We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.

Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to each agencies’ recommendations. You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff.

For example:

• Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.
• We have hand sanitizer available when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed. But washing your hands is known to be better than using hand sanitizer, so ask where you can wash your hands and we will direct you there.
• You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
• Waiting rooms chairs will be spaced so as to allow for proper social distancing
• Temperatures will be taken at all appointments
• We ask that you do not bring any non-essential companions with you to the appointment.
• Any patient is welcome to wait in their car as opposed to our waiting room if preferable. Simply call the front desk when you arrive and we will notify you when we are ready.
• Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
• We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.
• As always, if you are not feeling well or exhibiting symptoms of fever, flu or sickness please reschedule your appointment.
• We will be checking the health and temperature of all staff members at the beginning of each day.
• Staff members may be wearing different and more protective PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) than what you have seen in the past.
• As always, proper sterilization and hygiene will be of utmost focus with our staff. This includes frequent hand washing, periodic cleaning of commonly touched surfaces, etc.
• Our staff will undergo an updated continuing education training session on HIPAA, OSHA, medical emergency and operating our business in the COVID-19 era prior to our reopening date.

We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at (217) 586-5667 or email us at drdavidnoh@gmail.com

Eunjoon David Noh, DMD, BS
Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine
Class of 2013