COVID-19 STATEMENT

Dear Patients:

I hope this letter finds you healthy and safe. As you may be aware, our governor and local officials are working hard to help us reopen our state safely. Starting May 19^th, we will be open to see active patients who fall under the category of “urgent” care. This includes patients with loose or broken appliances, patients who are in pain or significant discomfort, and patients who have active appliances in their mouth that have not been monitored in 12 weeks or more. We are painstakingly sifting through every patient record to determine the order in which patients need to be seen. We hope to be open to new patients by mid-June.

I want to personally assure you that we are doing everything in our power to maintain the safety of our patients and staff as we all adjust to the “new normal”. We have always practiced the highest standards of infection control at Dutchess Orthodontics, and now we have added several additional precautions to meet and exceed the regulations set forth by the CDC. Here are some of the changes you will observe at your next visit:

• To reduce the number of people in the office, only one parent will be allowed to accompany the patient, no siblings or friends.
• All patrons who enter the office will be required to wear a face covering.
• Appointments will be longer and more spread out to reduce the number of patients in the office at any given time.
• Additional barriers have been installed, in addition our chairs are already at least 6 feet apart.
• All patients will enter through the doors to the left of our “old” entrance. Patients will be screened there to ensure they are well, and then enter the main portion of the office for treatment.
• You will notice our staff will all be donning some additional personal protective equipment when they see you.
• We have invested in extraoral suction units that will be used anytime we perform a procedure that may cause droplets or aerosol.
• We are installing a UV-light HVAC system to keep clean air throughout our office.
• *As always, the area in which the patient is treated will be carefully disinfected before and after each patient is seen, and the office will be thoroughly sanitized throughout the day.

We are calling all of our patients individually to schedule you for your next visit. We are doing our best to reach each one of you and take care of your needs in a timely manner. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate through this.

From our family here at Dutchess Orthodontics to yours, we wish you health and peace during these uncertain times.

Sincerely,

Dr. Walters