A Message to our Patients and their Families

The School of Dentistry is pleased to welcome patients back into our clinics! We’ve missed you, and we thank you for your patience.

All of our clinics:  Pre-doctoral and Dental Hygiene student, Advanced Education Orthodontics, Advanced Education Endodontics, Advanced Education in General Dentistry,  Advanced Education Periodontics, and Faculty Practice are all receiving patients, though in reduced capacity.

As always, your safety and your health are our priority. We want you to return, confident in the fact that we are taking extraordinary precautions to ensure your protection and well-being. You may find some of our measures to be inconvenient. We understand. But please be assured these measures are in place because of our commitment to having the safest environment for everyone.

Our safety precautions include:

1. We follow all guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the American Dental Association, and the American Dental Hygienists’ Association. We continually monitor and follow the guidance of these agencies, so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued and to make sure our infection control procedures are current and adhere to each agencies’ recommendations.
2. Upon entering the School of Dentistry all students/staff/faculty must verify they are healthy and symptom free. Temperature checks are taken at the entry doors for the School of Dentistry.
3. Face masks are required by everyone in the building, including patients (No gators or face masks with exit valves, please. Face shields alone are not acceptable.)
4. Patients are asked a series of screening questions. These questions are asked the night before their appointment, prior to entry into the School of Dentistry (including a temperature check), and at chairside by their dentist/hygienist.
5. Entry is limited to patient and patient’s guardian or translator, if applicable.
6. Appointments are managed to allow for social distancing, so you may be offered fewer scheduling options. Limited number of patients are treated, to ensure ample social distancing.
7. High power chairside suction units are used for procedures that may create more aerosol.
8. Large capacity air handlers for enhanced air filtration and clean clinic air flow.
9. The School of Dentistry building is cleaned and disinfected daily. High touch areas receive special attention. Individual cubicles for patient care are disinfected prior to, and following, patient care. All dental instruments are sterilized after every use.
10. The School of Dentistry building is routinely ‘fogged’ with a hospital level disinfectant.
11. In the waiting area of the School of Dentistry, we have spaced chairs to allow for social distancing.
12. We no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.

Emergencies:

• Until further notice, there are NO walk-in emergency appointments.
• If you are a patient of record and have student doctor(s), please contact them directly
• If you are a patient of record, please call  (816) 235-2100 for an appointment
• We are not seeing anyone who has not been a patient at the dental school in the past
• Faculty Practice patients, please call (816) 235-2121

We are excited and look forward to welcoming you back in the coming weeks!