Dear Holland Cross Dental Centre Patients,
On behalf of all of us at Holland Cross Dental Centre, we hope this message finds you and your loved ones safe and well. When we began the year, none of us could have imagined what the world would experience. Since we temporarily closed our office in mid-March, we have been working hard behind the scenes to ensure that our practice is ready to open as soon as it is permitted to do so. This is not the first contagious illness that has circulated our country nor will it be the last. In our practice lifetime of over 30 years, we have dealt with and continuously deal with many threats from hepatitis to the basic flu, to mention a few. It is part of our responsibility and mission to keep everyone safe all of the time. Your health, your safety and providing you with the best care possible are our primary concerns!
We have always gone above and beyond every guideline from our Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario and continue those practices each and every day. We will ensure that all of us do everything possible daily to provide you with a safe environment in which to receive your dental care. We are committed to enforcing our rigorous sanitation guidelines. These practices already include:
- Wearing gloves, face masks, protective eyewear and clothing when treating patients
- Providing you with protective eyewear to protect from splatter
- Performing hand hygiene before and after your treatment
- Thoroughly disinfecting our treatment rooms prior to each patient visit
- Cleaning and sterilizing all reusable instruments and other items after each patient
- Testing our sterilizers daily to assure proper functioning
- Treating our dental unit water to ensure that it is safer than drinking water
- Screening our patients for respiratory symptoms and reappointing when necessary
- Disinfecting the reception area surfaces multiple times during the day
In addition, we have removed magazines and other reading material and toys from our reception area, since these items may be difficult to disinfect. We are also adding some additional safety measures including Sneeze Guards (Plexiglass Barriers) in our reception area, increased HEPA and UV ventilation, the utilization of additional pre-appointment questionnaires, modifications to the patient flow through the office and the implementation of many other additional safety measures. We are closely monitoring ongoing updates from Ottawa Public Health, the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario, the Ontario Dental Association, the provincial and federal governments and many other international organizations.
While we are concerned about this virus, we are also concerned about your oral health and delaying any required dental care, including regular preventive visits. Maintaining the health of your mouth, teeth and gums serves to support your overall health and wellness. As much as we know about infectious diseases, we also know that not getting the proper care you need and neglecting routine preventive care always leads to more extensive dental treatments later on that will have a direct impact on you long after we have solved this public health threat.
Thank you for being part of our Holland Cross Dental Centre family. We have been part of the Ottawa community and a leader in the field of dentistry for over 30 years and we value your loyalty to us. We will get through this together, adapting and moving forward as we do. As soon as the government allows us to reopen our office, we will let you know. We will also contact you to schedule your appointments or to reschedule any appointments that were cancelled due to the pandemic. Stay safe and stay healthy as we look forward to seeing you and your family and getting all of you back on track to optimal oral health.
Sincerely,
The Doctors and Staff of Holland Cross Dental Centre
