June 7, 2020
Dear patient family,
The PA Department of Health announced this past week that dental offices may begin to resume regular preventative dental care such as exams and cleanings. It has been a difficult several months for so many people in our community, our country, and the rest of the world. We appreciate your patience with the postponement of non-emergency dental treatment and the rescheduling of hygiene appointments since mid-March. We continue to ask for your patience moving forward as we adapt the new requirements issued by the various government agencies which will continue to affect our appointment schedule.
As we begin seeing patients on Monday, June 8th, for routine preventative care, we have had some people ask, “Is it safe to come to the dentist?” While some things have changed, one thing has continued to remain the same: our commitment to patient safety. Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice not just as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our infection control processes were made so that when you receive care, you are both safe and comfortable.
Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the guidelines and activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date with our protocols.
The following are some additional safety measures you will notice upon returning to our office:
• We request that you wear a facemask to your appointment as you will not be allowed to enter the office without one. Upon entering the office all patients will be screened for symptoms of COVID-19 and have their temperatures taken prior to being seated. We will reschedule anyone that has symptoms of COVID-19.
• All of our team members will also be screened upon their arrival to the office (temperature check and screening questions) and will not work if experiencing signs or symptoms of COVID-19. As with patients, our team members are required to wear facemasks.
• To allow for social distancing and to reduce the number of people in the office at a given instant, appointment times will be staggered and lengthened. We have expanded our hours to accommodate this lengthening of appointment times. We ask that only patients come to their scheduled appointments and that only one parent/guardian accompany children to their appointments.
• The CDC recommends that rooms sit vacant between appointments for a minimum of 15 minutes for disinfection. We are fortunate that we have enough treatment rooms to allow an hour of disinfection between scheduled routine cleaning appointments. HEPA air filtration units have been placed in all treatment rooms and throughout the office. Administrative and clinical acrylic barriers are utilized during transactions and treatments.
• Our office team has had additional enhanced infection control training and fit testing for respirators that will be worn at certain times. We will be wearing face shields for much of what we do.
The doctors have been treating patients for the last two weeks for a variety of procedures and have seen and experienced firsthand that dental care can be safely and comfortably delivered during these times. We are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice.
Drs. Richard and Jennifer and the entire team are excited to see everyone again for regular preventive care and will continue to provide you with the highest level of personalized oral health care. We thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming you, who are our patients, our neighbors, and our friends, back to the practice.
Sincerely,
Drs. Richard and Jennifer Vermillion and the entire team at Vermillion Dental Office
May 22, 2020
Drs. Richard and Jennifer Vermillion are pleased to announce that we will soon be able to care for our patients in person again. Following OSHA, CDC, and PA Dept of Health guidelines, and acquiring the mandated PPE for aerosolized procedures, we will be addressing the urgent dental care in our practice that had been formerly restricted. Those who have patiently waited over the last eight weeks and have previously contacted our office will be scheduled beginning next week. It is imperative to understand that routine dental care, including cleanings, are still NOT permitted under the current restrictions. The State Board has made it clear that offices not in compliance with OSHA, CDC, and PA Dept of Health limitations can face disciplinary actions. Our hygiene team, Tammy, Cathy, Patti, and Kimara, are anxious for the day when they, too, will be permitted to provide oral health care to you in person, but until then, remind you to brush and floss twice daily. Thank you for your patience during these unprecedented times. We are eager to see you again!
March 31, 2020
Dear patient family,
Two weeks ago, our office began postponing all non-emergency dental care as recommended by the American Dental Association (ADA). When this recommendation came, many dentists and patients wondered what was considered a “dental emergency.” For instance, we would normally consider a broken front tooth, localized swelling, or painful gums to be an emergency and schedule the patient. This, however, is no longer the case. There is now guidance from the ADA and Centers for Disease Control on what constitutes a “dental emergency.” We have been talking to patients on a case by case basis when someone calls, but we feel it is best to share this to prevent any confusion with what you may read online.
During this COVID-19 pandemic, dental care has been classified into three categories by the ADA and CDC: emergency, urgent, and non-urgent. This guidance may change as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses.
- Dental emergencies: significant diffuse swelling, uncontrolled bleeding, and trauma involving facial bones (only these three are listed)
- Urgent dental care: dental pain, broken teeth causing pain, localized swelling, dry socket pain, etc.
- Non-urgent dental care: routine cleanings, fillings, extraction of non-painful teeth, exams, etc.
It is recommended that non-urgent dental care be entirely postponed, and urgent dental care be managed as conservatively as possible. Therefore, we are available to manage urgent cases for our patients with guidance via the phone. We are limited on our supplies as we donated much of our PPE inventory to a local hospital two weeks ago knowing that we would not be seeing patients in our office for quite some time. Dental emergencies will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
There is no knowing how long this will last. We will return to routine care when we are directed that it is safe to do. We will follow the guidelines issued by our health professionals and always do what is in the best interest and safety of our patients and employees.
Sincerely,
Drs. Richard and Jennifer Vermillion
March 23, 2020
Dear patient family,
During these challenging and uncertain times, where we find ourselves confined to our homes, I share with you that the Vermillion Dental Office family feels helpless that we are unable to care for you. Yesterday, March 22, with the Governor’s authorization as conferred in the Proclamation of Disaster Emergency issued on March 6, 2020, effective immediately the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) directs facilities to cease all dental treatment until further notice.
The DOH acknowledges in their guidance that “most dental facilities are not able meet the stringent infection prevention and control requirements while community transmission of the virus responsible for COVID-19 is occurring.” Our office, as most offices, is not able to meet the issued guidelines. We are not equipped with negative air-pressure isolation rooms as is mandated to see emergencies. Also, all available required N95 masks are reserved for the doctors, nurses, and hospital workers on the front lines of this pandemic.
We will not be able to meet face to face, but we may be able to help you by phoning an antibiotic prescription when appropriate, by recommending medication for management of pain, and by advising you on dealing with a broken tooth until it can be restored.
Prayers to you and your families,
Drs. Richard and Jennifer Vermillion and the entire team at Vermillion Dental Office
March 17, 2020
Dear patient family,
Beginning this morning all elective procedures (cleaning appointments and non-emergency care) will be postponed until after April 7th. Our office is following the guidance and recommendation of the American Dental Association which was published last night that all dental offices in the United States postpone elective procedure for three weeks. We recognize the unprecedented and extraordinary circumstances our society is facing and did not take this decision lightly. However, in times like these we all need to do our part to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. We all need to follow the guidance and recommendations of our public health professionals and scientists who are working diligently to protect the most vulnerable in our country and the rest of the world.
We all play a part in this and we encourage you to also follow the recommendations and guidance of our health professionals. This information is changing daily and could be found at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/ and the World Health Organization www.who.int
If you are in pain or have a dental emergency please call. We will have someone taking calls every weekday during the hours of 9am – 3pm. We ask that you please be patient with us and each other in this time and pray that we are all in a better place three weeks from now.
Sincerely,
Drs. Richard and Jennifer Vermillion and the entire team at Vermillion Dental Office