COVID 19 PROTOCOLS

The doctors and staff at Watsonville Family Orthodontics want to ensure you that your health is our highest priority. Our community has been through so much and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed – one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.

Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association, the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California Department of Public Health, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up to date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to each agencies’ recommendations.

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment.

We made these changes to help protect our patients and team.

Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions via email. You may be asked those same questions again when you are in our office. Should your symptoms change before your scheduled appointment, please contact our office to reschedule.
We ask that you wear a mask while you enter and leave our office for your visit.
We may ask that you rinse with an antimicrobial mouth rinse at every patient visit.
Your temperature will be taken at the beginning of the appointment.
We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.
You may see that our reception area will no longer offer magazines, children video games and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect. The kids room is closed until further notice.
Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing. When you arrive for your visit, let us know you are here. We may ask you to wait in your car and let us know you are here. We will let you know when we are ready for you to come in.
Before you enter the operatory, all surfaces, such as the dental chair, dental light, drawer handles and countertops, have been cleaned and disinfected thoroughly with medical grade disinfectants that kill 99.9% of all harmful bacteria and viruses.
Disposable protective coverings on equipment are disposed of and replaced after each patient visit.
Non-disposable items such as dental tools and instruments are cleaned and sterilized between patients using hospital grade sterilization equipment. Our sterilization equipment is monitored and tested on a regular basis.
Disposable dental tools and needles are always disposed of and never reused.
All staff involved in patient care use appropriate protective equipment such as gloves, masks, gowns and eye wear when needed. After each patient, disposable gloves and masks are thrown away. Before seeing the next patient, everyone on the treatment team disinfects their hands and puts on a new pair of gloves and mask. This is called PPE or “Personal Protective Equipment” and this protects both the patient and the treatment team.
We have installed air purification units throughout the office and treatment rooms. They are designed to remove and kill bacteria and viruses suspended in the air. The Dyson purifier removes 99.97percent of allergens as small as 0.3 microns from the air. Its 360˚, vacuum-sealed glass HEPA filter also helps capture odors and harmful toxins.
Any Watsonville Family Orthodontics staff member that has any symptoms of a cold or flu are not permitted on the premises and are advised to stay at home for the safety of our patients and other team members.

What we require from our patients:

If you are sick, running a fever, coughing or not feeling well, please reschedule your appointment and do not enter the office. We are happy to reschedule your appointment at no charge and we thank you for considering the health of others.
If you are healthy and you come for your regular appointment, please use a tissue when coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose, throw the tissue away, and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water afterwards. Using hand sanitizer of 60% alcohol concentration is also acceptable for washing hands. We offer hand sanitizer at the front desk and in every operatory!
If you have traveled to any areas outside of U.S. within two weeks of your scheduled appointment, please contact our office and reschedule. (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html)

We are here to serve our patients, and our highest priority is to keep our community safe and healthy. We can assure you that Watsonville Family Orthodontics is one of the safest places to be during this time, and having the proper orthodontic treatment is one way to make your body healthier.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call us at (831) 536 – 5544 or email us at info@watsonvillesmiles.com