NOTICE OF TEMPORARY CHANGE TO DENTAL CARE APPOINTMENT AVAILABILITY

New In-Office Procedures

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.

Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

Our office follows infection control 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). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to each agencies’ recommendations.

You will see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:

• Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You will receive a text the day before your appointment with a link to complete the screening questions. Please complete prior to your appointment. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.
• Your temperature will be taken with a touchless thermometer upon arrival/prior to going in to the treatment room. If your temperature is above 100 degrees, you will be directed to contact your physician and your appointment will be rescheduled.
• We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.
• You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
• Please come to your appointment alone unless you need assistance.
• Please wear a mask to your appointment.
• Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
• We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you.
• We ask that you remain in your vehicle when you arrive. You will receive a reminder text the day before your appointment.  Please reply to this text or call upon your arrival.   You will receive a text confirming that you are waiting and you will receive a text or call when your treatment room is available.

We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at 727-822-8101.

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

Sincerely,
John A. Ferullo, D.D.S., M.S.