The entire team at Beach Braces would like to say thank you for your continuous support and patience as we try to navigate our way through the Coronavirus pandemic. Obviously we are going through unchartered waters and everyone is somewhat unsure about how to behave and what to do or what to avoid. For us here, the first and foremost concern is protecting your health and safety when you return to our orthodontic office in the Toronto Beaches.

As our doors are about to officially reopen (as permitted by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario), we at Beach Braces have put a lot of effort into implementing new changes for everyone’s health and safety. These changes may seem strict, but they are in place to keep you all safe. Many of them are legislated. It is very important that you are familiar with these. Here is what you can expect:

• You will be contacted by telephone to schedule your first visit back. You will be pre-screened with some medical questions, and you will be given an appointment. Walk-ins will not be admitted under any circumstances, even for simple inquiries.
• We strongly recommend that you arrive 10 minutes early if possible
• Upon arrival, please send a text message to the office main phone line (416 690-4540) including the name of the patient and that you have arrived. We will respond with a link to an online screening questionnaire that you can complete on your data-enabled mobile device and submit back to us. In the case of a minor patient, the form must be filled out by a legal guardian.
• Please wait in your vehicle. This is your personal waiting room.
• Once we have received the screening information and we are ready, we will invite the patient in.
• Patients should ideally enter the office alone. Parents or siblings will not be permitted inside the office. Very young patients, or patients with special needs may be accompanied in the clinic by a single responsible party. Children booked for a new patient exam or recall may also be accompanied by one responsible party. All parties accompanying a patient into the clinic will also need to be screened before entering – no exceptions!
• Anyone entering the clinic will be required to wear a mask/face covering. We ask that patients continue to wear their masks until they arrive at their dental chair. We recommend that they bring a Ziploc bag or clean container to store their mask while they are being treated, as they will need to replace it before leaving the dental chair.
• Upon arrival at the office door, patients’ hands will be sanitized, and patients’ temperature will be taken with a contactless thermometer.
• Social distancing will be in effect throughout the appointment. We will have a one-way direction of travel through the office, and patients will be guided to specific marked standing areas as they travel.
• The games/toys area, our tooth brushing area, and the coffee area will be closed. All patients should take the time to thoroughly brush and floss before their visit. Please note that the patient washroom is also closed as part of Covid-19 control measures.
• We have spent many hours designing new workflows to maintain distance. We have adapted our communication systems. We have invested in air filtration systems for the clinic. Our team is now fully trained.
• We are testing several systems to allow for good communication between the clinic and waiting parents. Ideally, if patients can have a mobile phone when they enter it can be used to communicate information, if necessary, directly from the treatment room to the parent/guardian outside.
• As usual, at the completion of the appointment, patients will be given their next appointment on a ticket. As minors will be unaccompanied, parents can telephone us to reschedule appointments that are inconvenient. Appointments will be scheduled farther apart to promote social distancing. We will be seeing fewer patients per hour. Please understand that we will no longer be able to pack our schedule tightly to see the majority of our patients after school. This is the new reality to keep everyone safe. We are all trying to get used to the changes.
• Finally, patients will sanitize their hands as they exit the office.
• Please note that we will require that patients who experience COVID-19 symptoms within 14 days after their appointment contact us.

Please be patient with us if we make adjustments to these systems early on. We will continue to adapt to maximize our patient experience, while ensuring safety for all. We cannot wait to see all of you back!

If you have any questions about the current state of your treatment or are looking for orthodontics, braces or Invisalign in Toronto – please email or call us at (416) 690-4540.

– Your Beach Braces Team