Our COVID-19 Update

To our patient family,

From March 17, 2020, when dental offices were ordered to stop providing non-essential treatment and only see patients with dental emergencies, through May 1, 2020, a core group from our team were committed to providing this important service.

Starting May 4, 2020, dental offices were authorized to open for the treatment of all dental issues and we began seeing patients at that time.

I want to take this opportunity to explain some of the changes you will see when returning to our office for your dental care as we navigate the impacts of COVID-19.

Sterilization and Infection Control

Our team has always stringently followed the guidelines set forth by the American Dental Association (ADA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Ohio State Dental Board.  We have always followed and will continue to follow the recommendations and guidelines provided by these agencies.  We do this because we care about you, your health, your safety and our safety.

As part of the recommended guidelines, we will be conducting our own daily temperature screenings before starting work and our team has been asked to stay home at the first sign of illness.

Making An Appointment

When confirming your appointment with us, we will perform a medical screening questionnaire. This is new and is meant to help protect those patients with high-risk conditions.  It is important that we get your responses, so please be cognizant to confirm with us.

We are welcoming our patients to make an appointment for any and all needs. If you had an appointment previously that was canceled during the shutdown, we will be reaching out to reschedule. Please feel free to contact us at any time via phone or text at 330-434-3485 or email at info@akronsmile.com.

Checking In

On the day of your appointment, we are offering you the opportunity to come into the office to “check-in” or you may call to let us know you are here should you prefer to wait in your car.  If you choose to come into the reception area, we kindly ask that you not arrive more than 10 minutes before your appointment to keep our reception room from getting too busy.  We also ask that you come to your appointment alone to reduce the number of people in the office in general.

Hand sanitizer will be available for use when you arrive. Please do not wear gloves as they cannot be sanitized properly.

We will ask the same screening questions we covered when you made your appointment. We will also take your temperature along with our normal pre-appointment checks including blood pressure, medical history changes and medication changes.  We are doing this for your safety and the safety of our team.

You will be given the opportunity to use an antiseptic mouthwash. This has always been an option, but we are recommending it now as it reduces bacteria and virus cells in the mouth.

Face Coverings

As much as I don’t like it, our normal happy smiles will be covered by masks.  It is a requirement for dental providers that we wear our masks throughout the office.  That means you are going to have to smile even more than ever to make up for us!

Some of us may be wearing different gear than before – you may see us in different masks or with face shields. We’re not afraid of you…we just want to be extra cautious, for you and for us.

We are not requiring our patients to wear face coverings; though you are more than welcome to do so. Please note that you will need to remove your face covering when you enter the treatment room.

Checking Out

We have updated the check out process in an attempt to make it as low-touch as possible.  When leaving after your appointment and checking out, we have installed new credit card terminals that allow you to handle your own card the entire time.  We will also accept touchless payments like ApplePay.  We will still accept cash and checks.

Thank you for being a valued member of our dental family.  We very much appreciate the trust and loyalty you have in our team.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ryan M. Walton

and the team at Akron Smile – Complete Health Dentistry