Patient Safety – What to Expect at Your Dental Appointment During COVID-19

What to Expect Before You Visit

• Patients will be screened via phone call before their appointment about current health and dental concerns.
• Patients will be asked to sign a patient consent form, as well as other necessary paperwork prior to their appointment.
• Upon arrival, patients will be asked to practice social distancing and wait for a staff member to provide screening. Patients will be asked to wait outside the clinic until they are called for their appointment.
• Patients will have their temperature taken before entry at the clinic and are required to wear a face mask/face covering and perform proper hand hygiene. The clinic will provide face masks for patients who do not have one of their own.
• Only the patient, unless a minor or a guardian is required, is allowed to enter the clinic. If someone is accompanying the patient, they are required to be screened, have their temperature taken, wear a mask, and perform proper hand hygiene.

What to Expect During Your Visit

• We no longer offer magazines and newspapers, or coffee, tea, and water service.
• You will be asked to rinse with an antiseptic mouthwash before beginning your care to reduce the amount of bacteria and viruses residing in the mouth.
• You will notice that all staff members will be wearing extra layers of personal protective wear during procedures (gowns, gloves, masks, eye protection, face shields, and protective draping). These precautions ensure everyone is safe and healthy.
• Contact-less transaction is encouraged to limit social contact.

What Has Changed

Patient & Staff Screening

All patients will be screened according to current Public Health guidelines to minimize the risk to our patients and staff. Patients will be screened before the appointment, upon arrival in the clinic, and in the operatory. Staff members will be screened daily before reporting to work.

Personal Protective Equipment

In addition to increased PPE for staff members in the clinic, patients will be asked to wear a mask when entering the clinic. Masks will be provided to patients who do not have one of their own. PPE in a dental clinic can include but is not limited to: gloves, eye protection, masks, gowns, and protective draping. Appropriate PPE will be selected for each procedure and according to guidelines and regulations created by Dental Regulatory Colleges and Public Health.

Patient Waiting Rooms

All non-essential items such as magazines and newspapers will be removed from waiting rooms. Coffee and water service will be suspended.

Physical Distancing

Physical distancing will be in effect to help maintain a 6 foot (2 meters) distance between all people.

Equipment Sanitation

The clinic is sanitized daily before the beginning of each workday, in between patient appointments in the operatory, and before the end of the day.

All equipment used to clean, disinfect, or sterilize meet the standards established by Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Standards Association, and any local IPAC guidelines. Apple Dental Centre maintains the manufacturer’s instruction for equipment use and undergoes regular inspection and preventative maintenance and logs.

Breaking the Chain of Infection

Apple Dental Centre uses routine practices to help break the chain of infection. This includes personal protective equipment (PPE), aseptic techniques, cleaning, disinfection, sterilization, proper hand hygiene, risk assessments, screenings, environmental controls, administrative controls, and immunization. Any patient may be infectious even if they display no symptoms.

To help break the chain of infection, all reception areas are equipped with:

• Alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Tissues
• Disposable masks
• Patient safety & etiquette posters

Have questions or need to reschedule? Call us at (289) 204-9090. We are here to help and committed to keeping every visit as safe as possible.

Apple Dental Centre | 73 Wilson St W, Unit 20, Ancaster, ON, L9G 1N1 | (289) 204-9090 | appledentalcntr.ca