We hope that you and your family are staying safe during these challenging times. As you are aware, with the recent rise in the number of positive COVID-19 cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, there have been increased restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19. I wanted to provide you with a breakdown of everything that we are doing to keep you safe during your appointments at Oceanfront Dental.

In case you are wondering, as per the Provincial Health Authority guidelines, we are still seeing patients for all forms of dentistry – not just emergencies. As such, if you haven’t seen our hygiene team in the last 6 months, I would encourage you to come see one of our lovely hygienists – Anke, Jill, or Marlee. This is the best way to get your oral health back on track!

When you do plan to come in, here are some of the ways we are keeping you safe at Oceanfront Dental:

• Team members symptom policy – for any team members that have any symptoms similar to COVID-19, our policy is for them to stay home, get tested immediately, and return only when asymptomatic and a negative test result;

• Pre-screening – any patient that is symptomatic, has been in contact with anyone with COVID-19 or has been travelling outside of Canada cannot be seen at our office. We ensure that these patients are not seen in the office until it is safe to do so;

• Temperature check – we will check your temperature upon arrival to ensure that you do not have a fever;

• Social distancing – for those patients not in the dental chair, they are to wear a mask at all times. Also, there is reduced seating in the reception area to ensure everyone maintains a 6-foot distance from each other;

• Informed Consent – all patients are to complete an informed consent document to ensure that they are aware of our policies and are complying with them;

• Hand-washing and pre-rinse – every patient is to wash their hands with soap or hand sanitizer before and after the procedure, as well as rinse with hydrogen peroxide for 60 seconds prior to the procedure;

• Personal Protective Equipment – each of our team members wear ASTM level 3 masks, eye protection, hair covering, and isolation robes for any procedure that can create an aerosol. Here is our hygienist, Anke, below in her PPE: mask, face shield, boufan cap, isolation robe, and scrubs;

• HEPA Air Filters and Air Turnover – our 5 new surgically clean air jade units help to turn the room air over every 20 minutes, maintaining fresh clean air. Also, we are reducing aerosols by 95% by provided high volume suction at the site of the aerosol creation (e.g. dental drill);

• Removal of magazines and coffee service from the reception area – sadly, as part of the restrictions, we can no longer provide magazines or coffee;

• Bathroom and reception area disinfection – we regularly disinfect the bathroom and reception area throughout the day

• Virtual Consults with Dr. Nick – in order to reduce the number of appointments, we are doing virtual consultations with patients.

We have ensured that we are exceeding the requirements of the College of Dental Surgeons of BC to make sure that you are safe whenever you are in the office.

Please let us know if you have any questions or if there is anything else we can do to make you feel safer.

Thank you for your commitment to our practice.

Dr. Nick, General Dentist, and the Oceanfront Dental Team