Welcome Back Letter (COVID-19)

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few 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. Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice. Our office has rigorous sanitation and sterilization protocols, which we will be enhancing further. Prior to COVID-19 concerns, we already followed universal precautions as outlined by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We continue to follow the activities of these agencies, so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued.

On the afternoon of Friday May 8, 2020, the local restrictions of dental practices limiting patient appointments to emergency only visits was lifted. Our office will be taking the week of May 11, 2020 to train our staff on the new protocols, procedures, and regulations that have been implemented to ensure patient and staff safety as we resume normal operations.

On Monday May 18, 2020, our office will resume seeing non-emergency patients. [For dental hygiene appointments, these appointments may resume at a later date than May 18, 2020. More information to follow when available.]

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We are taking extended safety measures to further protect our patients and team by implementing the following protocols as recommended per the American Dental Association and other U.S. government agencies:

  • Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.
  • In compliance with the recommendations for public health, anyone with a cough or fever will not be allowed in the building and should stay home. We will be happy to reschedule your appointment for a later date.
  • We ask that you arrive 10 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment. We ask that upon arrival for your appointment, that you call our office (505) 292-2323 to notify our staff that you have arrived for your appointment and to identify your vehicle. A staff member will then greet you and escort you into the building for your appointment.
  • We will only allow one patient to enter the building at a time. The number of patients in the office will be limited and appointments will be staggered to further aid in social distancing.
  • You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and so forth, since those items can be difficult to clean and disinfect.
  • We will be routinely disinfecting common areas and high touch surfaces such as door handles and countertops.
  • We will have hand sanitizer that will be available for use as you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.
  • We will be taking patient temperatures as a routine screening measure.
  • Ideally, we ask that patients come to appointments without additional people accompanying them as to reduce the number of people in the reception area at any one time. If an additional person is needed to come to an appointment, we ask that only ONE additional person accompany a patient to an appointment.
  • Before you arrive for your appointment, please log in to your patient portal and complete any required forms. Use the address provided: padilladental.curveconnex.com
  • If payment is due at the time of your appointment, we will process your payment while you are in the operatory chair and email you a receipt for the payment.
  • The best way to book an appointment with us is over the phone. Our normal hours are Monday-Thursday from 7:30am-5pm. 

 As information continues to develop you can be assured that our safety measures will continue to evolve as needed. We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we are taking to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. 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, 
Drs. Christopher & Stephanie Padilla & Staff