Covid-19 policy

In response to California Department of Public Health Memo issued by Governor Gavin Newsom and by State Public Health Office Director Sonia Angell we are please to inform you our office will resume seeing patients June 1st 2020.

There are several new safety precautions we are taking to ensure the safety of our patients and staff. Please review the section titled PATIENT PROCEDURES prior to your next appointment.

PATIENT PROCEDURES

The safety and health of our patients has and always will be our top priority. Our infection control is of the highest standard.  The following procedures meet or exceed the American Dental Association (ADA), California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Center of Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. The recommended level of care is put in place to keep our staff and patients safe.

  • 24 hours before your appointment you will receive a pre-appointment telephone call form our front office staff to provide you with additional information.

  • On the Day of the appointment.

    • Upon parking your vehicle, please call the front office at (408) 245-2831 to confirm your arrival

    • please remain in your vehicle until you are asked to enter the office. We will contact you when we are able to safely receive you so that we can ensure proper social distancing.

    • Please wear a mask or face covering before entering the office.

    • You will be received in a sanitized waiting space where your temperature will be recorded with a contactless thermometer. Patients with fever will be asked to reschedule to another date.

    • You will be required to fill out a short questionnaire screening for COVID-19.

    • You will be brought to a sink to wash hands and rinse with hydrogen peroxide.

  • Prior to leaving the office:

    • The front office will discuss payment options prior to you leaving. We are now offering “Touches payment” which will allow you to pay with our credit/debit card scanner, over the phone, or by mail.

  • General Protocol Changes

    • Visitors at this time will no longer be permitted into the office. Exceptions will be made for caregivers/legal guardians. Non permissible escorts are encouraged to leave phone number for us to call when the appointment is over. Permissible escorts are required to wear masks for the duration of the appointment

    • At this time the office encourages patients to refrain from bringing treats to share with the staff. 

    • Appointment times may change as we work to properly sanitize procedure rooms and minimize patient to patient interaction. If your originally schedule appointment is impacted by these new procedures, our doctors will work with you to get you in as soon as possible.

In additional to our patient procedures, our staff is continually working to enhance general office hygiene. If you would like to review a comprehensive list of what we are doing behind-the-scenes to keep everyone safe at our dental office please read further. We want you to feel as safe coming into our office as we do coming into work each day. If there is anything that concerns you, please let us know. 

We understand that the next time you visit the office and staff may look and feel different. Rest assured, we will continue to provide the quality patient care you have come to expect. As always, if you experience a dental emergency please call our office at (408) 245-2831 and we will assist you as soon as possible. We look forward to seeing you soon and appreciate all the support and kind words we have received.

Thank you for your understanding and care in these unique times,

Sincerely, 

Kent Hiura, DDS
Spencer Hiura, DDS

BEHIND THE SCENES:

  • All team members have daily temperature checks and symptom monitoring. Any team member showing signs of cold or flu will not be permitted to work or be in the office.

  • All team members involved in patient care use appropriate PPE  (personal protective equipment) to protect both themselves and our patients. This includes the following

    • N95/KN95 or equivalent with out valves 

    • disposable isolation gowns/ and gloves

    • face shields and eye protection including goggles or loupes.

    • scrub caps for hair and water proof shoes that are wipeable

  • After each patient, disposable gloves and masks are thrown away. The treatment team thoroughly disinfects their hands before donning new gloves and masks. 

  • Rooms are wiped down extensively with hospital grade disenfectants and 25 minute cool down of room is applied for aerosols to settle, the room will then be wiped down a second time thoroughly.

  • Needles are thrown away and never reused

  • Non disposable items such as dental instruments are cleaned and sterilized with hospital grade equipment. Our sterilization equipment is monitored and tested on a daily basis.

  • Scrubs and clinic shoes do not leave the office and are disinfected and laundered daily on site. 

  • Waiting room and common areas are disinfected immediately after patients come in contact with a surface such as doorhandles regardless of temperature.

  • Sneeze guards will be installed at check in and check out mid June.

  • All waiting room furniture has been replaced with wipeable chairs that can be fully disinfected. We ask that patients do not utilize our waiting room at this time and instead wait outside or in their vehicle. 

  • Teledentistry and virtual consults will be utilized when possible. 

  • Hospital grade, FDA approved HEPA air purifiers in each operatory as well as waiting areas.

  • We are implementing intramural suction devices and isolation techniques such as rubber dam and high vacuum extra oral suction to capture saliva and aerosolized particles.

  • Rooms are disinfected with hypochlorous acid fogging daily