29 April 2020

Dear Patient

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and we are all looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. Unfortunately this will not happen for some time. While many things have changed, one thing has remains the same: our commitment to your dental care and, now more than ever, your safety.

Our practice will open on 4 May 2020: Due to Government restrictions for different levels of lockdown, not all routine treatments will be available. We will do our utmost to manage your oral health to the best level possible during these times.

Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We will follow the additional Covid-19 infection control procedures  in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which are all guidelines from America. I have also followed advice from guidelines given by SADA (The South African Dental Association), SASPIO (The South African Society for Periodontics, Implantology and Oral Medicine) of which I am a previous President and current EXCO member). We follow the guidance of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or recommendations which may be issued. We made these changes to help protect you, our other patients and staff

Please keep to the following instructions when visiting our practice:

• Before you appointment: Please go to our website www.johannlochner.com and complete the online Covid 19 questionnaire and submit it online.  It will be under the Heading COVID 19. WE will print this document at the surgery for final completion by the clinician with whom you have the appointment.
• When you arrive at the practice, DO NOT PROCEED TO THE WAITING ROOM. Please wait in your car until we phone you. When we phone you, please leave all valuables, especially your phone, in your car, put your home made mask on and enter the gated, wooden deck area outside the practice front door. PLEASE DO NOT PROCEED THROUGH THE PRACTICE FRONT GLASS DOOR. 

• While in this wooden decked area, please use the available hand sanitizer and wait for your clinician to come and greet you. He/she will go over the screening questions with you AGAIN and take your temperature (we will use a thermometer away from your forehead). If your screening process results are satisfactory, you will be escorted to the surgery for your treatment. 
• If any of the screening processes show that you have an elevated risk of being Covid-19 positive, we would not be able to see you for your appointment will be rescheduled. Please do not blame staff if this is the case, such a decision is made in your, the community and staff’s best interest.
• In the surgery we will ask you to rinse with a Peroxide mouthwash. If you are allergic to Peroxide, please indicate this to the clinician and you will be asked to rinse with an alternative.
• After treatment you will be taken to the reception area. Please keep a 1.5 meter distance from other patients and reception staff while waiting for your account to be finalized and appointments scheduled.
• We would prefer if treatment is paid by EFT before your appointment. Alternatively Credit Card payments will be processed manually, for which you will need to provide your Credit Card number and 3 or 4 digit CCV number. This way we can make sure the Receptionist is the only person to touch the credit card machine and eliminate the need for her or yourself to handle cash or your credit card.
• When you get home, it is good practice to (a) sanitize your car (b) strip your clothes and put through a high temperature wash cycle (c) take a shower/bath and wash your hair. This is currently the standard suggested procedure to follow after going for essential shopping.

If YOU or ANY person that you are in contact with falls ill with COVID 19 during the 14 days after your visit to our rooms, could you please contact the surgery URGENTLY so we can update our records.

By making an appointment you verify and acknowledge that you have read this document and accept our terms of management.

We look forward to seeing you and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. We would also value feedback to improve our service to you in these difficult times.

Yours Sincerely,

Dr Johann Lochner (Specialist in Oral Medicine and Periodontics)

Dr Alet Lochner (CBCT and advanced Radiology)

Ms Stefanie Engelbrecht (Oral Hygienist)

Ms Esther Labushagne (Oral Hygienist)

Ms Marlize van der Berg (Oral Hygienist)

Ms Lisa Barker (Receptionist)

Ms Sanette Geldenhuys (Administration and Chairside Assistant)

Ms Annelize Mouton (Chairside Assistant)

Ms Madelyne Quinmann (Cleaning and Sterilisation)

COVID-19 Patient Screening Document

Kindly provide us with the following information before arriving for your appointment.