Dear Shoreline Orthodontics Patient Family

Shoreline Orthodontics curve image

Clinic Re-Opening

Dear Shoreline Orthodontics Family,

We are beyond ready to get back to work and see everyone that we have missed so much! We hope this letter finds everyone healthy, happy and prepared to ease back into new routines. Much has changed since we saw you last. We are all still coming to terms with the COVID-19 pandemic and events triggered by it. We want to update you on our office re-opening and the steps we are taking to ensure we do everything possible to keep our patients, our team, and our community safe and healthy.

While our office has been closed, our doctors and the entire team have been busy meeting every weekday morning via Zoom huddles (and yes even the occasional evening Zoom Happy Hour!). Our team has been reaching out to you virtually, trying to assist in your ongoing braces or Invisalign treatment, or perhaps just getting you ready to start your orthodontic journey at Shoreline.

To that end, we are hoping to reopen in a Phased approach at the end of this week or the start of next week. We will be following rigorous scheduling protocols and office measures to ensure the safety and well-being of you, our patients, and our team and by extension, our community.

We ask for your patience. We know that there is a strong desire to get your treatment back on track as soon as possible. We will, but it may not be as efficient as you are used to in our offices. We will have to be very firm in our processes and procedures. They have been well-thought-out and reviewed countless times by our doctors and our entire team and have been mandated by the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia.

We are rescheduling patients in a way that will serve everyone with getting back on track. The exception to this would be emergency care as this will be prioritized. Our office procedures have temporarily changed and will include the following:

Appointments:

Please wait for our office to call you to reschedule your appointments. We have a very accurate and comprehensive list of every appointment cancelled, including the day and time.
We have launched a virtual care portal so that we can continue to see patients from the comfort of their homes. There are certain types of appointments that are best suited for this, and you might not have to miss work or school to come into the office as often. This opportunity will also be available for recall and new patients to our office to be able to provide more timely screening assessments.
There will be a limit on the number of staff and patients that we can have in the office at any one time during this Phased re-opening.
Emergencies will continue to be defined by pain, trauma or bleeding related to your orthodontic appliances. For now, broken brackets and ill-fitting aligner trays do not constitute an emergency. However please call us with any emergency or urgent needs and we will do our best to triage these concerns.

In-Office Visits:

When you arrive for your appointment, please call our “check-in” phone numbers listed below. They will also be posted outside the office to call if you forget:

– Courtenay: 250-218-9933

– Campbell River: 250-203-8118

– Nanaimo: 250-327-1784

– Duncan: 250-252-9424

– Langford: 250-361-8603

  • Only the patient that is being treated will be allowed to enter the office. The only exception for this will be for our very young patients. Of those, only one parent/caregiver may accompany the patient.  Absolutely no other family members or friends will be allowed inside.
  • Please bring your own mask and wear it to your appointment. If you do not have your own, we will provide one; however please keep in mind that personal protective equipment supplies are in high demand and we do not wish to risk running out and having to close until the supply-chain is back to normal.
  • We will ask you to use hand sanitizer upon entering the office.
  • Your temperature will be taken by our staff using a touchless thermometer. If your temperature is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (or 37.7 Celsius), you will be asked to leave. We will reschedule your appointment.
  • A simple questionnaire assessing your contacts, travel, and well-being will be asked of all patients as well. Any response indicating recent exposure to someone with COVID-19 or having signs and symptoms of the same will be asked to leave, and we will reschedule your appointment.
  • Please maintain the 6-foot physical distancing guidelines when in the office until seated in the treatment chair.
  • There will be no tooth-brushing station, please brush your teeth before you arrive.
  • Our patient washrooms will be closed (except for emergencies!), so please prepare for that before arrival.
  • While our dental chairs are over the 6 ft distancing required, in the first phase of reopening, we will be seating patients in every-other-chair.
  • You will notice we are wearing additional Personal Protective Equipment for some procedures.

Social:

  • WE LOVE OUR PATIENTS! We also love to chat with you at your appointment. Please understand that conversations will at times be significantly reduced to allow for physical distancing, running on time, disinfection of treatment chairs and instruments, etc.
  • We will not be providing our usual coffee and tea station and our iPads/games room will be closed.

Team:

  • Each team member, including the doctor, will have their temperature taken and will answer the same health questionnaire our patients do every day. We are following the same procedures we are asking our patients to follow.

We are so grateful for every one of our patients, and this time away has only served to make us even more thankful for each of you. You are the life-force of our practice, and this is why we are taking your safety VERY seriously. We would ask for your patience and understanding. Expect that your treatment progress has been delayed, as has your estimated completion time. We wish that this was not the case, but it is. Please forgive us as we are focusing on getting each of you back on track while not exposing our team members or patients to unnecessary risk.  We are all in this together!

If you have any questions, please feel free to call our office (1-866-614-4434) or email info@shorelineorthodontics.com directly. Please also follow us on Facebook and Instagram for additional resources and check out our website at www.shorelineorthodontics.com for updates.

We can’t wait to see you!

Dr. Paul Helpard, Dr. Michelle Kosmowski, Dr. Megan McFadden, Dr. Erin Eyer and the entire Shoreline Orthodontics Team