We are wearing huge grins underneath our masks!!

    Over the past few months during NC’s “Stay at Home-Stay Safe” Order, we at Gillespie Dental Associates have had our eye on the future.  During the period our office was closed, our management team was working tirelessly to research and plan what a safe and efficient office would look like in the era of Covid-19.   As you know, there is quite a lot to think about!  We’d love to share a few changes that you can expect to see in our office when you return.

What to expect at your next visit!   

• Patient Screening:  Before your appointment, you will be asked some screening questions and you will have your temperature taken upon your arrival to our office.
• Patient Masks: We ask that all patients wear a face mask or face covering when entering the office. Any mouth and nose covering (ex: scarf) or homemade mask is acceptable and will help keep you and our other patients protected.
• Arrival: When you arrive, please wait in your car, and call or text us upon arrival with the make/model of your vehicle.  For calls please use our main office number: 828.252.9351.  For texts, please use: 916-619-0267.
• Friends & Family please stay in your car: To reduce the amount of people inside the office, we ask that only the person with the scheduled dental appointment enter the office.
• Hand Hygiene:  You will be asked to wash your hands upon entering the office and will find hand-sanitizer in the reception area and other places in the office.
• Infection Control Precautions: Infection Control has always remained paramount at our office. You will now notice some additional precautions such as added barriers in treatment rooms and heightened PPE worn by both front desk and clinical staff.  Yvette and Irene model our masks, bonnets, and face shields quite well don’t you think?
• Staggered Appointment Times: Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. 

We are very much looking forward to seeing you again, keeping you safe, and caring for your oral health!  Please, reach out to our office if you have any questions at all.  We value your trust and loyalty and are excited to see you soon!

The post Welcome Back, Patients! first appeared on Gillespie Dental Associates.

At Gillespie Dental Associates, the safety of both our patients and staff matters above all. On the evening of March 16^th, we received an email update from the North Carolina Dental Board regarding COVID-19. Recommendations were suggested as to how offices should consider operating moving forward. They suggested postponing all “elective” and “non-urgent” dental care for a 2-week period. Although these were not mandated, we took these suggestions very seriously and immediately enacted a plan.

We feel a personal responsibility to do our part in helping prevent the spread of this virus and have made some decisions effective immediately. As of today and for a two week period, we will postpone all elective and non-urgent dental procedures. Our intention is to provide service to only emergency and “pre-emergent” conditions, which will serve the needs of the community while also helping “flatten the curve.” All other patients currently scheduled within this two week window will be called and rescheduled. We will have staff on hand for you to call with any questions or concerns regarding your care.

We ask all of you to continue to do your part as well. Heed the advice and safety precautions recommended by the CDC and minimize contact with others by practicing social distancing of at least 6 feet. We remain optimistic that if we all do our part in helping prevent the spread of this virus that our lives will resume as they were much sooner.

We urge all of you to stay healthy and safe and we will continue to update you with any changes.

The post COVID-19 Update at Gillespie Dental Associates first appeared on Gillespie Dental Associates.