May 2020 Newsletter

We are so excited to announce that Inspire Dental Wellness is re-opening very soon! We'll be reaching out to patients we couldn't see in the past 2 months as well as contacting those with upcoming appointments. 

In Mid-March IDW restricted operations to only provide care for those with true dental emergencies. This was in response to the rise in Coronavirus cases and an effort to preserve PPE, which is a term I'm sure we're all too familiar with today.  Dentistry is no stranger to viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus), the profession has been around and protecting staff and patients through SARS-CoV (the original from 2003), MERS (2012), Tuberculosis and many more all with the most stringent infection control protocols. According to the CDC, the IDPH (Illinois Department of Public Health) and other health agencies - to date no known cases of Coronavirus have been reported in Dental settings.  However, this does not mean we're going to proceed today just as we were operating before Coronavirus.  At IDW we are implementing additional recommendations from the IDPH, CDC, American Dental Association (ADA) and OSHA in protecting our patients and our Team. Here are just a few of the changes we've put in place:

• COVID-19 Patient Screening - You will be sent a screening questionnaire 24 hours prior to your appointment via text message or email. We will also be doing contactless temperature readings when you arrive and you will be asked the same questions in the questionnaire again.  If you are not feeling well, do not come to your appointment and we will work with you to reschedule. 
• Paperwork - We ask that you fill out all paperwork in the comfort of your home, PRIOR to arriving to the office. We will email or text the paperwork you will need to complete. This is very important since we are trying to maintain social distancing between patients. If paperwork is not done prior to your appointment and completing it takes up your appointment time, we will have to reschedule. 
• Virtual Waiting Room - We will ask our patients to park their cars at our office parking lot and call our reception letting us know you've arrived for your appointment.  Please wait in your vehicle until we instruct you to come in.
• Entering the Office - Upon entering the office, immediately use the hand sanitizer that is at the front desk and a Team member will direct you to which operatory you will be seen.
  • We are allowing caretakers of elderly, disabled and children to accompany them to their appointments. Any other companions will need to wait in their cars for the duration of the patient's appointment.
• Hospital Grade HEPA Air Filters - IDW has purchased 5 hospital grade HEPA filters.  Just one of these cleans 1800 square feet in 1 hour.  Between 5 of these spaced in our operatories and reception, they should be cleaning the air every 8 minutes in our office.
• Dental Isolation System - Depending on the type of procedure a patient receives we may use a dental isolation system that reduces aerosols by as much as 90%.  You'll find this isolation system in place on the United States Naval Ship Mercy, the very one that was docked in Los Angeles recently.
• Contactless Payment Options - We can now send you a statement via text message or email.  We have also upgraded our credit card terminal that will accept contactless NFC payments such as Apple Pay and Google Pay.  If possible, we'd like to avoid the handling of cash and minimize the handling of checks and credit cards, but we have sanitizing protocols in place when needed as well.
• Appointments - As alluded to before, we will be offering fewer appointment times to accommodate for social distancing. This means that if we do not get a confirmation of the appointment 24 hours in advance, we will be cancelling your appointment.  This allows us to accommodate other patients who desperately want to and need to be seen.

We are looking forward to seeing you soon!

-Dr. Erica

Monthly Mini

IDW's French Bulldog Mascot, Mini