Due to COVID-19, your next visit to the office will seem a little different
2020 has introduced us to terms such as 'social distancing', 'new normal' and 'flattening the curve'. It is a lot to take in and much of it is uncharted territory. New protocols for dealing with this COVID-19 pandemic seem to change daily; this will be reflected in the reopening of the Beacon Hill Dental Centre. Some changes may be permanent. Hopefully, most changes will be temporary. You will see barriers installed throughout the office, some temporary, that will ensure the safety of both you and our staff. It is likely that in addition to the usual masks, gloves and safety glasses, we may have to wear gowns, N95 masks, face shields, head covers and foot covers (depending on the procedure). Unfortunately, many of these essentials are still in very short supply. You will be introduced to these changes even before you visit our office. We continue to take emergency patients and are gradually offering some select essential visits. If this is an emergency, please call us at (613)745-7450.
THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED AS MEASURES MANDATED BY THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO AND THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF DENTAL SURGEONS OF ONTARIO ARE INTRODUCED OR MODIFIED. BE SURE TO VISIT THIS PAGE FOR THE LATEST UPDATES..
Updated September 8, 2021
Vaccination Status for COVID-19: Frequently Asked Questions
Vaccination status for COVID-19 is a complex legal area, involving human rights, personal health information, privacy, occupational health and safety, and employment law. The law has not been settled on this subject. Although strongly recommended, vaccination for COVID-19 is NOT YET mandated by law in Ontario for dental settings.
Dentists should be sensitive to issues of discrimination or bullying, which may arise when discussing vaccination and disclosure with staff and patients. A dental office should be a safe and inclusive environment for all.
Can a patient ask about my or my staff’s vaccination status for COVID-19?
Vaccination status is personal health information and, therefore, confidential and private. If a patient asks a dentist or their staff about their vaccination status for COVID-19, neither the dentist nor their staff are obligated to reveal this information.
When asked by a patient, a health care worker can choose to divulge their own vaccination status, if they wish. A patient cannot demand this information. If a patient wishes to avoid or delay booking dental appointments, that is their choice.
As an employer, can I ask my staff about their COVID-19 vaccination status?
As an employer, a dentist may ask staff about their vaccination status and document their answer, as part of the employment record. However, a dentist cannot demand this information and a staff person may refuse to disclose their personal health information. Such a refusal may be documented in the employment record. In addition, an employer cannot reveal the personal health information of an employee against their wishes, and this includes to patients and other staff members.
The dentist may wish to discuss with staff as to how comfortable they are about telling patients about their vaccination status, but this conversation should be handled delicately and sensitively. For those employees that are comfortable, they may speak with a patient themselves. For the dentist to do it on their behalf, the dentist must obtain the employee’s express consent.
Can I ask my patients about their COVID-19 vaccination status?
The Ministry of Health COVID-19 Patient Screening Guidance distinguishes between patients who have and have not been fully immunized* against COVID-19. Additional screening questions are now required for patients who are not fully immunized against COVID-19 (i.e., Questions 5 and 6). Please ensure that you are using the latest version of the form that includes the background question on immunization status, Version 5.0 - August 26, 2021.
*A fully immunized individual is defined as any individual >14 days after receiving their second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine series or their first dose of a one-dose COVID-19 vaccine series (i.e., Johnson and Johnson).
All patients must be screened using this form and treated accordingly. The protocols described in the College’s guidance document COVID-19: Managing infection risks during in-person dental care apply to patients based on their screening status, not their vaccination status. Dentists must follow appropriate precautions for all patients based on their screening results for COVID-19.
If a patient refuses to answer the background question (Question 1) or refuses to disclose their COVID-19 immunization status, the dentist should note this refusal in the patient’s record and proceed to ask the screening questions, including the additional screening questions (i.e., Questions 5 and 6).
The patient’s screening results will determine the appropriate protocols, as described in the College’s guidance document.
A patient should never be discriminated against or refused treatment based on their vaccination status, or refusal to disclose this information. Dentists have a duty to provide health care services free from discrimination.
Updated June 9, 2020
We are happy to inform you that, effective Monday, June 15, 2020, we are now able to once again provide dental care for you and your family. The Ministry of Health has lifted the restrictions placed back in March and relaxed many of the initial recommendations that made returning so difficult. While many things have changed since March, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your health and safety.
Our office has always followed strict infection control standards and in order to keep us all protected during this pandemic and in the future, we have updated our protocols. When we see you at your next appointment, things will be a little different. The government is involved, so, yes, there is some paperwork including pre-screening questionnaires and a consent form that you can download here and complete prior to your appointment.
- We will ask some screening questions before your appointment and you’ll be asked those same questions again when you’re in the office.
- A non-contact forehead temperature will be taken prior your appointment to rule out a fever.
- You may be asked to wait outside our office or in your car and call us when you arrive and then wait for a call back to let you know when you can enter the office.
- We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the clinic. There are more dispensers around the office for you to use as needed.
- Our waiting room will no longer offer magazines or children’s toys since those items are difficult to fully disinfect.
- Appointments will be spaced out to allow for physical distancing between patients. That might mean less flexibility for scheduling your appointment, but it will also reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.
- You may be surprised that we may be wearing more protective gear – such as masks, face shields, gowns – than we normally do during your visit. This will depend on the procedure.
Rest assured, all these procedures are designed to create the safest environment for you, other patients and our team.
We look forward to seeing you again. If you have any questions, please let us know. To make an appointment, call our office at (613)745-7450 or email us here.
Thank you for patience and loyalty throughout this ordeal. We value your trust and look forward to welcoming you back!
Sincerely,
The Team at Beacon Hill Dental Centre
Updated May 31, 2020
The Chief Medical Officer of Health issued a new Directive #2 on May 26. As a result, dentists are now permitted to provide in-person care for all deferred, non-essential, and elective services, in addition to emergency and urgent care.
As a result, the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario has revised its Guidance on managing infection risks during in-person dental care. This is good news for us as dental care providers and you as dental patients. The previously almost unobtainable requirements have been relaxed for most dental situations bringing us a step closer to establishing 'normal' patient flow. We also must follow guidelines established by the Ontario Ministry of Health in our gradual re-opening.
We will still need to be very vigilant with staff and patient prescreening and physical distancing. Some barriers in the office will remain and reception room protocol will likely be different for some time. These new rules will be explained prior to any of your upcoming appointments.
Dentists have been reminded by our regulatory College that these new Directives put forth by the Chief Medical Officer of Health may change at any time and new rules introduced or relaxed, but, at least, things are heading in the right direction.
More news as this develops...
Updated May 29, 2020
On March 27, 2020, dentists in Ontario were notified by the Ministry of Health that Directive #2 was amended. Essentially, this means that all deferred, non-essential and elective health-care services can gradually resume under the direction of their respective regulatory bodies and based on measures that must be in place for the provision of in-person health services. This is another sign of the impending return to dental practice and restart of the health-care system.
The ongoing issue is that of appropriate PPE and equipping our office for the safe treatment of patients. Hopefully, next week, supply chains and access to equipment will be a little less stagnant. A recent article from the CBC sheds a bit of light on what we are currently facing. You can find it here.
Updated May 26, 2020
The RCDSO and PHO have stated that dental offices have gone from Phase I to Phase II which basically states that in addition to EMERGENCY services, ESSENTIAL services may be performed (their definition of an essential service is very vague and basically leaves it up to the judgement of the dentist providing treatment).
The ongoing problem is that of obtaining appropriate PPE. Supply chains seem to be opening up more each day. We have been told that for any procedure generating any aerosol (and we are in the aerosol-generating business!) the use of an N95 mask is critical. To date we have zero N95 masks. Hopefully, this will change soon. We will keep you updated.
Updated May 24, 2020
- Have you had close contact with anyone with acute respiratory illness or travelled outside of Ontario in the past 14 days?
- Do you have a confirmed case of COVID-19 or had close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19?
- Do you have any of the following symptoms:
•Fever
•New onset of cough
•Worsening chronic cough
•Shortness of breath
•Difficulty breathing
•Sore throat
•Difficulty swallowing
•Decrease or loss of sense of taste or smell
•Chills
•Headaches
•Unexplained fatigue/malaise/muscle aches (myalgias)
•Nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain
•Pink eye (conjunctivitis)
•Runny nose/nasal congestion without other known cause
- If you are 70 years of age or older, have you been experiencing any of the following symptoms: delirium, unexplained or increased number of falls, acute functional decline, or worsening of chronic conditions?
Patients who answer YES to any of these questions or who feel under the weather will need to be rescheduled.
Updated May 6, 2020
Your health and safety at the Beacon Hill Dental Centre is our number one priority and we can’t wait to see you. We are still somewhat limited in the appointments we can take and you may have to wait to be seen. Rest assured, we will work hard to fit you into our schedule based on your level of need. Please call us if you have any questions or concerns...we will get through this together!
The Ministry of Health has an online self-assessment tool to help you determine if you need to seek care.
Other reliable sources are:
- Ontario Ministry of Health: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/
- Public Health Ontario: https://www.publichealthontario.ca/
- Public Health Agency of Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health.html
- World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/
Our current office hours will be Monday-Thursday 7:30am - 4:00pm and alternate Fridays from 7:30am - 2:00pm. We will be scheduling fewer appointments than normal, and have fewer staff in the office at the same time to enhance physical distancing measures.
As we prepare for a broader set of appointments, be assured, we are taking the following precautions to ensure your visit is a safe one.
For every staff member, we:
• Check their temperature daily to ensure they do not have a fever
• Regularly screen for COVID-19 symptoms
• Mandate a 14-day quarantine for any staff showing signs of fever, cough, and trouble breathing
For every patient, we:
• Perform a risk assessment, in advance of the appointment and upon arrival at the clinic, to ensure they are feeling well.
For the time being, we will have to ensure social distancing by prescreening and asking for you to please let us know if you have fever, cough, difficulty breathing AND any of the following:
Do you have fever, cough, or difficulty breathing? OR
Have you returned from travel to any country outside of Canada in the last 14 days? OR
Have you had close contact with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19? OR
Have you had close contact with a person with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing?
Patients who answer YES to any of these questions or who feel under the weather will need to be rescheduled.
Also, as part of a patient's risk assessment, we will:
• Check their temperature daily to ensure they do not have a fever
• Provide hand sanitizer, masks, and booties on entry to the clinic
• Provide an anti-viral/anti-bacterial mouth rinse for all patients before any treatment
• Observe meticulous hand hygiene practices before putting on gloves and after taking them off
• Wear appropriate personal protective equipment during the appointment and all interactions with patients
For every patient visit we have set up a virtual waiting room to ensure social distancing:
• Patients can text us once they arrive and virtually check in
• Wait in their car or open areas, to ensure social distancing
• And will be texted when their room is clean and ready
Between patient visits, we:
• Clean, disinfect, and sterilize all instruments
• Wipe all operatory surfaces with disinfectant, including:
• Patient chair and bases
• Tray table and arm
• Countertops and walls
• Items on countertops
• Light handles, tubing, motors and all other objects and touch surfaces
In our operatories/patient rooms we:
• Have installed protective barriers to ensure patient aerosols remain within enclosed areas
• Allow for mandated time in between patients to ensure all COVID-19 aerosols have been neutralized
• Continue to keep track of all current guidelines to ensure patient rooms are in compliance with safety protocols
In the reception/waiting area, we:
• Disinfect all counters
• Wipe all door handles, touch surfaces, water dispensers, and pens with disinfectant
• Make antibacterial hand rub available
• Have installed protective barriers to ensure no aerosols are passed between individuals
At least daily, we:
• Clean floors (vacuum/dry mop and wet mop)
• Clean and disinfect high touch wall features more than once daily (light switches, thermostat, door handles, ledges, etc.)
• Clean reception area more than once daily (including reception counter, desk, chairs, and cabinetry)
• Clean and disinfect all bathrooms more than once daily.
• Clean the staff room
SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, PLEASE TELEPHONE US AT (613)745-7450 OR CONTACT US HERE. STAY SAFE!
