Hello Friends,

I hope all are well as we continue to try to put the pandemic behind us. While we have been back to normal business for some time now, we still get some questions as to how things are working in our office. Even though you begin to return to your regualr routines at the grocery store, restaurants and hopefully back at your workplace, as a healthcare facility there are still some protocols which will remain in place for your visits with us for the foreseeable future. As you have most certainly experienced during your visits to our office, infection control has always been a top priority for our practice. Our infection control processes are designed so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. 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 remain current on any interim, as well as long term guidance that may be issued.

In our ongoing effort to help protect our patients and staff:

If you suspect or have a confirmed SARS-Cov-2 infection please postpone all non-urgent dental treatment until you meet the following criteria.

Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions, including if you have been fever-free for at least 3 days (72 hours) without the use of fever-reducing medications; or have had any of the following symptoms: cough, difficulty breathing and shortness of breath in the past 10 days.  If you were previously diagnosed with COVID-19 and have recovered, that at least 3 days (72 hours) have passed since recovery defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications, and improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) has occurred, and at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared. We have hand sanitizer for your 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, and we will ask that you continue to wear “source control” face coverings while you are in the building, until you are seated for your care at which time you may feel free to remove.

As always, 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 safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at 301-663-0811 or visit our website at BallengerCreekDental.com. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming you back!

Sincerely,

Dr. Mark and the Ballenger Creek Team