COVID-19 Update 5-4-2020

Dear Patients:

We are so happy to be able to see you again! We are excited to announce our re-opening on MONDAY, MAY 11. Our regular business hours will resume then. Starting this week, we will be contacting you to reschedule appointments that were cancelled due to our closure. We will contact patients beginning in the order in which cancellations were made - so March cancellations will be contacted first. However, you are welcome to contact us as well regarding an appointment- especially if you have an urgent need or you have not heard from us in a timely manner. Please be patient with us during this process. We have many patients to reschedule and will do our best to contact, schedule and accommodate you timely. However, hygiene (cleaning) appointments may take longer to reschedule since these are often made many months in advance. We will be adding extra hygiene hours to our schedule in order to expedite those appointments as best we can.

As you know, the world has changed since when we closed our doors for non-emergent care on March 19. We have made several adjustments to our protocols, both clinical and non-clinical, due to the COVID-19 virus. In doing so, we are following the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Dental Association (ADA), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS THE SAFETY AND PROTECTION OF OUR PATIENTS AND STAFF. Some of the new protocols you will notice are:

• you will be asked screening questions and have your temperature taken prior to waiting room entry
• hand sanitizing upon entry and exit  
• social distancing in waiting room and at check out (you are welcome to wait in your car if you      prefer)  
• surface disinfecting of shareable surfaces, i.e.handles, etc. throughout the day; pens and clipboards, etc. after each use.
• continuation of our up-to-date sterilization measures and operatory disinfection procedures with added steps to kill the COVID-19 virus  
• hydrogen peroxide pre-treatment rinses   
• recommended and approved PPE (personal protective equipment) for doctors and staff   
• plexi-glass shields at check-in and check-out desks

We are staying abreast of the current mandates and recommendations for dental office safety. There will be protocol changes again in the months to come as more is learned about COVID-19. We will remain informed and will implement any necessary changes to our protocols as they become available.

We look forward to seeing you again and getting back to "normal". Please feel free to call or inquire with any questions or concerns you may have at 252-237-8812.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,

Drs. Holmes, Williford, Putney and Staff

Dear Patients: 

In order to be compliant with the federal and state government, the American Dental Association, and the North Carolina Dental Board's recommendations, we will be treating only emergencies starting March 19th.  If you are a patient of record who has been treated in our office in the last 12 months and have a dental emergency or concern, please do not hesitate to call (252-237-8812).  Please remember our staff in these uncertain times and help us support the local businesses that are the lifeblood of our community and economy.  

Sincerely,

Drs. Holmes, Williford, and Putney

Update 3-16-2020

Dear Patients:

Due to concerns regarding the spread of COVID-19 Coronavirus, we at Holmes and Williford Family and Cosmetic Dentistry want to update you on the measures we are taking to reduce your risk of exposure and to maintain a safe clinical environment.

We are temporarily asking patients to enter the office alone and have anyone accompanying them to wait outside or in their car. If a guardian is needed to accompany the patient, we certainly understand and will accommodate. As per usual, minors should be accompanied (unless otherwise arranged with our office) by a parent/guardian, who can be present in office or wait in car and be able to communicate with us via cellphone.

Our standard is to always utilize the highest means of disinfection and sterilization to protect you and ourselves from contamination. Due to this virus, we are now increasing the frequency by which we disinfect communal surfaces such as door handles, faucets, ink pens, counters, et al. We are also asking patients and their company to use provided hand sanitizer at the check in desk upon entering and exiting our office. Magazines and toys have been removed from our waiting room and operatories to also decrease touchable shared surfaces. When patients are seated in clinical rooms, we are asking them to rinse with a diluted hydrogen peroxide solution to reduce/suppress the viability of any viruses. Also, we are screening patients to identify high risk individuals and carriers before entering our office (fever, persistent cough, shortness of breath, travel to Level 3 countries within the last 30 days or exposure to someone who meets these criteria).

We want you to know that your health and safety is our top priority. Hence, we are utilizing the recommended reasonable measures for dental clinics in order to protect us all. Rest assured, we are doing everything we can to make our office one of the least likely places to have a virus exposure.

Sincerely,
Drs. Holmes, Williford, Putney & Our Dedicated Staff