COVID protocols – Last updated Sept 2021

The following protocols to help protect our community, patients and staff:

  • Pre-screening of all patients is required to attend your scheduled appointment. If this Pre-screening form is not completed at minimum of 48 hours prior to your visit, your appointment will be cancelled.
  • For everyone’s safety, staff will now wear additional personal protective equipment (PPE) in compliance with the CDSBC, PHO, BCCDC and WorkSafe BC.which can include masks, face shields and gowns for some procedures. Your clinical provider will now be entering the treatment room dressed in the appropriate PPE but rest assured, we are still the same caring team underneath it all.
  • Daily symptom and temperature checks of all staff members.
  • Masks are required inside the office. If you have one, please wear your own mask to our office, supplies are limited (cloth is acceptable). If you do not have a mask, one will be provided to you.
  • Limit the number of patients in the office at any given time by staggering appointments to allow for social distancing.
  • Only patients will be allowed in the office. Guests must wait in the car. Patients who require a guardian or advocate may have one person accompany them in the office.
  • To maintain a safe and social distance, our waiting room is currently closed. As a result, we will not be offering magazines, children’s toys or brochures in the interim.
  • Your car is our new waiting room. When you arrive please call or text 604-277-1131 to let us know you’ve arrived. Please remain in your car and we will let you know when it is time to come in for your appointment.
  • You will see signs regarding social distancing, hand washing and direction of traffic entering and exiting the office
  • Second screening of all patients upon arrival to the clinic.
  • Please be prepared to sanitize your hands, have your temperature checked and pre-rinse with an anti-viral solution prior to treatment.
  • Extra time is scheduled for appointments and between patients to allow for disinfection and cleaning of treatment rooms and sterilization of equipment.
  • Frequent cleaning of high-touch, high-traffic areas
  • Please use the washroom at home before coming to the office. If you need to use the washroom at the office, please wipe it down after use.

Response to Aug 3, 2020 WHO/CDC Recommendations.

Aug 13, 2020

Recently, the world health organization and CDC advised high-risk countries to delay non-essential oral health care.

The WHO and CDC guidance is intended for high-risk countries that have alarming rates of COVID-19 infections and widespread community transmission. Canada does not fit this profile.

BC dentists have among the highest infection control standards in the world. We take our guidance from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, our Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, and the College of Dental Surgeons of BC.

Our office has always followed strict infection control standards. We are also now following all BC provincial health orders to provide additional levels of protection to create the safest environment for you, other patients and our staff team to control community transmission.

We are committed to patient and staff safety. We follow the high standards set by BC public health officials and our regulatory body, and strictly adhere to proper safety procedures to lower the risk of COVID-19 transmission, in and out of the office including  physical distancing, enhanced use of PPE and hand hygiene, and screening our staff and patients for COVID-19 symptoms.

We would like to remind patients to please stay home if they have flu-like symptoms (fever, cough or difficulty breathing) or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. Patients who are sick and have an upcoming dental appointment should call their dental office to report symptoms, reschedule or ask about other care options.

Our Protocols

Aug 13, 2020

We have new rules and protocols in place to keep patients, staff and dentists protected. Here is what you can expect when you come in for your appointment:

  • Pre-screening of all patients when you book your appointment
  • If you have one, please wear your own mask to our office, supplies are limited (cloth is acceptable). If you do not have a mask, one will be provided to you.
  • We will limit the number of patients in the office at any given time by staggering appointments to allow for social distancing.
  • Only patients will be allowed in the office. Guests must wait in the car. Patients who require a guardian or advocate may have one person accompany them in the office.
  • To maintain a safe and social distance, our waiting room is currently closed. As a result, we will not be offering magazines, children’s toys or brochures in the interim.
  • Your car is our new waiting room. When you arrive please call or text 604-277-1131 to let us know you’ve arrived. Please remain in your car and we will let you know when it is time to come in for your appointment.
  • You will see signs regarding social distancing, hand washing and direction of traffic entering and exiting the office
  • You will be screened a second time when you enter the clinic.
  • Please be prepared to sanitize your hands, have your temperature checked and pre-rinse with a mild hydrogen peroxide solution prior to treatment.
  • For everyone’s safety, staff will now wear additional personal protective equipment (PPE) which can include masks, face shields and gowns for some procedures. Your clinical provider will now be entering the treatment room dressed in the appropriate PPE but rest assured, we are still the same caring team underneath it all.
  • Daily symptom and temperature checks of all staff members.
  • Extra time scheduled for appointments and between patients to allow for disinfection and cleaning of treatment rooms and sterilization of equipment.
  • Frequent cleaning of high-touch, high-traffic areas
  • Please use the washroom at home before coming to the office. If you need to use the washroom at the office, please wipe it down after use.
  • In order to be as “contactless” as we can, our reception team may ask to keep your credit card securely on file for any balance owing

Phased Re-Opening Begins

May 24, 2020

This week we are beginning our careful and phased reopening. We are OPEN for emergency and urgent care ONLY for the next 2 weeks. If you contacted us while we were closed by email or phone, we have you on a priority list to contact. Please do not call us, we are working through our list of patients and will call you soon.

After we have seen all of our emergency patients we will be moving into routine care. We have kept a record of cancelled appointments over the last two months and will be calling soon.

We do not have a start date for hygiene appointments at this time.

Safety as well as a secure, comfortable and relaxed environment has always been important to us and will continue to be our top priority. We have always made sure to be in compliance or exceed the College of Dental Surgeons of BC (CDSBC) infection guidelines.

Due to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) we have implemented the following protocols to help protect our community, patients and staff:

  • Pre-screening of all patients when you book your appointment
  • If you have one, please wear your own mask to our office, supplies are limited (cloth is acceptable). If you do not have a mask, one will be provided to you.
  • We will limit the number of patients in the office at any given time by staggering appointments to allow for social distancing.
  • Only patients will be allowed in the office. Guests must wait in the car. Patients who require a guardian or advocate may have one person accompany them in the office.
  • To maintain a safe and social distance, our waiting room is currently closed. As a result, we will not be offering magazines, children’s toys or brochures in the interim.
  • Your car is our new waiting room. When you arrive please call or text 604-277-1131 to let us know you’ve arrived. Please remain in your car and we will let you know when it is time to come in for your appointment.
  • You will see signs regarding social distancing, hand washing and direction of traffic entering and exiting the office
  • You will be screened a second time when you enter the clinic.
  • Please be prepared to sanitize your hands, have your temperature checked and pre-rinse with a mild hydrogen peroxide solution prior to treatment.
  • For everyone’s safety, staff will now wear additional personal protective equipment (PPE) which can include masks, face shields and gowns for some procedures. Your clinical provider will now be entering the treatment room dressed in the appropriate PPE but rest assured, we are still the same caring team underneath it all.
  • Daily symptom and temperature checks of all staff members.
  • Extra time scheduled for appointments and between patients to allow for disinfection and cleaning of treatment rooms and sterilization of equipment.
  • Frequent cleaning of high-touch, high-traffic areas
  • Please use the washroom at home before coming to the office. If you need to use the washroom at the office, please wipe it down after use.
  • In order to be as “contactless” as we can, our reception team may ask to keep your credit card securely on file for any balance owing

We’ve missed you so much and we are excited to get back to work. As we are all in this together, we too are learning as we go.  If you should notice any areas of concern, please don’t hesitate to let a staff member know so we can address it immediately.

Please let us know if you have any questions regarding our new protocols or phased re-opening.

Phased Re-Opening

May 22, 2020

We are beginning our careful and phased opening on Monday May 25th. We are OPEN for emergency and urgent care ONLY for the next 2 weeks. If you contacted us while we were closed by email or phone, we have you on a priority list to contact. Please do not call us, we are working through our list of patients and will call you soon.

After we have seen all of our emergency patients we will be moving into routine care. We have kept a record of cancelled appointments over the last two months and will be calling soon.

We do not have a start date for hygiene appointments at this time.

We will email shortly with our new office protocols and updates.

Thanks for your understanding and patience.

BCDA MEDIA RELEASE

“Dental Offices Not Open for Full Services May 19

May 14, 2020, 12:00pm: The BC Dental Association (BCDA) advises patients that dental offices will not be returning to regular practice May 19. Full dental services, including hygiene care, will be introduced gradually and when it is safe to do so. As evidenced in other provinces, there is no singular approach
to restarting services. Plans for BC will consider the different circumstances in various areas, including access to required personal protective equipment (PPE).

When Premier John Horgan announced the provincial government’s BC Restart Plan on May 6,
many patients assumed dental offices would be returning to regular services on May 19. However,
as the Premier and Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, confirmed in media briefings May 13, WorkSafeBC and public health officials have begun to develop guidelines for various sectors, including dentistry, to extend services – but they have not been published yet.

As we can all appreciate, the guidelines to protect patients, dentists and dental staff need to be aligned based on the epidemiology of managing the risk of COVID-19 in BC.

On May 13, Dr. Henry indicated that new guidelines are currently being worked on with regulators, including the College of Dental Surgeons of BC, “Direction is going to be provided, and we’re working on that with the regulatory authorities, the colleges for all the regulated health professions, on incremental changes and the guidance they need to move forward over the next couple of weeks.”

“Dental teams are experts at infection control and dentists want to ensure their practices are appropriately set up to comply with physical distancing and other particular requirements to reduce the transmission of COVID-19”, says BCDA spokesperson, Dr. Alastair Nicoll.

Dr. Nicoll continued, “Dental offices have been limited to tele-dentistry and emergency care since March 23. When the public health orders change, and patients begin returning to dental offices, the dental visit will look different. For example, chairs, magazines and toys will be removed from waiting rooms, and
the receptionist may be sitting behind a plexiglass screen. Patients will also be asked different health screening questions when making their appointment and on the day of their appointment; and asked to clean their hands before and after their appointment. These and other changes will be communicated by your dental office once the new guidelines are published.”page1image24302080

“By all means, dental patients should contact their dentist to schedule an appointment, but please understand that until further direction is provided by the Provincial Health Officer and the College of Dental Surgeons of BC, dentists are only permitted to provide emergency and urgent services.”, said Dr. Nicoll.

BCDA encourages patients to contact their dentist for any dental emergency or dental concern. If you’re looking for a dentist, visit BCDA’s YourDentalHealth.ca website.”

OPENING UPDATE

May 12, 2020

Although we were included in Phase 2 of re-opening BC, we still don’t have direction from our College regarding protocols. We will keep you informed. We are still under the Provincial Health Order for emergency care only. More details int he video below.

IMPORTANT UPDATE

May 7, 2020 Update

Yesterday, Premier John Horgan announced BC’s Relaunch Plan for Businesses and services which include Dental Services in Phase 2, beginning mid-May. Although this is exciting news for all of us, we must wait for further direction and protocols from our governing body, The College of Dental Surgeons of BC. Our specific opening date for regular dental treatment will be determined by the time needed to implement these guidelines and the availability of all the protective equipment required for the safety of our staff and patients. We will keep you updated regarding our opening date.

Please be patient with our team as we adapt to this new normal and especially with our reception team as the work to get appointments scheduled. Thank-you for your support and loyalty during this time.

 

May 4, 2020 Update

OFFICE CLOSURE

For the safety of our patients and our staff the office is still CLOSED for non-essential and elective treatments based on the recommendation of the College of Dental Surgeons of BC (CDSBC)

Please consider your May appointments CANCELLED until we notify you that the office is open again.

We are addressing emergencies on an individual basis by email and phone. An emergency involves trauma, pain (that cannot be controlled by over the counter pain medication), uncontrolled bleeding, swelling and infection compromising the airway.

You can contact one of our doctors via phone by calling 604-277-1131 for instructions.

 Dr. Michele Nielsen is screening emails daily even on weekends. She will respond to urgent concerns’ same day if you email prior to 6PM.

 We are not checking phone messages regularly so please do not leave a message about an urgent matter.

If you have a concern that does not fall into the emergency category, we are happy to discuss and give advice by email or phone. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need us.

Thank-you Dr. Doug Nielsen, Dr. Selena Chow and Dr. David Yuen for commitment to our patients during this difficult time.

 

WHEN WILL THE OFFICE BE OPEN AGAIN?

This is a great question.

On April 29th, Premier John Horgan noted “It is critical that we get our dental services up and running as quickly as possible. But that is a high-risk area…”. Dr. Bonnie Henry has also mentioned that opening of dental clinics will be considered in the next phase of planning if the number of cases continue to decline. Our College of Dental Surgeons of BC, WorkSafe BC and Public Health are working together for the safe provision of dental treatment in the next phase of COVID-19.

This is exciting news and we are looking forward to being back at work and connecting with all our patients again. Once a plan and protocol are determined it will take some time to implement to get the office up and running again compliant with the new regulations. For the time being, visiting the dentist will not look the same as it did just a few months ago.

Another concern from our end is PPE (personal protection equipment). One of the requirements for dental treatment now involving aerosols is N95 masks. Currently, the distribution of N95 masks is being centralized and going to the much-needed front lines. Until these masks are made available for our dentists and clinical team members, we will be unable to provide all dental services.

We will email again once we have a set open date and what the new protocols will look like for you, the patient.

For the most up to date information about the office please see our Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/stevestonsmiles

 

TELEDENTISTRY

Dr. Michele Nielsen is providing Zoom calls for Invisalign and Healthy Start patients on select Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you would like to connect with her “in person” regarding ANY dental concern or consultation please email info@stevestonsmiles.com and we will schedule a Zoom meeting call.

 

STAY HOME STAY SAFE PRODUCT PRICING

If you are missing any of the great products we have for sale in-office, we can coordinate curb-side pick-up.

 

Opalescence GO 15% or 10% full box (10 trays)

At-Home Whitening Kit

 $75
‘Black is White’ Curaprox Charcoal Toothpaste Kit (Comes with Curaprox toothbrush) $20
Cari-0 Toothpaste (Bubble Gum or Mint) $8
Opti-Rinse 0.2% $10
Oral Health kits – Cari-0, Opti-rinse and Curaprox toothbrush $20
Easy- Clean Sonicare White $80 (regular price)
Night-White 3 pack $40

 

*Prices Valid Until June 1st, 2020*

Payment by credit card in advance or cash at pickup.