A step-by-step guide to your visit

You might be thinking, “I don’t want to go to the dentist right now, I have to take my mask off, and so do other people!.” We understand your concerns, but it’s important not to put off care. That’s why we wanted to guide you through what you’ll experience when you walk through our doors and reassure you that we are doing everything possible to provide you with care in a clean, controlled environment. 

First, during the confirmation process, we’ll ask three quick screening questions about COVID exposure, flu-like symptoms, or recent travel. If the answers are all “no,” you’re set! If an answer is “yes,” we might need a bit more information, or we’ll need to help you reschedule. 

Time for your appointment! You’ve got your mask on, and you come through the door our friendly front desk team members ready to greet you from behind a plexiglass “sneeze guard.” They’ll be wearing their masks, too, but you’ll see a photo of their smiling face “behind the mask.” They’ll take your temperature with a touchless thermometer and measure your oxygen levels with a fingertip pulse oximeter (which we clean after every use). If your temperature is under 100 and your oxygen levels are above 90, you’re good to go! 

Next, you’ll take a seat in one of the socially distanced seats in our reception area, which is cleaned every hour with hospital grade disinfectant. While you wait, you might notice a strange-looking tower. This is one of our many surgical-grade, high power air filters. We purchased one for every room in both of our offices. They are extremely good at what they do: turning over a huge amount of air every minute and cleaning it with a HEPA air filter and a UV-C+ light. We have more of these than recommended for our square footage, which means you’re breathing cleaner air.

You probably won’t wait long before a hygienist or assistant comes to welcome you to a freshly sanitized treatment room, which is disinfected after every patient. Your hygienist or dentist might be a little hard to recognize because they’ll be wearing a lot of PPE! The gear includes a KN95 mask, a level 3 surgical mask, a face shield, and a gown and hair cap on top of their scrubs. 

Once you’re in your clean room, you’ll take your mask off and swish a hydrogen peroxide/water mixture to help reduce the levels of bacteria or viruses in your mouth. During your visit, your provider might use a different suction tool shaped like a leaf, called the releaf! It helps reduce the particles that leave your mouth since it sits on the inside of your cheek. All tools are always thoroughly cleaned and sanitized in our high power Autoclave between uses. 

You did it! Your teeth are clean, and your mouth is healthy! It’s time to check out. You put your mask back on, and our team member escorts you to the front desk. They’ll ask you how your visit was, and collect any payment due. You can schedule your next appointment, and then you’re on your way!

We hope you enjoyed this little journey through an appointment at CPW Dentistry, and we hope all our protocols help you feel at ease and continue to take care of your dental health!

If you’d like to read into further detail, here’s more information about our cleaning protocols. 

Here’s more detailed information about our air filters, releaf suction tool, an autoclave.