When is the right time to see a dentist?

While some health organizations have suggested that Americans avoid “routine” dental care, the American Dental Association, and Scott Dooley, D.D.S. agree that delayed dental treatment could lead to more harm than good. Even missing regular cleaning may mean additional appointments to repair the damage that could have been avoided. Our goal is to keep you smiling brightly every day! And that means never neglecting your oral hygiene!

We understand this is a concerning time. But know that our dental office has successfully reopened and everything we do is to keep our dental family safe. One thing for sure is Scott Dooley, D.D.S. has always taken infection control seriously and with COVID, more-so than ever before.

The right time is always sooner rather than later. Please don’t delay your next cleaning or dental appointment! Feel free to talk with us about the preventative measures we are taking and even ask for a less popular appointment time. We are here for you!

Dear Scott Dooley DDS patient Family,

As we keep our office open for all patients, please be assured that your health and the safety of our team is our top priority. We want to update you on our office, it’s measured re-opening, and the steps we are taking to ensure we do everything possible to keep our patients and our team healthy.

We have diligently worked as a team to retrain, add new safety protocols and equipment that are designed to make our office a safe environment for everyone. Our office procedures have temporarily changed and will include the following:

Appointments:

There will be a limit to appointments per day, roughly half of the regular appointment load. The points outlined below will lend clarity to this decision.

Visits:

As always, we strictly adhere to all CDC and OSHA guidelines. The following are some new protocols we are implementing to minimize risks as directed by the Texas Dental Board, CDC, OSHA, and ADA:

• • When you arrive for your appointment, DO NOT COME IN OFFICE, please stay in your car and call our office to inform us you have arrived.  Once we are ready, one of our team members will escort you in, after checking your temperature, with a touchless thermometer.  Only the patient that is being treated should enter the office. The exception to this will be for younger patients. Of those, only one parent/caregiver may accompany the patient.
• • Please bring your own mask and wear it to your appointment. Federal guidelines for social distancing and wearing masks in businesses continue, so bring the mask you have been using as our PPE supplies are limited.
• • Your temperature will be taken by staff using a touchless thermometer. If your temperature is over 100 degrees F, you will be asked to reschedule.
• • A simple questionnaire assessing your contacts, travel, and well-being will be asked of all patients as well. These questions will be asked the day before your appointment and the day of the appointment. Any question indicating recent exposure to someone with COVID-19 or having signs and symptoms of the same will be asked to reschedule.
• • Maintain the 6-foot social distancing guidelines when in the office until seated in the treatment chair.
• • The tooth-brushing station will be used as a hand-washing/sanitizing station required of every patient before being seated. No tooth-brushing, only hand-washing will be allowed at this time. Please brush and floss your teeth before coming to your appointment.
• • Once appointments are completed, we will give the patient an update to share with you. As always, please call our office if you have additional questions or concerns.
• • We ask for understanding while we try to address all of your treatment needs during your visit.

Team:

We will take the temperatures of every team member, including Dr. Dooley, immediately upon arrival at work, and after lunch. Any team member at 100 F or above will go home. Every team member will answer the health questionnaire that our patients are required to answer, and will do so every day. If any questions disqualify the team member, they will be sent home following the same procedures we are asking our patients to follow.

General:

You will find upon arrival that our furniture has been rearranged. You’ll also notice other changes made to ensure the health and well-being of our patients and our team.
Unfortunately, this virus isn’t going anywhere soon. However, we have always used universal precautions with the most state-of-the-art equipment and will continue to do so.

We are so grateful for every one of our patients, and the time away only served to make us even more thankful for each of you. You are the life-force of our practice, and this is why we are taking your safety VERY seriously. We would ask for your patience and understanding. Please forgive us as we are focusing on getting each of you back on track while not exposing our team members or patients to unnecessary risk.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call our office. We love all of you, here’s to your health and smile!

Warmly,

Dr. Scott Dooley & Staff

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