Our Safety Protocols in Farmington, CT


Farmington Emergency Dentistry Services

Our office is thoroughly sanitized, our staff wears proper protective equipment, and we have processes in place to ensure proper social distancing. We also actively monitor temperatures and screen for COVID-19 for all patients and staff members. Additionally we have transitioned to an entirely paperless business model to reduce the risk of cross contamination. All of these precautions are taken to promote the safety of our patients, staff, family and friends.


Personal Protective Equipment and Office Cleanliness


Due to the stringent protocols that we will be following, Dental Associates will not be able to see any person without an appointment until further notice. Our protocols are very stringent to protect us all. They also do not allow for walk-in patients, the purchase of items from the store or account/scheduling concerns. Please call the office before showing up if you do not have a scheduled appointment. All questions related to billing, payments and scheduling will be handled over the phone.

We have used this time away from the office devising numerous protocols to help us practice dentistry as safely as possible. We would like to share with you some of the steps we’ve taken. The primary strategies used to fight any transmissible disease in a dental setting include: proper hand hygiene, proper surface disinfection and proper use of personal protective equipment.

  • Hand hygiene has always been an important part of our approach to treating patients. There will be hand sanitizer throughout the office. Please use some upon entering the building.
  • Common areas in the office will be sanitized multiple times throughout the day using the same antiviral disinfectants used in treatment areas. We are bringing the already high level of disinfection practices we use clinically, to our common spaces on a routine basis.
  • We know that personal protective equipment works. You will see major changes to the type of personal protective equipment and protocols used in the office by the staff, hygienists and doctors. Clinical staff will be using N-95 type masks, gloves, face shields, goggles, full length gowns as well as head coverings.
  • We also ask that any person entering Dental Associates building be wearing a face covering. If you can not comply with this for any reason, please call and discuss with us before you enter the building for your appointment.

COVID-19 has motivated us to become entirely paperless.  You can complete your medical history, request appointments and pay bills online. 


Office Visit COVID-19 Protocols


We are looking forward to seeing you soon. So you will know what to expect, we would like to share with you our specific safety protocol for office visits. Please note that no exceptions to these special precautions will be made. Please plan accordingly.

1. Patients are asked to present for their appointments at their scheduled time. Upon arrival please wait in your car until your appointment time. We will call you when it is time to come in to the office.

2. We will review the COVID-19 screening questions with you over the phone. A positive response to one of the questions will necessitate rescheduling of your appointment. These will be the same questions our staff asks you when they confirm your appointment over the phone.

3. Only patients receiving treatment should enter the office. Anyone else accompanying a patient to an appointment should remain outside in their vehicle.

4. We will meet you at the door and escort you in to the building. Once inside the building we will record your temperature with a contact-free thermal scanner. A temperature reading of 100ºF or higher will require rescheduling of your appointment.

5. Following the completion of your treatment staff will escort you to the door. We are unable to allow use of the reception area for patients to wait for any reason.

6. There will be no in-person interaction between patients and secretarial staff. The scheduling of future appointments and payments for services will be handled over the phone.

Thank you for your patience with this process. We are committed to provide you and our staff with the safest possible environment at Dental Associates.


Health Screening for Patients and Staff


Having you feel safe is our highest priority – and we know it is yours too. We are devoted to helping each patient stay on track with their oral health care. To that end the day prior to your visit to the office you will be contacted by our secretarial staff and asked a number of questions:

  • Have you or someone you have close contact with been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 14 days?
  • Have you felt feverish in the past 14 days?
  • Have you recently experienced a loss of sense of taste or smell?
  • Have you recently suffered from shortness of breathe without cause?
  • Have you recently experienced flu-like symptoms?
  • Have you been tested for COVID-19? If so, when and what were the results?
  • Do you have any concerns about a visit to our office?

These questions are our first line of defense in minimizing the spread of COVID-19, please take them seriously. In addition to the phone call interview, upon your arrival at the office your dentist or hygienist will also review these same questions with you.

An additional method of screening we will use at the office is actively monitoring temperatures for all patients and staff members. A temperature reading of over 100º will mean your appointment will be rescheduled.

A positive response to any of the questions or a temperature reading over 100º will necessitate rescheduling an appointment at a future date.

These screening tools help keep the office safe for you as a patient, as well as a safe place for the staff, hygienists and doctors to work. We have missed you and look forward to seeing you again soon.


Help us communicate with you


Our preferred and most effective form of communication is email. If you have received this communication at an email address that you’d prefer not to use, please reply with updated information. Please pass this along to your family members who are also patients at our office so that if they need to update their email address they can do so. The emails you receive will contain important information on new office policies and procedures which will make your visits to the office as easy as possible.

Please continue to take all precautions you can to protect yourselves, your families and your neighbors. We love dentistry and have missed seeing you.