PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY COVID 19 PROTOCOL:

As we communicate with you when confirming your appointment, we will prescreen by asking some health questions related to COVID-19. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you arrive at the appointment to assure there have been no changes in your health. Please take your child's temperature one day before your child's appointment. IF the child has a temperature higher than 100*F, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, a cough, headache, fatigue, or any other flu like symptoms, please call the office to cancel their appointment. Call their Physician immediately.

The morning of the appointment, please take your child's temperature and assess how they feel. Call and cancel their appointment if your child has any of the related symptoms listed above. Proceed to call their Physician.

In keeping with social distancing, it is recommended that you remain in the car upon your arrival. We ask that you call the office (847-256-2501) to let us know you arrived. We will then re- screen by asking the same health questions that were asked during the appointment confirmation call. Our staff will also tell you when to enter the office or, we may ask that you wait for a few minutes to assure social distancing and to allow us to thoroughly sanitize the treatment room to protect you.

We have hand sanitizer in our office and we will ask you to use it when you come in for your appointment and when you leave. You will also find sanitizer in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.

We will be taking temperatures on each patient and the parent or guardian that is accompanying them. After the temperature is taken, the patient and parent will proceed into the treatment room to wash their hands. The patient will rinse their mouth with Hydrogen Peroxide and wash their hands again before the dental care is provided. Upon leaving the treatment area, hand sanitizer must be used.

In our reception room you will no longer find magazines, children’s toys or games since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect. Appointments will be scheduled and managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.

We encourage our older patients to enter alone for their checkups. At the end of the appointment, the office will call you to come into the office for discussion on appointment outcomes. For all younger patients, please accompany your child when told to enter. (ONLY ONE PARENT OR GUARDIAN WILL BE PERMITTED IN THE TREATMENT AREA. SIBLINGS THAT DO NOT HAVE AN APPOINTMENT CANNOT ENTER THE TREATMENT AREA. BUGGIES AND STROLLERS ARE NOT PERMITTED IN THE TREATMENT AREA. PLEASE DO NOT BRING OTHERS WITH YOU TO THE APPOINTMENT.)

We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.

Health Screening Before & During Your Visit As mentioned, prior to your appointment we will visit with you by phone (generally) or via email (if necessary) to confirm your appointment and to ask you some health questions related to COVID-19. When you actually come in for your appointment (generally there are a few days between these events) we will ask the same health questions again so assure nothing has changed since our phone visit.

Your Health & Comfort Are Our Primary Concerns As all of us have experienced lately, changes of any kind to our routines or our expectations can be uncomfortable. This is why we want to share some of the changes you will experience when you come in for your next appointment. Please know that our hope is to make your visits comfortable, that you feel the appreciation and concern we have for your health and well-being, and that you feel safe and confident.

We will also be screening our doctors and team daily to ensure that all of our team members are healthy at the office. Air HEPA filter machines and UV-C lights that kill contaminants such as viruses, bacteria, and odors in the air are in place. We also have suction units which we have already been using in the office that limit aerosols in the air as well.

This COVID-19 Protocol is designed to provide you with the best care and the safest environment possible. Please ask if you have any questions when you are in the office. We love doing what we do best: Pediatric Dentistry ! Growing Smiles DO Matter!