COVID-19 SAFETY PLAN at Harbour City Dental Hygiene
- The most important thing we can all do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the community is to diligently pre-screen for any symptoms or close contact with symptomatic people and remain isolated and at home if you screen positive.
- Personal measures like hand hygiene, physical distancing whenever possible and coughing or sneezing into your elbow are also excellent habits to maintain always.
- You must enter the clinic with your own personal mask and will be instructed to remove your mask once inside the treatment room. With the exception of your treatment itself, we have set up the office space to accommodate proper physical distancing and additionally have made allowances in scheduling to minimize interactions between clients and outside personnel.
- On a daily basis we are committed to self-screening and will not be attending work and will self-isolate should we present with any COVID related symptoms.
We ask that if you have travelled anywhere off of Vancouver Island to please not schedule an appointment until 14 days after your return. We are somewhat lucky on Vancouver Island to have been largely isolated from the bigger outbreaks in the lower mainland and other provinces within Canada and feel it necessary to include this as well as international travel to help control the spread. If you have an exceptional circumstance that requires immediate attention, please let us know and we will take thoughtful consideration if the need for services outweighs any possible risks.
Before scheduling an appointment for dental hygiene services or coming to the clinic for oral hygiene supplies please visit healthlinkbc.ca to access the COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool
You must screen negative before coming to the clinic. Then call or email info@harbourcitydental.com to schedule your appointment. Please allow for additional time during your appointment for us to acquaint you with new procedures, for cleaning and disinfection and to facilitate physical distancing between clients.
Entering the Clinic
On the day of your appointment you must re-assess yourself for COVID-19 symptoms and if you are experiencing any of the following please reschedule your appointment immediately: Fever >38C, chills, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat and painful swallowing, stuffy or runny nose, loss of sense of smell, headache, muscle aches, fatigue or loss of appetite.
If you experience any seasonal allergy related symptoms please ensure you do not have a fever >38C. Additionally you may be asked to repeat the temperature screening once at the clinic.
Whenever possible please attend your appointment alone unless another family member is scheduled immediately following your appointment.
When you arrive for your appointment you may choose to wait in your vehicle or on the front porch until directed to enter. Please let us know once you’ve arrived.
Upon entering the clinic you must immediately use hand sanitizer or perform thorough hand hygiene in the washroom with soap and water.
Do not approach the front desk. There will be a podium set up advising you of the proper physical distance to maintain from the desk.
You will then be directed to a chair to await your appointment. All chairs in the waiting room are positioned at the proper distance and if arriving with another household member you may sit side by side in the chairs available.
Should you need to use the washroom during your visit, hand sanitizer will be available immediately upon entering the washroom and should be used BEFORE touching anything in the washroom including the door handle. Please CLOSE THE TOILET SEAT LID BEFORE FLUSHING to contain droplet splatter in the toilet and not into the air. AFTER using the washroom, it is recommended to thoroughly wash and dry your hands with soap and water.
You will be asked to leave your personal belongings outside of the clinic operatory in a designated area so it is best to only bring what you need during and after your appointment and leave the rest in your car.
In the Clinic Operatory
Before entering the clinic operatory you will be asked to use hand sanitizer again unless you have just done so and have not inadvertently touched anything including personal belongings like your cell phone and/or your face, eyes, mouth or nose.
Once in the clinic we will instruct you on the necessary changes and new protocols to reduce aerosols during your treatment.
You will be given an option to wear a patient gown over your clothes if you choose.
You will notice we have removed all non-essential items from the counter tops within the operatory to enable thorough cleaning between clients. These items are now placed behind barriers that can be disinfected regularly.
You will be asked to use a pre-procedural rinse prior to your dental treatment to help reduce bacteria in the mouth.
Upon completion of your treatment and leaving the operatory you must again use the hand sanitizer or perform thorough hand hygiene in the washroom before being directed to a designated area for completing any administrative paperwork and setting up your next appointment.
We are working towards facilitating the use of electronic means where ever possible to minimize paper handling in the office. You will be asked to process your insurance benefit electronically through your insurance providers own website. We are here to help you with directives on how to register for this service at home unless you have already done so or this service is not yet provided by your specific insurance carrier. Setting up your account online often results in faster payments from your insurer especially if you have registered for direct deposit.
Between clients we will be disinfecting any high touch areas such as the washroom, waiting room, door knobs, and debit machine, etc. The operatory will be cleaned and disinfected following our infection control guidelines and with the door closed and window open allow time for the air to circulate before the next appointment.
Information in this document is based on the current evidence provided in the recommendations and publications we follow and may be subject to change as continuing research becomes available. Please help us to keep our space safe and follow the policies and procedure there in.
If you are unclear about information contained in this document please let us know and we would be happy to answer any questions.
With Gratitude from,
All of us at Harbour City Dental Hygiene