COVID-19 – Patient Letter

We hope this letter finds you and your loved ones in good health. We are excited to announce we will resume treating patients beginning next week. We genuinely love what we do, feel confident in our safety measures, and believe that dental care is essential. While many things have changed, two things remain the same: our commitment to your health and safety and the safety of our team.

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 activities of these regulating agencies so that we are up-to-date on any infection control guidance that is issued. Infection control has always been a top priority for our team. These processes are designed so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep our patients and staff safe. Even though we have always practiced excellent infection control protocols, you will see some additional changes around our office that have been designed to keep our patients and team as safe even during this pandemic.

• We will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked these questions again when you are in the office.
• As a healthcare facility masks must be worn by all patients entering the clinic.
• We are asking you to stay in your vehicle until 5 minutes before appointment time.
• We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office.
• Surgical grade HEPA air filtration units have been added throughout the office.
• Your dental providers will be wearing additional layers of protective equipment.
• All instruments are sterilized after every procedure.
• Rooms are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between all patient appointments.
• Our waiting room will no longer offer magazines and children’s toys, as these items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
• Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. This may mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
• We will minimize the number of patients in the reception area.
• There will be a PPE fee of $10.00 for all dental services. The companies selling protective equipment are charging up to ten times what we have paid in the past.
• We will be a family-safe highly effective, eco-friendly hypochlorous acid fog machine to sanitize the office between patients and in common areas.

We have a new website where you can learn more about our preparations at fdcminneapolis.com. New information is continuously being added. Please keep checking here for updates.

Governor Walz and the Board of Dentistry have given dental clinics permission to open once again. We will start seeing patients limitedly on May 19th. Our care is heavily prioritized by the Board of Dentistry and at this point and will focus initially on emergent care and critical procedures. Please know that we are excited to see you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we have taken to keep you safe in our practice.

Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty. We look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends!

Sincerely,

Drs. Andrea Newton and Julie Clouse