Dear Patients and Friends of New Image Dental,

The spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) is on all our minds and in the news. We’d like to reassure you that New Image Dental has been monitoring this situation closely to ensure we can meet the ongoing needs of our patients. At the moment New Image Dental will remain open to service and meet the needs of our dental patients. If there is a change you will be informed via email or text.

Infection control procedures are actions taken in health care settings to prevent the spread of disease everyday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommendations for dental office infection control. Here at New Image Dental we care about your safety and work hard to prevent the spread of infection. Before you enter any of our examining rooms, all surfaces, such as the dental chair, dental light, drawer handles and countertops, have been cleaned and disinfected. We cover some equipment with protective covers, which are replaced after each patient.

Non-disposable items like the dental tools are cleaned and sterilized between patients. Disposable dental tools and needles are never reused. Infection control precautions also require all dental staff involved in patient care to use appropriate protective equipment such as gloves, masks, gowns and eyewear when needed. After each patient, disposable gloves and masks are thrown away. Before seeing the next patient, everyone on the treatment team washes their hands and put on a new pair of gloves.

We want to share with you some extra steps we are taking to help protect our patients and employees. We have added additional reception area wipe downs per day. This also applies to our bathrooms, reception area counters and I Pad for in taking new patients. We are asking any patient that shows signs of a cold or flu like symptoms to stay home and reschedule.

At New Image Dental your well-being is important to your us. That’s why infection control procedures are in place at all times.

What about the new coronavirus?

With so many news stories, it’s understandable to be concerned about the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Please know that the precautions New Image Dental already takes every day to prevent the spread of infection in our practice also helps prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

If you are ill with flu-like symptoms, you should reschedule your appointment. 

If you or someone you are in close contact with have recently traveled to one of the countries with large outbreaks of COVID-19 (China, Italy, Iran, South Korea) or if you have been exposed to someone else who was diagnosed with COVID-19 or who was quarantined as a precaution, wait 14 days until you see your dentist to make sure you have not caught the coronavirus. 

If you are healthy, there’s no need to cancel your regularly scheduled dental appointment.

It’s important to know that the majority of people infected with the coronavirus experience flu-like symptoms and then recover. Most people do not develop serious respiratory complications. 

Those most at risk of becoming seriously ill are elderly people and those with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes and kidney disease, among others. Children, thus far, have been largely unaffected.

Here are a few things you can do on your own to help keep yourself and those around you healthy:

·      Wash your hands frequently, or use a hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent ethyl alcohol.

·      Avoid touching your face, eyes or nose to reduce the spread of germs.

·      Cover your cough or sneeze with your elbow. Infections like the coronavirus spread through the tiny droplets in coughs and sneezes. 

·      Stay home if you feel sick. If you have flu-like symptoms or otherwise feel unwell, stay home and rest. Call your dentist to reschedule your appointment for a later date. This will reduce the risk of spreading your illness.

Visit the CDC’s website for the latest information on COVID-19.  

We are here for you

If you have any questions please feel free to call

Dr. Richard Cutler DDS