Dear Patients and Friends,
Per Governor Holcomb’s Announcement on Monday, April 20th, Dental Practices in Indiana will be able to resume regular operations next week. We have evaluated our PPE supplies and updated our procedures and protocols and feel it is safe to resume operations, with some limitations. We will reopen to routine patient care on Tuesday, April 28th. We will continue to be open to emergencies until then.

As I am sure you have heard ad nauseam, there will be a “new normal” in coming weeks and months. Things will look and feel a little different, but please take comfort knowing that all of these changes and precautions are intended for the highest level of safety of our patients and staff. We ask for your cooperation and patience as we all navigate these uncharted waters together.

We Request Your Cooperation on the Following:

• If you have an appointment scheduled on Tuesday, April 28th or after, please let us know if you plan to come to your appointment. We have six weeks’ worth of patients we need to reschedule from our closure, so your confirmation is important to us. Our staff may be in contact with you to confirm these appointments.
• If you had an appointment scheduled during our closure, please call us and we are happy to assist you to get it rescheduled. Our staff will also be working through those cancelled appointments to accommodate everyone.
• If you have developed any dental concerns during our closure, please call us and we will get you scheduled.
• Please call us when you arrive for your appointment, and wait in your vehicle. We will call you as soon as your provider and treatment room are ready for you.
• Please refrain from bringing companions or persons not receiving treatment to appointments.
• Upon Arrival, we will be taking temperatures on all patients. If you have a fever over 99.5, or display any symptoms consistent with a viral infection, you will be asked to reschedule. We ask that all patients wash their hands or use hand sanitizer upon arrival.
• If you have had symptoms consistent with COVID-19, such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, or a positive COVID-19 test, we ask that you refrain from coming to our office until you are 72 hours fever free without fever reducing medications, and 14 days after diagnosis. Similarly, if you have been in close contact with anyone who is symptomatic or has tested positive, please reschedule your appointment to at least 14 days after last contact with that person and as long as you remain symptom free. If you are unsure, please call and we will be happy to assist you.
• There may be some dental procedures we are unable to perform at this time, and we ask for your patience and cooperation as we consider alternative treatments.

Additional Precautions:

We will be implementing some additional precautions to control aerosol production during procedures. This may involve the use of additional high speed suction/evacuation, the use of non-latex dental dams, and various isolation devices. We will also be allowing extra time between appointments for additional disinfection procedures to keep everyone safe. Dentistry has a long and rich history of “universal precautions” and the highest level of sterilization and disinfection. None of this has changed. We have just added some additional procedures for everyone’s safety.

You will notice we will be wearing significantly more personal protective equipment than you are used to. Please do not be alarmed by our additional gear, and we apologize in advance that you may not be able to see our normal smiling faces. We hope you will hear our smiles in our voices, and we all hope to return to “normal” in the not so distant future!!

Thank you all for your support and patience during this unprecedented time.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Dr. Lori Shattuck