I hope your Thanksgiving was full of…..well, thanks and giving. The holidays are in full swing and I hope this holiday season is a reprieve from the challenges of our world at this time. May you celebrate your traditions and if you don’t have many holiday traditions maybe you could create some. We all remember Mr. Rogers, the children’s television star and all around wonderful human being, he described traditions as “where we all return when in crisis.” They become “safety from the storm and solid ground to stand upon” when the world becomes unstable. I think that we get blinded and convinced by all of the social media, advertising, technology, and commercialism of the holidays, but the happiest holidays are far from commercial. They include a kindness shared and gratitude for what really matters, time with the people we love. We draw names in our family and all make something for the person we draw. In years past it has been blankets, stories written, clothing, poetry, coupons of service, and various craft projects that say, “I know you, and I care about you.” These are frequently our favorite gifts.
I also want to wish you health during this season. Wear a mask, social distance, but stay connected to those you love.
At work this year we have had to adapt and add to our equipment and protocols to provide dental care as safely as possible. We are screening the team and all patients for COVID symptoms including loss of smell. We use N95 respirators, face shields, full coverage gowns, proper infection control protocol recommended by the CDC and OSHA. We use intra-oral suction devices, including the Isolight, to suck up aerosols from inside the mouth and we are very proud of the Extra-oral suction evacuators that we installed in every operatory. This system draws air out of the operatory directly in front of the patient’s face, into a filtration system and then safely shoots it out of the building to the atmosphere. This is above and beyond the requirements but is in keeping with our mission at Jones Family Dental. We want to know that we are doing all that we can to make our patient’s safe while they trust us to care for their dental needs. If you have any questions regarding the safety of getting dental care or our policies at Jones Family Dental, please call, 541-488-5088.
