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COVID-19 Protocol


Dear Patients:

We’re so very excited to see you again!  

COVID-19 Protective Protocol:

If you wake up with a flu-like symptom on the day of your appointment, please call and reschedule. Please reschedule if you have recently been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19 but have not yet completed the recommended 14-day self-quarantine. 

 Please call and reschedule if you answer affirmatively to the following:

         Do you have a fever, sore throat, runny nose, dry cough, chills, aching muscles, difficulty breathing, or any other flu-like symptom?

         Have you lost the sense of taste or smell?

         Within the last 14 days, have you travelled to a foreign country?

 

Please inform us if you have heart or kidney disease, diabetes, auto-immune disorders.

 *  If you are in a high-risk category, you might continue to shelter at home for a bit longer.  Let us know if you prefer to postpone an appointment.  We’ll be here when you are ready for us!

Plan to wear a face mask in public areas of the facility until such time as Governor Wolf lifts his mandate for businesses in PA.

If you prefer to avoid our reception area, you may call us from your cell phone when you arrive in our parking lot.  (Be patient.  Someone else may be calling us at the same time.  If you get our voice mail, wait a minute, and try again.  Better not to leave a message on our voice mail if you are in our parking lot.)  You may stay in your car, and we will call your cell when we are ready to take you directly to the treatment room.

You may wish to bring your own writing utensil (pen).

Please maintain social distancing at check-in and check-out

When we escort you to the treatment rooms, we will ask permission to read your temperature with a non-contact infrared thermometer.  If your temperature is elevated (100.4 degrees or higher), we will be grateful if you will reschedule.  We will also pose the screening questions listed above and will request you reschedule if necessary.  (Note that we as team members will have performed temperature scans on each other and responded to the same questions.)  We will ask you to wash your hands before we seat you in the operatory.

In order to reduce potential for surface contamination, we have temporarily removed all magazines from the reception area (bring your own reading material) and all toys from the children’s area (playroom temporarily closed).  We have removed all bottles of water from the refrigerator in the reception area (but will be happy to bring you a bottle if you ask). 

Always, as a professional dental establishment, we meticulously implement OSHA and CDC guidelines, placing and changing protective barriers and sterilizing all operatory surfaces between patients using optimal, current products manufactured and labeled specifically to be effective against COVID-19. 

We wipe/sterilize surfaces in common areas throughout the day with the same products noted above.  You can assist our efforts by not touching surfaces if possible.

We provide hand soap and sanitizers for your use in treatment rooms and common areas.

When we seat you in the operatory, we will ask you to rinse for 60+ seconds with ozonated water.  Ozone kills anaerobic pathogens like viruses that may be lingering in the oral environment.  (Offices that do not have ozone will be doing the pre-rinse with hydrogen-peroxide for 60 seconds at a concentration no less than 1% as per CDC recommendation.  We do have hydrogen-peroxide if you prefer.)  Rinse vigorously, one mouthful every 15 seconds, spit, repeat for a total of 4 times.  If you are able, gargle the liquid in your throat area.

We provide patient eye protection.

In the operatories, correct positioning of the high-volume intraoral evacuation suction will minimize aerosols by 90+%.  Also, as a mercury-safe dental practice, we routinely provide additional layers of protection; the technology and protocols designed to capture ambient mercury also capture aerosols and spatter, immediately, as it exits the mouth.  In addition, each restorative operatory has LG-2 IONIZERS from AESI-Air Defense in the ceilings that neutralize all airborne pathogens to .001 microns instantaneously through a continuous process of electrophoresis.  All six operatories are equipped with either an IQAir Dental Flex Vac or a DentAir Flex Vac extraoral dental suction system, featuring a series of prescreens and HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters and a self-supporting suction arm.  The vac captures 99+% of aerosol spatter, including viruses, bacteria, and microbial contaminates to 0.3 microns (and, of course, ambient mercury debris/vapor/particulates).  The 770 cfm, centrifugal, backward curved fan motor of each unit completely recycles operatory air up to 12 times per hour.  (See https://dentairvac.com for demo video.) We have a Grainger air filtration unit from E.L.Foust in our reception area, and we diffuse organic propolis in our KiScience unit in the reception area for its powerful anti-viral properties. 

Hygienists across the country will be hand scaling during cleaning visits for a number of months to avoid aerosol production.  Our hygienists will use the Cavitron only if required to dislodge calculus, in which case they will also employ the Flex Vac for an aerosol capture rate of over 99%.  Professionally removing plaque and tartar that shelter disease-producing bacteria will protect the health of your gums, tissues, and teeth, always vulnerable during times of stress.  We expect to resume cosmetic polishing – a courtesy that we know many of you enjoy - by your next hygiene visit.

To avoid a crowd at the desk, we may ask if we may call you to schedule your next appointment by phone.

 

Welcome back!  We missed you!

 

 

Notes from Anthony, our nutritionist, follow.  You CAN support your immune system from home.  Please consult your alternative healthcare provider for personalized recommendations and dosage.

Most viral entry occurs through improperly functioning or broken cell membranes.  The coronavirus causing COVID-19 is unique in that it does not enter through broken cell walls.  Rather, it gains entry to our cells by attaching to two cell proteins.

Vitamin D3: 

One cell protein is a vitamin D-sensitive receptor… the ACE2 receptor.  When body vitamin D3 levels are high, this receptor site is closed, preventing viral entry.  Most individuals are chronically deficient in vitamin D, leaving cellular ACE2 receptors vulnerable.  Optimal blood levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D are 60-80 nanograms/milliliter.  Taking 5,000IUs – 25,000IUs a day should be fine for most individuals.  Some practitioners recommend dosages as high as 50,000IUs.  You cannot overdose on vitamin D3.

Vitamin C: 

The other cell protein (furin cleavage) is commonly present on ALL cells and contains high histamine-releasing cells.  If the virus enters through the furin cleavage, it provokes an inflammatory response that incites the notorious cytokine storm.  High dose vitamin C, along with other nutrients, shuts down the cytokine storm. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7172861/?fbclid=IwAR1KlxEqNCmJ4mrSqOLeacNue6gtpVR6d9z0icFDLi4AZdSB6d0JAshLRuQ)

Vitamin C is always going to be one of the best antioxidants for overall immune system support.  1,000mg daily should be a baseline with 3,000mg spread throughout the day as an optimal goal.  Many practitioners are suggesting well above this dosage (especially if they administer IV Vit C drip). 

The functioning immune system of a healthy person can RECOGNIZE the pathogen, CONJUGATE it, and PRESENT it to the macrophages for elimination.

COVID-19 resides in the posterior pharynx for four days before it infects the lungs.  It can be neutralized during this incubation period with ozone or hydrogen peroxide.   

Zinc:  Zinc is a mineral that supports immune function.  Recommended dose is 20mg daily.  Needs a transport agent to get intracellular.  Consult your healthcare provider.

Vitamin A: Vitamin A is beneficial to all mucus membranes.  Recommended dose, especially when experiencing flu-like symptoms or mucus membrane irritation, is 50,000 - 75,000 IUs per day.

Magnesium: 400mg per day.

Potassium

Selenium: 100 micrograms per day.

Anti-Viral Herbs and Essential Oils: echinacea, oregano oil, elderberry.

Carotenoids and Flavonoids: As always, maintain a consistent nutritional intake of organic, green leafy and colorful vegetables to provide your system with powerful nutrients to support overall health.

Colostrum: 1 tsp, 2 times a day of Colostrum-LD powder.

Bone Broth:  Besides the multiple direct health benefits provided by broth, the coronavirus hates heat and dies when exposed to temperatures greater than 80°F (27°C).  Hot broth can be consumed daily for anti-viral purpose.

 

NOTE:  Sugar consumption and stress drastically reduce overall immune system function.