Dear patients,
A brief update as to how we are handling this unfolding crisis. Up until this point we have been strictly adhering to the CDC guidelines and recommendations for patient care, which includes but not limited to:
- Screening and rescheduling at risk patients
- Universal Infection Precautions as usual with additional measures that eliminate aerosol generating procedures.
- Constant screening of our team members.
- Encouraging recommended social distancing
Given the challenging nature of accurately screening and the high transmission risk of the Novel Coronavirus, the recommendation from the American Dental Association as well as the South Carolina Labor and Licensing Board has been to effectively postpone all non-emergency care until 3/31/2020.
Our office will still be operational on a limited basis to take phone calls and address dental emergencies or any questions in general. We want to limit any treatment to true dental emergencies, defined as:
- Active infection
- Swelling
- Uncontrollable bleeding
- Trauma
We will be glad to help triage conditions that can be managed with medications or sound dental advice as well as treat specific cases if we determine these individuals’ dental care should not be postponed. We are here to help minimize patients from needing to visit the ER or hospital for dental emergencies so as not to further overload the healthcare capacity during this testing time.
Please know we are actively monitoring the situation, strictly following CDC guidelines and recommendations but above all else making every decision with the well being of our patients, our staff, and our community in mind.
With the uncertainty, should our timeline for being able to safely treat patients be delayed we will provide constant updates to those whose appointments may be affected.
Please do not hesitate to call or text us with concerns or questions. If you have friends or family who do not have a dentist and are experiencing a dental emergency we will be glad to help triage them as well to the best of our ability.
Stay safe and we hope to see you all soon for your routine preventative care!
Sincerely,
Dr. Kavi Sagunarthy and the Carolina Commons Dentistry Team
