Dear Patients,
I hope this message finds you and your family safe and taking the proper precautions relating to the COVID-19 virus.
You may have heard government recommendations that that hospitals across the country “consider stopping elective surgery”. We believe they are making this recommendation to reserve hospital resources, including staff and supplies, for anticipated COVID-19 patients.
Our situation, like so many private medical practices, is different. We care only for healthy patients and recently self-imposed restrictions requiring anyone who had traveled by air domestically or internationally to self-quarantine for 14 days prior to coming to our practice.
As a result, our office will be closed to all but emergency cases for the next two weeks. If you are experiencing pain, and need to be seen earlier, we can still accommodate you during this period of time.
We are considering booking Fridays and possibly Saturdays to accommodate patients after the two weeks since our schedule is pretty busy in general. Do not hesitate to reply to this email or call our office (619-640-5100) to schedule / reschedule your appointments accordingly.
We want to let our emergency patients know that we have taken additional safety measures. The strict sterilization guidelines in place in our practice make it one of the safest dental environments that you could be in. In additions we have implemented patient screenings as per CDA regulations, all equipment and surfaces are sterilized between patients, and masks and hand sanitizer are made available to everyone. We have taken the following additional measures for patient treatment:
– Avoiding or minimizing operations that can produce droplets or aerosols
– The use rubber dams in as many instances as possible.
– Rinsing the oral cavity slowly, avoiding unnecessary splatter.
– Using high-speed evacuation for all dental procedures producing an aerosol.
– Providing patients with the use an antimicrobial rinse before starting a dental procedure
– Avoiding or minimizing procedures that may induce coughing, such as routine intraoral X-rays.
We are also closely monitoring CDC guidelines and recommendations and adapting our processes accordingly.
In the best of times, we’re very proud that Brighton Dental has been a trusted resource for the San Diego community. In challenging times like these, we want you to assure you that being smart about what we do and keeping you safe are bywords for us and for our patient care team.
With Gratitude and Good Wishes,
Dr. Paige Woods, D.D.S.
