Patient Safety for Chapel Hill

At Chapel Hill Advanced Dentistry, Dr. Bilal Saib and team want you to know we’re doing everything possible to ensure your health and safety whenever you spend time with us. Please remember that now more than ever, we’ll continue never to compromise when it comes to protecting your oral and overall health. Every appointment, every visit to your office, we want you to feel comfortable and safe.

Pre-Screening Before Your Appointment

The day before your scheduled appointment at our Chapel Hill dental office, you should receive a confirmation call from us. During this time, one of our team members will now be asking you to answer some COVID-19-related, pre-screening questions. This added step is part of the guidelines we are following closely set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Dental Association, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The questions give us more information about you, including:

• Recent history of fevers or high temperatures
• Evidence of stomach or gastrointestinal issues
• Loss of taste or sense of smell
• Contact with other people and COVID-19
• Your past travels to infected regions

We ask that you wear a mask to the office on the day of your visit. When you arrive, a team member will go over this health questionnaire a second time to see if you’ve had any changes. We ask that you wear your mask until you’re prepped, ready, and in the chair for treatment.

Sterilization and Disinfection Protocols

In addition to the already strict and stringent sterilization and disinfection rules we have in place, we’ve also added some extra steps. One of the good things about how our dental office in Chapel Hill is designed is that our treatment rooms are not bays, so this means contamination between rooms is not possible. All of our treatment areas will be cleaned thoroughly and disinfected between patients. During this time, the rooms will receive a 7-minute run of high-flow air filtration to remove any particles in the air. We’ll change into a fresh gown and face shield for every patient. All of these steps have helped us eliminate cross-contamination between patients through surface contact or ambient air in our rooms.

Our instruments, as always, are also highly sterilized and disinfected in between patient appointments. All tools are placed in our autoclave, where they’re thoroughly cleaned with high heat to kill bacteria, viruses, molds, and fungi. All disposable items are removed. We’ll continue to follow all guidelines and current medical infection control standards.

Personal Protective Equipment and Appointments

To take your keeping you safe even one step further, you’ll notice that our team will now be wearing some different gear. We’ll be wearing full hospital-grade surgical gowns, face shields, and KN95 masks to help keep you protected from viral particles floating around in the air.

We appreciate your patience during these ever-evolving times. As we become accustomed to our new sterilization and disinfection efforts, we know we will get used to this new normal or routine. In the beginning, there may be more time in between appointments to allow for these extra steps. We’ll also be charging patients a nominal $15 fee for our PPE. We’ll even file this with your dental insurance company.

No matter what happens in the future, we’re here for you and your family with professional yet compassionate dental care. We care deeply about our Chapel Hill community and your health. If you have any questions or concerns about an upcoming appointment, please feel free to reach out to us online or by phone at 919-933-3388.