A Letter To Our Patients

Dear Patients,

WELCOME BACK TO LAKE SUCCESS DENTAL GROUP! 

We are so excited to welcome you back, and hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, but all of us are looking forward to resuming our focus on you and your dental health.

While many things have changed, one thing remains the same: our commitment to your safety. Infection control has always been our priority, which you have seen over the many years during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes ensure that our patients and staff remain both safe and comfortable.

We follow 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) so that we remain up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that are issued.

The changes you will see at your next scheduled appointment include:

  • The installation of acrylic shields at the front desk reception area. All employees are screened daily upon arrival at the office. Common areas are routinely disinfected and treatment room disinfection follows the new ADA and CDC protocols.

  • When you arrive at our building, please call our office (516.437.0249) for further instructions before proceeding inside. Please remember to utilize our parking garage spaces down on the Mezzanine level if need be.

  • For proper social distancing, we ask that you come on time and on your own to your next dental visit, with no extra companions or family members, in order to reduce the number of people in the reception area. Seating will be limited.

  • You will see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, pens, children’s toys and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.

  • We have hand sanitizer in the reception area to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in other areas throughout the office to use as needed. An air purification unit will be installed to treat the entire office.

  • Our office will communicate with you before your appointment to ask screening questions. You will be asked those same questions again when you arrive at the office.  We will be taking your temperature with a touchless forehead thermometer scan as part of the screening process upon your arrival. Please remember to wear a mask when you arrive and keep your mask on until instructed by the Doctor or Hygienist to remove it.

  • Once seated in the treatment room, we may ask you to pre-rinse with a peroxide mouth rinse. Doctor and staff will be wearing the appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) including masks, face shields, and gowns. When your treatment has been completed, you will place your mask back on before heading to the front desk area to check out and schedule your next appointment.

  • Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. Please be as flexible as you can when scheduling your appointment. Remember, the office has been closed since March 18, 2020, and many patients require care. 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.

  • We are working hard to minimize contact throughout the office and are developing ways for you to pay for your dental treatment without the need to handle credit cards.

Thank you to all for responding to our patient survey. Your response was excellent and very informative. In this age of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the extent of supplies and equipment we now need to purchase is unprecedented. Following ADA guidance, we are compelled to charge a PPE/Infection Control fee of $20 per visit. The ADA is working hard with insurance companies to share in this cost. We will do our best to work with you and your insurance company and hope you understand this necessity.  There can be no shortcuts with your safety and ours.

We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer all questions you may have about the steps we are taking to keep you and every patient safe in our practice.

To make an appointment, please call our office at 516.437.0249 or on our contact us page. We cannot wait to get your feedback!

Thank you for being our patient. We value your confidence, trust and loyalty and especially look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.

 

Sincerely,

Dr. Howard Winter and the entire Lake Success Dental Team

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