As our community adapts to life in a post-COVID-19 world, Mitchell, Bartlett & Bell Orthodontics is committed to protecting you and our team. While the closure of our practice was not mandated, we made the decision to suspend all non-emergency patient care on March 18^th due to an abundance of caution and a desire to reduce the potential spread of the disease. Now that the state has entered Phase I reopening, we have implemented the following plan for gradually resuming patient care while incorporating new measures to ensure safety. We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we work through this challenge together.

PROMOTION OF SOCIAL DISTANCING: In accordance with state guidelines, we are taking the following measures.

• Reducing the number of patients being treated at any one time
  • To accomplish this, we will be extending our hours through the month of May: Mon-Thur, 8am to 6pm and alternating Fridays, 9am to 1pm.
• Seating patients a minimum of 6 feet apart
• Asking anyone accompanying patients to stay in their vehicles
  • Our reception areas will remain closed.
  • Only patients will be allowed in the clinic areas.
  • For patients who must have a companion, please notify us before your appointment.
• Continuing to provide virtual consultations and progress checks

REDUCTION OF EXPOSURE RISKS: Acknowledging that we cannot always maintain 6 feet of distancing, we have implemented the following strategies to reduce the risk of exposure to our patients and team.

• If you or anyone in your family has flu-like symptoms (cough, fever, shortness of breath, aches/pains, etc) and/or has been in contact with a person testing positive for COVID-19, we ask that you refrain from coming to our office. Please call and we will be happy to reschedule your appointment.
• We kindly ask that everyone entering our office wear their own face covering (we will not be able to provide masks due to our need to conserve PPE).
• Each patient will have a forehead temperature taken (if greater than 100.3℉, the appointment will need to be rescheduled) and will be asked to wash their hands and rinse with 1% hydrogen peroxide or Listerine mouthwash.
• Each team member will have a daily health screening with forehead temperature taken.
• All administrative team members will wear face coverings and sit behind acrylic barriers.
• All clinical team members will wear enhanced PPE as appropriate.
• During Phase 1 of our reopening plan, we intend to limit our procedures to those that do not produce aerosols (airborne water droplets). This means we will not be able to remove braces during this phase.

INFECTION CONTROL: We always have adhered strictly to ADA, OSHA, and CDC guidelines, but in an effort to enhance the safety of our patients and team members, we have implemented the following additional measures:

• Non-clinical surfaces in high traffic areas will be disinfected frequently throughout the day.
• Clinical surfaces will be kept free of non-essential items to avoid cross-contamination and ensure proper disinfection.
• When we move to Phase 2 of our reopening plan, we intend to resume procedures that potentially generate aerosols, such as removing braces. At that time, we will confine these procedures to a private room and utilize enhanced vacuum suction and post-procedure disinfection.

Our team is anxious to return to a sense of normalcy and see your smiling faces again. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and are working tirelessly on a plan to accommodate each and every one of you in a safe manner.

Sincerely,

Drs. Mitchell, Bartlett & Bell

APPOINTMENT CHECKLIST:

• Please brush and floss before coming to your appointment.
  • Our tooth brushing station is temporarily closed.
• We recommend having your temperature taken before leaving home if you are coming from a long distance.   If it measures above 100.3℉, please call to reschedule.
• Prior to your scheduled appointment, please print out, complete, and sign the following forms:
  • Supplemental Health Questionnaire (to be completed at each visit)
  • Supplemental Informed Consent (to be completed once)
  • Please bring these completed forms with you to your appointment.
• When you arrive, patients are welcome to enter our office. Young patients may be brought in by one parent if necessary.
• Please wear a face covering.
• Please bring the two completed supplemental forms in with you. If you are unable to do so, we will have forms for you to complete prior to treatment.
• For our young patients, when the appointment is finished a clinician will come to your car, or call you, to update you on treatment progress and coordinate scheduling your next appointment.