COVID-19

Updated - May 2021

Due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic last year, we made the difficult decision to close our office on March 17, 2020.  At that time it was simply not safe to treat our patients.  After weeks of preparation and reorganization we re-opened for routine patient care on May 11, 2020. 

While we were closed our team worked together behind the scenes to prepare a safe environment for our patients and ourselves.  We had regular virtual office meetings, developed strategies to ensure everyone’s safety and adapted our office space appropriately.  Our doctors participated in numerous continuing education courses dealing with the effects of the coronavirus.  As president of the Rhode Island Association of Orthodontists, Dr. Greg collaborated with his colleagues on the local and national level to develop a unified approach and determine what is best for our patients and our profession. 

By following the guidelines of the Rhode Island Department of Health, American Dental Association and Center for Disease Control we have established strict safety protocols that we employ everyday.

• Anyone entering our office will receive a wellness screening, temperature checks with a touch-free thermometer and be given hand sanitizer

• Everyone is required to wear a mask while in our office

• Increased daily attention to disinfection of commonly touched surfaces

• Established a contact-free check-in system

• Added multiple air purification units with HEPA-13 air filters to maintain clean air

• UV lighting to reduce virus and bacteria levels in the air

• Maintaining social distancing in our treatment area by separating patients

• Using a private room with air purification for aerosol-generating procedures

• Use of additional personal protective equipment (PPE), such as N95 masks, face shields and protective clinical jackets

• Added a protective barrier at our reception desk

• Increased frequency of our existing professional commercial cleaning services

One year later, we have not let our guard down and we still employ the same strict safety protocols.  We have created an atmosphere of health and well-being within our office.

• All of our team members are fully vaccinated

• No one who works in our office has ever tested positive for COVID-19

• We have BinaxNOW rapid COVID tests that we administer to team members and patients as needed

• There has never been any contact tracing concerns related to any employee or patient interaction within our office

• We have passed all Department of Health inspections

We instituted and continue to use a new process of welcoming patients into the office.  These changes allow us to reduce the number of people in the office, minimize the possibility of cross-contamination, follow social distancing guidelines and allow time for us to thoroughly clean and disinfect the treatment areas.

• The safety of your vehicle will be our waiting room now.  When you arrive in our parking lot please stay in your car and call the office. 

• We kindly ask that only the patient enters the office.  If you have a young child or this is your first visit to our office, please let us know and we’ll be happy to accommodate a parent or guardian. 

• Upon your arrival to the office a team member will take your temperature with a touch-free thermometer and ask a few simple wellness questions.

• Please social distance while in the office whenever possible.

• Our brushing station and restroom will not be available, so please brush your teeth before your appointment.

• Once the appointment is over, we will send the patient back outside and ask that a parent call us to review the treatment that was performed and schedule the next appointment.