Southwest Smiles
COVID-19 Precautions

Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to each agencies’ recommendations.

What to Expect at Your Visit

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We have implemented these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:

• Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask you some screening questions.
• The use of paper has been eliminated. All forms and questionnaires will be emailed or texted to you in an electronic format. Please fill them out and submit them before you arrive at the office.
• When you arrive at the office, one of our staff members will measure your temperature using an infrared thermometer.
• We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.
• You will be required to wear a mask unless you have a medical reason that prohibits you from wearing one. If you do not have a mask, we can provide one for you at the office.
• If you are accompanying a child or someone who needs help, we ask that you wait in your vehicle during their appointment.
• You may see that our waiting room no longer offers magazines, children’s toys, and so forth since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
• Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you are offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment(s).
• We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you. This also reduces the number of patients in the reception area to only one at a time.
• We have also installed medical-grade air filters in the office to help eliminate sources of infection and dust.

We thank you for your patience during these unprecedented times. We are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we are taking to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice.