COVID-19 Information

The health and safety of our staff and patients is our primary concern here at Heinle Dental. We want to first and foremost thank all of our patients who have continued to support us during this time.

The CDC (Centers of Disease Control), the ADA (American Dental Society) and the NYSDA (New York State Dental Association) have all recommended certain necessary precautions that dental offices in NYS should take prior to reopening to stop the spread of Covid 19 during dental procedures.

The concern with dental offices is that during certain procedures, aerosols are emitted into the air potentially contaminating the surrounding office spaces with Covid 19 virus from asymptomatic patients.

To combat the spread of Covid 19, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) facemasks and gloves are mandatory for all dental staff while in the office. Temperature checks for both staff and patients are taken on each patient & staff member every day and any person with a temp of 100.4 cannot come into the office and may not return for 14 days. Social distancing is practiced and no more than one or two patients/guests may be allowed to sit in the waiting room and must keep a mask on and at least 6 feet from anyone. Also, everyone entering the office must wear a face covering while in the office building (they can remove them only while undergoing dental treatment). Everyone entering the office must also wash their hands thoroughly or use hand sanitizer before and after their scheduled appointments. Sanitized protective eyewear is always made available to all patients. Face shields, full coverage washable gowns and washable head coverings are also recommended for dental providers and staff but not mandatory.

Heinle Dental has chosen to follow the highest recommendation of PPE including, masks, gloves, eye protection, disposable/washable gowns, disposable/washable head coverings, plastic face shields.

Also, air purification & medical grade suction units were also recommended but not necessary – the doctor was given the choice whether to follow all the CDC recommendations or not based on his/her professional opinion. And, the doctor is usually the only staff member to carry liability (Malpractice) insurance coverage.

Along with the highest recommended PPE precautions, Heinle Dental has decided to install the highest quality air purifiers with HEPA filtration and UV-C disinfectant that turns over air volume completely in each treatment room continuously in under ten minutes. Also, our new air conditioning unit had the highest quality HEPA filtration and UV disinfection installed. A cold fogging disinfection spray is used in all areas of our office twice daily at lunchtime and the end of day.

We want to thank you again for your continued patience, understanding and support. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.