Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and recommendation from the Royal College of Dental Surgeons, we are open by appointment only. Please see our FAQ.
We are happy to inform you that we are now able to provide dental care for you and your family by appointment only. The Ministry of Health has lifted restrictions and the Royal College of Dental Surgeons have set out specific guidelines to follow for all of our safety. See our FAQs below.
Our office has always followed strict infection control standards and in order to keep us all protected during this pandemic and in the future, we have updated our protocols.
When we see you at our office at your next appointment, things may be a little different.
* We will ask some screening questions before we book your appointment and you will be sent a questionnaire and a consent form to be filled out 24 hours before your appointment, as well as some questions the day of your appointment.
*You will be asked to wait outside our office or in your car and text or call us when you arrive. Then you will wait for a call back to let you know when you can enter the office.
*We ask that you bring and wear your mask upon entering the office. Should you forget we do have some on hand, but remind you that supply is low. We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the clinic and may take your temperature if needed. Please bring minimal items in with you (such as keys and payment card) as your items will need to be sanitized when in the operatory.
*Our reception room will no longer offer magazines or children’s toys since those items are difficult to fully disinfect.
*Appointments will be spaced out to allow physical distancing between patients. This means less flexibility for scheduling your appointment, but will also reduce the number of patients in the reception/waiting area at one time. For this reason we ask that you come alone or only the designated persons from the family (one parent) be permitted in at one time.
Should your child or family member need assistance and you need to be with them please talk to the receptionist for further information.
You may be surprised to see us wear more protective gear- than we normally do during your visit.
Rest assured, all these procedures are designed to create the safest environment for you, other patients and our team.
We look forward to seeing you again and thank you for your patience and support throughout this challenging time. Below are some FAQ that you may have, should you have any other questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us.
We value your trust and look forward to welcoming you back!
Sincerely,
Dr. Garach and the Victoria Westmount Dental Team
COVID 19 FAQ and the Dental Office
1. I think I may be developing a or some symptoms of COVID-19 and I have or need to schedule an appointment, can I still come to my appointment?
Unfortunately, at this time we are still in a pandemic and it’s best to be sure that you do not have COVID-19 and put ANY one at risk. We advise that you call your doctor, or do a self test assessment or call the local COVID-19 test centres.
COVID-19 test centre:
50 Westmount Rd. Waterloo, ON Walk in clinic by appointment (519) 954-0111
Grand River Hospital 835 King Str. W. Kitchener, ON (519) 749-4300
St. Mary’s COVID 19 Test Centre 50 Bathurst Dr. Waterloo, ON (519) 885-9517
2. What if I did not have symptoms before my appointment and arrived at my appointment and started to feel symptoms?
Our office pre-screens patients 3 times, when booking, 24 hrs before and the day of your appointment. Should for any reason you feel unwell we will ask you to stay in our isolation room until your help arrives.
3. How safe is it to be in a dental office at this time?
Our dental office follows the highest standards for infection and control. Since all of our equipment, surfaces and dental instruments are sterilized and disinfected between each patient and procedure, our dental practice is a safe and low risk environment for our patients. We follow all IPAC guidelines for infection and control: as we always wear PPE consisting of gloves, mask eye protection or face shields as appropriate which protects you and your dental providers.
4. Why do I need to sign a consent form if your saying it’s safe to come in to the office?
The consent form is a requirement from our dental college and just as when you have any medical procedure done, you must be aware of any risks, no matter how small and agree to proceed with informed consent.
5. 1 was asked to wait in the closed consult room to wait for my appointment or fill out papers. I have a mask, why is this so?
Out of abundance of precaution, we are isolating patients to conform to the social distancing guidelines and the amount of people in a small area.
6. Why do I need to rinse with hydrogen peroxide before my treatment?
Although hydrogen peroxide has not been sufficiently supported through any studies to reduce risks, the Ministry of Health and Dental College recommends we use this prior to your dental treatment out of abundance of precaution.
7. I have heard that some offices are not polishing teeth, why is this so?
In the short term the Dental College had recommended reducing the use of any instruments that produce an aerosol. However, after review new guidelines were set out by the Ministry of Health and by the Dental College. With the combination of using a high volume suction, air filtration unit, fallow time and a negative for COVID-19 pre-screening and or negative test, if all of this criteria and measures are in place along with PPE, your provider may continue this service.
8. Why is my provider hand scaling more than using the cavitron?
Your provider will use either or a combination of both based on your pre screening and dental needs in a safe manner for both patient and staff.
9. Is the staff being tested or pre-screened for COVID -19?
All of our staff voluntarily went to the testing centre and have tested negative . Staff are pre-screened daily , like our patients as a precaution.
10. Why all the PPE if I am negative?
We have increased the level of PPE to protect both our patients and ourselves. We are following the guidelines to help minimize any risks of transmission to everyone who is in the office.
11. How is cleaning done at the office?
Our office is being maintained by a professional cleaning company, as well as we have increased the level of frequency of disinfection and cleaning. All surfaces and high contact areas are disinfected between patients, and all clinical areas continue to be maintained to be be the highest standards established by IPAC.
12. Do you have new protocols?
Our protocols relating to COVID-19 risks have changed significantly. Many of theses are implemented out of abundance of precaution, we would rather err on the side of doing more than less in protecting our staff and patients. We have increased our PPE, added more sanitizing stations, have a surgical grade air purification system, antibacterial cabinets in the sterilization area, changed our reception chairs to antibacterial and changed our flooring to a medical grade laminate for easier sanitization.
13. What is the risk of having dental treatment in a COVID-19 situation?
Our dental office follows the highest standards for infection prevention and control: since all surfaces, equipment and dental instruments are sterilized and disinfected thoroughly between patient procedure, our dental practice is a safe low risk environment for our patients. We follow all IPAC guidelines for infection and control, and as always, we wear PPE consisting of gloves, masks, face shields or eye protection and gowns as appropriate which protects both you the patient, and us the dental providers. With the added level of measures such as the surgical air purification system, antibacterial chairs, antibacterial sterilization centre, and a medical grade laminate floor we know you will feel confident that your treatment needs are being met in a safe and comfortable environment.