News From Our Dental Practice

To our dental family and friends,

            First and most importantly, we hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Although we do not have a definitive date for when we will begin to provide routine care, we would like to answer any questions that you might have and update you regarding our reopening procedures and measures that will be taken to ensure the safety of everyone entering our office.

            Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health has given the directive that dental offices can begin to resume dental treatment. We ask for your patience as we must first meet guidelines that have been dictated by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons and the Ontario Dental Association.

            We strive to exceed expectations regarding our infection control practices and as such, we are currently working to renovate our office to increase the control of aerosols (which are produced during dental procedures). We will be sealing off operatories and using HEPA filtered air purifiers in each of these rooms. Once these measures are met, we will begin to rebook cancelled appointments and start to treat those that have had urgent concerns over the past few months. Until then, we would like to familiarize you on how your visit will proceed.

• Before we book a new appointment, we will consider the risks and benefits together over the phone and will decide when it will be best for you to come in.
• We will NOT be able to welcome walk-in appointments. You will need to call us first so that we can be prepared to welcome you safely
• When we confirm your appointment a couple days ahead, we will ask you some screening questions to ensure it is safe for you to come in. You will be asked the same questions again, when you arrive to the office.
• Please fax or email us a list of your updated medications before your appointment.  
• We require everyone entering our office to wear a mask, cloth masks are okay. Please keep it on until your treatment begins, and replace it as soon as your treatment is complete. We also ask that you do your very best to ensure a minimum distance of 2 meters between anyone at the office, unless required for the provision of care.
• Please arrive no earlier than 5-10 minutes prior to your appointment time. When you arrive, please call (519) 846-5331 and wait in your vehicle until we are ready to welcome you.
• Your temperature will be taken before you enter the office. If your temperature is elevated, you will be asked to rebook your appointment. Please call us before your appointment if you feel that you are experiencing ANY flu-like symptoms: shortness of breath, cough, fatigue, headache, recent loss of taste or smell.
• Please come alone to your appointment. If you are the parent of a child who has an appointment, we ask that you wait in your vehicle, after the initial medical history, consent and temperature is taken. If this is not possible, you may wait in the treatment room with your child, wearing your mask at all times. The same will apply if you require assistance while care is provided.
• Our waiting room will be closed, with the exception of a few chairs for those disabled, or elderly. Our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, books or children’s toys as those items are difficult to disinfect.  
• We will ask you to use hand sanitizer when you enter and leave the office. Please do not wear disposable gloves, as we cannot ensure that these are clean when you arrive. Please avoid touching your phone or personal belongings after you have sanitized your hands.
• Appointments will be booked to allow for physically distancing between patients. This may mean that you are offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment, or the days and times might differ from what you are used to.
• If you are someone that gets cold easily, please wear an extra layer or bring a blanket with you. The office temperature is currently lowered to help our clinicians be more comfortable in their full protective equipment attire.
• We ask that payment be paid on the day of treatment, using electronic payment methods (Visa, Mastercard, Debit). We will not be accepting cash or cheques at this time.
• To allow us to keep our fees consistent with an older, more conservative ODA fee guide, we will be charging $24.00 as contribution towards the need for personal protective equipment. This will appear on your final bill and may not be covered by your insurance provider.
• Since our office closed, we realize that some of you have been dealing with dental issues that have not yet been addressed. Please be patient with us and understand that we must triage the most urgent cases first. We will be working extra hours and days to get everyone caught up as safely as possible.
• All of our office team members will be screened daily and will follow appropriate physical distancing rules at work, as well as at home. We continue to excel at our infection control and we will enhance our cleaning protocols of commonly touched surfaces.

            We strive to ensure your safety. We follow the recommendations of the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO), Public Health of Ontario (PHO), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We will update our procedures with any new rulings or guidance that they provide.

            We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we are taking to keep everyone as safe as possible. Thank you for your patience and support during these unprecedented times. We value your trust and loyalty, and look forward to welcoming back our patients, friends and neighbours. We miss your smiling faces!

Sincerely,

Your Centre Wellington Dental team

Centre Wellington Dental would like to introduce our new dentist Dr. Emily Israel.