggles and face shields for everyone’s protection.
2. Only the appointed patient will be taken into the treatment room. If a child is being seen ,a parent or guardian may accompany them after approved pre screening by the doctor.
3. Your dedicated treatment room will be sanitized and prepared with CDC approved disinfectants and we always use the most advanced autoclave sterilization systems for all of our handpieces and instruments.
4. A pre-procedural antimicrobial rinse will be provided for you to perform prior to the start of your appointment.
5. We have suspended all use of Cavitrons, which are ultrasonic dental hygiene scalers to eliminate any aerosols during your dental cleaning appointment.
6. We have installed two Medify air purifiers to reduce aerosolizations
7. We will be utilizing rubber dams to reduce saliva exposure
8. We will be utilizing Isolite technology, which is a high velocity evacuation system for removing aerosols and saliva from the mouth.
9. For your protection, we have allowed for more time between appointments, that may mean fewer available appointment times. 

There’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to COVID-19. One thing you can be certain of is that going to the Dentist is, and always has been safe. 

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding during this time. We appreciate your flexibility and feedback as we move forward together. We will continue to monitor guidance from the State of Connecticut, the CDC, and the ADA. We will make every effort to let you know if this planned phase schedule changes. As always, if you have any questions please give us a call. You may also notice some changes in our billing practices around disposable PPE. Our use of this equipment is for the protection of our patients and our staff and is of the utmost importance.

By DiStefano Family Dentistry

May 19, 2020