Important Information Regarding COVID-19

To Our Patients,

We sincerely hope that you, and your loved ones have stayed safe and healthy during these difficult times.  Spring has arrived here in the Okanagan, and the beauty of nature is visible throughout the valley.  Although we have been through a life changing event, we are all hoping to return to some degree of normal in the near future.  While many things have changed, some things remain the same.  Our priority is the health and safety of our patients and staff.  As our Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry and the BC College of Dental Surgeons have made clear, this will necessitate added precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within our community.  Dentistry has long practiced meticulous infection control protocols, to ensure the safety of our patients and team members.  These protocols have been established based on scientific research and evidence proving their efficacy.  As the scientific and dental communities learn more about the novel coronavirus, we put our trust in our public health officials, and our regulatory bodies to provide recommendations regarding infection control protocols.

No matter what the “new normal” will look like, we will continue to strive to provide excellent periodontal care to our patients.  We will be taking some additional measures to keep our patients and team members safe.  These are some of the changes you can expect: 

  • A health screening questionnaire will be required prior to every appointment.  This will be sent and completed electronically, where possible, or filled in at the office when you arrive.
  • When you arrive to our parking lot (our new reception area), we will request that you call the receptionists, and to indicate your arrival.
  • Once you have been given the okay to enter the building, we will ask you to sanitize your hands in the reception area, and we will take your temperature using an infrared thermometer. 
  • In an effort to maintain proper social distancing, we will be asking you limit any “extra people” at your appointment, no spouses, children or parents along with a patient, wherever possible. 
  • We are modifying our bookings to allow more time between appointments, and to limit the number of patients in our office at any one time.
  • You can expect to see our staff wearing more extensive personal protective equipment (PPE) for the near future, as we learn more about COVID-19.  This is for your protection, as well as ours. 
  • We have removed all magazines and newspapers from our waiting room to improve asepsis.
  • We have also installed high plexiglass separators between our waiting room and the front desk for everyone’s protection.
  • At the start of each appointment we will be providing a preprocedure rinse to all patients.
  • Each operatory is now equipped with new state of the art UV/HEPA air filtration systems.
  • We have also installed UV scrubbers in our HVAC systems, which will ensure that we are further limiting the circulation of any aerosols or particles.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation during this difficult time.  We look forward to welcoming you back and continuing your periodontal care.  If you have any questions or concerns regarding any of the above, please do not hesitate to call or email us. 

Sincerely yours,

Dr. J. David Gainey and Team

Okanagan Periodontal & Implant Centre