Dear Fresh Ortho Fam,
We’re excited to finally get to see you in person! On May 31st, Governor Cuomo gave all dentists the green light to resume full services. We have been working hard this week to train our team on our updated safety protocols and to get organized to give our patients a safe new experience and the same amazing smiles as always! We will be reopening on June 8th for full-service treatment. We wanted to share the following updates with you for what to expect in the near future.
- Should I call to reschedule my cancelled appointment? No! We have a detailed list of everyone needing an appointment will be reaching out to you. In order to follow CDC and NY DOH guidelines, we still need to maintain distancing initiatives and will initially be seeing fewer patients per day. We have triaged our patient list and will prioritize certain appointment types with greatest need to be seen earliest. After that, we will be rescheduling on a first-cancelled-first-rescheduled basis to provide the most fair and efficient way to see everyone. We will send you a text/email confirmation for your new appointment and kindly ask for flexibility with our reopening process, but we understand that some of you will need to make changes to your given appointment.
- When can I get these things off my teeth?! If you were scheduled to have your braces removed or your Invisalign treatment completed while we were closed, you MUST complete a virtual visit for us to confirm nothing has changed. Please address any concerns you have with cosmetics, bite comfort, spaces remaining or food catching between teeth to ensure everything is ok. If you’re happy with everything and nothing has changed in the interim, you’ll be good to go for your removal appointment.
- When will the office be open again? We will begin seeing patients on 6/8/20. Hours of operation will be slightly different as we will be phasing back into our full business hours over the next few weeks to follow NYC guidelines and to accommodate our staff’s unique personal needs while maximizing our availability to our patients. Please be patient with us, as it will take several days to reschedule everyone.
- What should I expect when I arrive to the office? Our check-in process has changed. Included in your appointment text/email reminder will be a short series of pre-screening questions regarding any symptoms or exposure you or your child may be experiencing. You MUST respond to the pre-screening for your appointment to be held. Anyone having symptoms or exposure will need to contact us to reschedule. Keeping COVID out of the office is the most effective way to keep all patients and staff in our office healthy. If you have sent waivers for your child to be seen without a parent/guardian present, we encourage you continue to do so. We will review the pre-screening questions in-person and take a touchless temperature reading. Anyone with a temperature at or above 100.4 degrees will be rescheduled. Don’t worry, our entire team will be pre-screened and checked for temperature daily as well.
- Is the waiting room open? In an effort to reduce the number of people in the office, we request to keep our waiting room closed and that only patients enter the clinical area. When the weather permits, we will have seating available outside (Obviously, you’re welcome to sit inside if the weather isn’t cooperating!). For young children or new patients, we will allow 1 parent or guardian into the clinical area after completing the pre-screening process.
- Do I need to wear a mask? In keeping with CDC and NYS guidelines, anyone entering the office MUST be wearing a mask. (of course, for patients, we ask that you only remove it to complete your treatment!) We also have plenty of reusable cloth masks for you to add to your collection. Just ask for one when you see us!
- Is the office practicing social distancing? Absolutely! While in our office, everyone should make a concerted effort to maintain 6 feet of distance from others. Floor markers have been placed in the check-in area, waiting room chairs have been measured and blocked off, and all of our clinical chairs have always been 6’ or greater in distance.
- Can I brush my teeth, get a coffee, or use the restroom before my appointment? We have temporarily removed our refreshment, toys, and brushing station. Because of the narrow layout of our office, we are temporarily closing our restroom until distancing measures are relieved to minimize people passing through the clinic and behind patients in treatment. We know this is a bit of an inconvenience, but it is in everyone’s best interest. Please plan ahead to brush and use the restroom before arriving for the short-term.
- Will Appointments take the same amount of time as usual? Please allow for extra time than what you may be used to for your visits to help with pre-screening. To maximize communication and minimize contact, we will be asking your child to record a short video update from our staff on their phone and having them text it to 1 or both parents when they are seen alone.
- What if my child is a new patient? We ask that at this time, only 1 person accompanies the new patient to their consultation. We are more than happy to FaceTime or conference call another family member so they can join in on the conversation “virtually.”
- Are you sure the office is clean? Absolutely! We have upped our already routine disinfection and sterilization practices to be more frequent and high-powered. You will notice new air purifiers throughout the office, enhanced instrument sterilization measures, partitions between dental chairs to isolate our patients in the open clinical area, hourly disinfection of common areas, and daily disinfection fogging of the entire facility.
If you have any specific questions or concerns, please contact us via email, and we will be happy to help. If you have an urgent need or are experiencing pain, please submit a virtual visit at https://www.freshorthodontics.com/virtual-visit/. We have seen several hundred patients virtually and will continue to offer this as a way to address your concerns as conveniently as possible.
Lastly, as a locally owned small business, we have spared no expense for your safety and are offering a promotional courtesy for new patients starting treatment this month. Please don’t keep us a secret and tell your friends and family about us. It would mean the world to us. 😊We truly appreciate your patience, cooperation and trust as we have endured the last few months together. We can’t wait to see every single one of you!
Lots of love, wi-fives, air hugs, and elbow bumps from Dr. Khanna and the entire Fresh Ortho Team!
