Covid-19 – Our New Safety Equipment, Protocols & Procedures

As you are reading this, know first and foremost, we hope you and your family are doing well during these uncertain times.  As our office has started to see patients again, we are often asked if it’s safe to go to the dentist.  Honestly, during the two and a half months we closed our office, Dr. Covington and Dr. DuRant wondered the same thing.  When the pandemic first came about there were so many uncertainties about how it spread.  As the Covid-19  situation has unfolded, the scientific community has narrowed how the disease does spread.  Using this information and after many hours of reading CDC, OSHA and a variety of dental association recommendations, Dr. Covington and Dr. DuRant both felt it was possible to safely reopen the office if stringent safeguards were put in place.

To ensure your safety, Dr. Covington and Dr. DuRant have tried to leave no stone unturned in researching how to implement protocols and vital PPE(Personal Protective Equipment) that go above and beyond national and state requirements for dentistry. The protocols used were based on guidance issued by the Center for Disease Control, the American Dental Association, the South Carolina Dental Association, and some excellent ideas from peers.  In addition to the strict infection control measures we have always taken, many new protocols and measures have been put in place to ensure your health while at our Lady’s Island dentist office.  We are confident the additional measures put in place will protect you to the fullest extent.  Based on conversations with other dentists around the state, we know of no other office that has gone to the lengths to protect their patients and staff better than our office has.

New Personal Protective Equipment(PPE) now in our Office:

• All Staff will be wearing masks
• During procedures Dentists, Hygienists, and Assistants will be wearing one N95 mask and one surgical mask, face shields, removable outerwear, and surgical/scrub caps.
• Protective Barrier at Front Desk
• Medical Grade Air Filtration Systems are placed throughout the office.  These units are specifically made to kill bacteria and viruses down to .01 Microns.  By using a total of eight units, all the air in the office is purified every 8 minutes.
• Germicidal UVC Lighting has been installed within our HVAC air system to kill bacteria and viruses.
• ReLeaf Aerosol Reduction Systems – ReLeaf allows for safer dental and hygiene procedures by minimizing aerosol risk and risk of aerosol backflow.  Aerosol production raises the risk of airborne contaminants. As recommended by the ADA and CDC, the use of high volume evacuation has been shown as the best way to reduce aerosols.

Office Procedure and Protocol:

• We will be reviewing screening questions with each patient when you arrive for your appointment.
• Each patient will have their temperature taken when they arrive.
• Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the office.
• Each patient will use a pre-procedural rinse composed of 1% Hydrogen Peroxide which is proven to kill Coronavirus.
• Each team member will be wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). This PPE will be changed out multiple times daily.
• Additional time has been scheduled between appointments for a thorough and deep cleaning of the treatment room.
• High traffic areas are being wiped down with medical grade sanitation wipes every other hour.
• We are implementing special appointment times for our most vulnerable patients.
• We are offering special appointment times for patients to condense multiple appointments into one block to limit the number of times required to come into the office.