Coronavirus Update

We will reopen on Monday, June 8, 2020. We look forward to seeing many of you in the coming weeks. 

As regular dental visits are an essential part of your oral hygiene routine and are important for your overall health, our goal is to reopen while keeping our patients and staff safe. During this “pause” we have worked closely with an OSHA consultant, attended endless webinars, and followed along with the guidance from OSHA, the CDC and the American Dental Association. In addition to the infection control procedures we have always followed, we have taken several additional steps and your visit to our office may look a bit different. 

To limit patient time in the waiting room, we are now using HIPPAA compliant E-Forms for all patient forms. This system allows patients to easily complete and update their information from their own laptops, iPads and mobile phones. To help implement this process we ask that you please click here and complete the forms (even though you have previously completed forms in our office.)

Here’s what you can expect at your next appointment: 

Wellness checks: 

o To help ensure that patients arriving for their appointments are healthy, reminder texts will include a link to a wellness form. Please be sure to respond.

o We will repeat these questions when you arrive to make sure nothing has changed. 

o Please call the office and cancel your appointment if you do not feel well.

o When you arrive at the office, we will take your temperature with a touchless thermometer.

Face masks: Please wear a mask to your appointment as every patient (and companion) must wear a mask except when sitting in the dental chair.

Social distancing: 

o We have re-worked our schedules to reduce the number of people in the waiting room. 

o Unless you need assistance, please do not bring anyone with you to your appointment. 

o We have added plexiglass shields at the front desk.

o In our waiting room, we have replaced our large, comfortable easy chairs with chairs that can be sanitized and spaced for social distancing.

Hand sanitizer: When you enter the office, you will be asked to sanitize your hands and to do so again if you use the restrooms or your cell phone. Cell phones may not be out or used in the operatories.

Hygiene appointments: For the foreseeable future we will not be using ultrasonic cleaning; instead the hygienists will hand scale.

Aerosol control: We have added HEPA/Ultraviolet Light Air Purifiers in all operatories and in the waiting room to ensure the purity of the air. 

Pre-procedure mouth rinse: You will be asked to rinse with pleasant tasting pre-operative oral rinse.

Other precautions: 

o We ask all patients to complete and update medical history forms online.

o Dr. Levin and staff will be wearing different Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): scrubs, disposable lab coats, and face shields. Think “Darth Vader.”

Check out: If there are more than three people in the waiting room, we will ask you not to wait; we will call you so you may ask questions, pay your portion, and schedule your next appointment over the phone. 

PPE Fee: As we adhere to the ADA’s interim recommendations for use of PPE, our costs for each patient visit will substantially increase. Patients will be assessed an $18 fee. On recommendation from the ADA, dental benefit plans may cover this fee.

Follow up: If you start feeling ill with the symptoms of COVID-19 within 14 days of your appointment, let us know so that we can assist with any contact tracing.

Teledentistry: For some consultations and follow-up, you may request a HIPPAA compliant teledentistry appointment with Dr. Levin. Several dental benefit plans will cover this fee. 

One last housekeeping matter: We rely on text messaging to confirm patient appointments. Recently, mobile carriers have changed the rules; if you type “cancel” in response to an appointment reminder, you will be unsubscribed from our reminder service. If you need to cancel, please type “no” or “reschedule.” If you have recently typed “cancel,” and wish to restart, please return to the text (or send a new text to 202.817.2943) and type “start,” “yes,” or “unstop.” Crazy, we know!

We are all in this together. Thank you, in advance, for your cooperation. 

Stay safe,

Dr. L & Staff