Published in February 2021. 

Dentistry: The New Normal

The New Normal 

“Safe yesterday, safe today, planning for tomorrow.” This has been our motto since the beginning of the outbreak and we here at Sandhurst Family Dental have spent and continue to spend every ounce of energy, to ensure a safe and comfortable environment for all our patients, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

As healthcare practitioners we’ve always been careful to follow proper hygiene and sterile techniques, but now we’re taking it to the next level to protect you in any way that we can, coming to visit us will look a little different from now on. 

Before your Visit

Our team has been actively training to account for the restrictions that the virus places, we’ve come up with a few steps that should be taken before coming to visit us. It is mandatory for our patients to complete a pre-screening form before their appointments, the form can be found on our website under the “forms” tab. If a patient is being accompanied, we need their guardians to also fill out the form.

We please ask that patients brush their teeth at home prior to their appointment, to avoid unnecessary use of facilities and to minimize the risk of spread. If a patient is unable to attend their appointment alone, we’re asking that they only bring one additional person. 

We want to let everyone know that wait times may be longer than usual, but we hope that you reach the clinic ahead of your appointment to move things along smoothly If you call us upon reaching the clinic we will let you into the building, again to minimize contact. 

During your Visit 

  Upon entry into the clinic, we request that everybody use the provided health Canada approved hand sanitizer and we will be measuring everyone’s temperature. Masks are mandatory, we also provide masks on site in the case that people do forget their masks. 

All areas except the dental room follow a two meter distancing policy, and there will be minimal waiting in the waiting room. We have removed items that have a possibility of transmitting the virus, such as toys and magazines. 

Our staff will be equipped with protective equipment for both hygiene and safety, minimizing contact in as many ways as possible. We also ensure that all equipment will be sanitized between uses including the dental chair. Additionally we’re utilizing HVE suction and HEPA air filtration to keep the air clean.

We also ensure that all equipment is sanitized between patients, similarly our staff don new protective wear between appointments.  

We apologize for any inconveniences that the new regulations bring, but we’re trying our best to play a part in minimizing the spread of COVID-19, we hope that our patients will also do their best to follow the regulations, our patients are like family to us, and our first priority is your safety.