Rock River Dental Newsletter: 1st Quarter 2020
Dear Valued Patients:
We hope this newsletter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last couple of months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.
For the past 20 years, Rock River Dental has taken great pride in treating our patients compassionately and safely. We have always maintained strict adherence to regulations from the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Universal precautions and infection control procedures have been and will remain our top priority. We have and will continue to follow the activities of the ADA, CDC, and OSHA so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We will always continue to do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to each agencies’ recommendations.
So, what is different now? Any of you who may have been treated in any of our clinics since March 16th will have noticed differences before ever arriving. Over the phone, we are asking universally accepted screening questions to increase safety for all. We are also requesting those who can arrive alone for their appointment to do so. We are limiting only one patient in the waiting room at a time unless a guardian is required for a minor patient or special needs. At this time, we may also ask you to wait in your car until we call you for your individual appointment time. We encourage you to wear a face-covering into our clinic and we will have you use hand sanitizer when you enter and leave the building. We expect these steps to continue for the foreseeable future.
Commonly touched surfaces such as door handles and counter-tops are disinfected after each patient. We have removed reading materials from our clinics to further minimize transmission of the Covid-19 virus. We are constantly re-evaluating scheduling, staffing, and other items to adhere to the recommendations we have all been practicing in the last several weeks. We will also do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.
As a staff, we are all starting each day by taking our own temperatures. We will also take your temperature when you arrive. We are requiring all staff to report if they are feeling ill, have a fever or cough and to remain home for the recommended period of time.
Our level of PPE (personal protective equipment) has been enhanced in accordance with the most recent recommendations. Our patient coordinators will be wearing face masks and practicing social distancing when they greet you. Rest assured, it is the same warm, caring person it has always been.
Additionally, our clinical staff: assistants, hygienists, and dentists will all be wearing the most effective, CDC approved, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) available. Face shields are now recommended, so our clinical staff will be wearing shields for every appointment, as well as the recommended masks. New regulations have been instituted for gowns. As a result, we will be wearing additional, either disposable or washable, jackets, scrubs, or gowns and they will be changed after each patient. Regulations on a federal and state level are still being clarified and if modified please know that we will adhere to them.
Although we may “look a little different”, we are still the same caring, skilled people you have come to know and trust.
Another change we have implemented is a pre-procedure mouth rinse. Immediately before any procedure, we will give you 10ml of a 1.5% hydrogen peroxide rinse. We will ask you to rinse for 30 seconds with 5ml and spit out, and repeat with the other 5ml. The goal is to lessen any virus particles in saliva being spread into the air.
As we anticipate returning to a more normal level of dental care, please know we are following all guidelines associated with preventing the spread of Covid-19. As further clarifications and changes are made, we will be implementing those as well. We are working daily to not only implement, but also to anticipate further precautions. Above are just a few on the list of topics we are addressing, however, knowing they are the most visible changes, we wanted to touch on them specifically.
We are just now starting to get back to a normal schedule, however, because of the backlog of patient appointments, it may take some time to get to those routine appointments we had to cancel during the shutdown. We are rescheduling those appointments the best that we can. If you have not heard from us yet, please do not hesitate to reach out.
As always, please contact us at any time with dental emergencies or with any questions or concerns. Also, if you don’t have an emergency but have been waiting for treatment and would like to be seen soon, please contact us so that we can accommodate you.
We look forward to seeing you again 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 have staff available to answer your questions at 920-563-4415 or email at rockriverdental@gmail.com.
Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors, and friends.
Warmest Regards,
Dr. Showalter, Dr. Trimbell and your Rock River Dental Team
What’s Been Happening at RRD?
January:
In January we celebrated Jamie’s Birthday, Connie’s 5 year Anniversary, Katie’s 9 year Anniversary, and welcomed Sol to our office as a new Dental Assistant!
February –
We enjoyed watching Dr. Showalter’s son,Joey, on his journey to the Wisconsin High School State Wrestling Tournament. Joey is a sophomore and placed 5th in the 106 lb weight class. We are so proud of him!
March –
In March we celebrated Kathy’s birthday, Dental Assistant Week, Dentist Day, and welcomed Julie as a new Patient Care Coordinator. We got to celebrate some of these days in person, but unfortunately, we had to celebrate “virtually” for the others as the Safer At Home Order was enacted.
We also had a little fun with Dentist Day which just so happened to also fall on Oreo Cookie Day! Click on the link below to watch!
https://www.facebook.com/rockriverdentalwi/videos/193095312033466/
Welcome Julie!
April –
While we were all “Safer At Home” there were still reasons to celebrate but we had to do so in a “no contact” way 😉! It was no joke that on April Fools Day, Marketing Director, Amy celebrated 2 years at Rock River Dental and was treated to a “porch delivery!”
We also celebrated National Dental Hygienist Week, and Connie’s Birthday(EDS-Emergency Donut Service from Bon Ton Bakery), Administrative Professionals Day, and Kathy’s 17th work anniversary!
May –
May was all about celebrating Hometown Heroes, Small Businesses, Graduating Seniors, some special work anniversaries and a birthday!
The first week of May we ran a series of Facebook contests honoring some special days as well as Small Business Week. We thank everyone who submitted nominations. We were not only able to honor a lot of folks, but we were also able to support our small businesses that have suffered loss of revenue due to the shut downs.
Our gift certificate winners were as follows:
FireFighter – Dion Brown – Soups On
Small Business Winner – Tracey Bente – Big Bar
Nurse – Samantha Fuller – Beauty and The Bean
Teacher – Mandy Tamblyn – Rock River Lanes
Police Officer – Ryan Wagner – Paddy Coughlins
Dog Rescue – Margaret Bare – Paddy’s Paws
Our Senior Spotlights –
Jeffrey Zeh – Jefferson High School
Mya Olszak – Fort Atkinson High School
Nolan Volquardsen -Fort Atkinson High School
Blake Fehly – Fort Atkinson High School
Ali Showalter – Elkhorn High School
Morgan Miles – Fort Atkinson High School
Courtney (8) and Lu(44) both celebrated anniversaries and Dr. Trimbell a birthday!
Some Friday Fun!! – Many of us learned some new skills while we were at home the past few months. Some of the gals tried their hand at a Tik Tok! Click Link Below!
https://www.facebook.com/rockriverdentalwi/videos/1110879179295866/
Giving Back-
One of the most anticipated days of the year in our office is “Give Kids a Smile Day” that is held in February. This is one of the many ways we enjoy giving back to the community. On Give Kids a Smile Day we offer free dental care for local underserved children. Our staff generously donates their time for the day. We offer cleanings, x-rays, fluoride treatment and any necessary dental work they may need done. It is such a rewarding day for our staff! Here are some pictures from this year’s event.
Tell Us How We Did!
One of the best ways to support a small business is to leave a positive review. If you were pleased with our services, we would greatly appreciate a review on Facebook , Yelp or Google . If you were unhappy in any way, please let us know! We want to make sure our patients are 100% satisfied 100% of the time!
Featured Review
“I was having extreme pain in a molar and I couldn’t get in to my Dentist for a week. My wife called Rock River and said I wasn’t a patient but could they see me. They said yes immediately, and got me in the same day. The Dentist explained what was wrong and was able to fix it during the appointment. This will be where my family comes from now on. Thank you!”
-Mike G., Fort Atkinson, WI
Don’t Forget!
*No Insurance, No Problem! Ask us about our Dental Savings Plan!
*You can use your Flex and HSA money on Invisalign!
*Save time with SAME DAY CROWNS!
*Sleep Apnea testing available
*Save 20% on your next Botox visit when you book the same day
*We have three effective ways for you to Whiten and Brighten your teeth
We are thinking of all of you during this time. Please stay safe and healthy. Enjoy your summer!