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Guidelines to open Rafati Orthodontics

We wish you all safety and good health. We miss you. We are looking forward to reopening the office and caring for you in a safe clinical environment. Thank you all for your patience in these challenging times, and all the good wishes that continue to pour in. We will start scheduling soon and request your patience as we are planning. All of our patients will be about one and a half cycles behind. I will do all that I can to make up for the delay.

We will return to practice safely by strictly following the guidelines set by the CDC and the California Dental Association. Universal precaution has been the hallmark of our practice and will remain essential as a top priority. However, under the umbrella of universal precaution, we have formulated a new patient treatment model consistent with social distancing guidelines.

Air born contagion primarily spreads by aerosol generation in dental practices. We will avoid generating these aerosols by limiting the use of the dental handpiece and the air-water syringe in the clinic. We have acquired two medical-grade purifiers that will go above and beyond what is required by regulatory agencies at this time:

• The first medical-grade air purifier system with hyper HEPA filtration that filters 99.5% of all particles down to 0.003 microns (10x smaller than a virus) and can purify the air in the clinic 8-10 times an hour. 
• The second air purifier is a photocatalytic oxidation technology that actively purifies the air and sanitizes the surfaces throughout the indoor environment. It disperses air-cleaning molecule into the environment, a continuous of multi-clustered ions which attach and destroy contaminants and pathogens. This purifier is safe for both humans and animals. It kills viruses and bacteria in the air and on the surfaces by more than 99.6%.

I have reduced the number of staff present in the office, and only RDA’s will be present in the office. The rest of the team will work from home. I want to reduce the number of patients and family members in the office as well. The office phone number is now text enabled to receive a text and respond to requests and appointments. We will be closing the front desk area, and all of our communication will be through text, email, and phone. Here is how the new flow will be:

1. Patients should wait in the parking lot and text our office number (408-226-1234) after arrival. 
2. We will text them back and let them know when to enter the office to avoid any cross path with other patients.
3. We recommend parents to stay in the car. For our younger patients, one parent can accompany the patient to the office. However, communal places will no longer be available.
4. Patients and parents must wear a mask before entering the office. They will complete a questionnaire, and their temperature will be measured.
5. Patients who come alone to the office should communicate with their parents via a cell phone. This way, we can also answer any questions parents may have during the appointment.
6. Patients will brush and floss at home. Patients and parents will use hand sanitizer before and after entering the office. Patients will rinse with 1.5% hydrogen peroxide before starting their orthodontic procedure.
7. We will contact the parent or the patient to set up the follow-up appointment via text or email.

There will be known and unknown risks with this novel virus, as we all know. However, we will try our best to create a safe environment for everyone and hope that you comply with our recommendations and procedures. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

We are looking forward to seeing you soon.

Sima Rafati

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