03 Jun How COVID-19 Has Changed Your Dental Appointment

COVID-19 has had a huge impact on how we go about our daily lives and dentists’ offices are no exception. Our teams at both Knoxville Dental locations want you to know that we’re doing everything we can to keep you and our staff safe by following the ADA’s guidelines for dental practices. Thank you for your patience as we adjust to continue bringing you the safest and best dental care possible. 

Before You Arrive

To help your appointment go as quickly as possible, we are encouraging you to fill out your online forms or paperwork before you come to our offices. Patients of Knoxville East can access their patient paperwork here, and patients of Knoxville West can access patient paperwork here. A staff member will also be available to help with these when you get to our offices if you have any questions or concerns.

When You Arrive

Our regular waiting rooms at both locations are closed until further notice due to COVID-19, but our intake process is a bit different at both locations. For Knoxville East, we are asking you to wait in your car and call the front desk. Tell the staff member which vehicle you are in and they will come out to greet you as well as walk you through the new appointment process.

You will check in as normal at Knoxville West. Once you’ve checked in, you will be asked to wait outside of the office for your appointment. We have limited this area to two chairs in order to aid in social distancing.

Please arrive 15 minutes before your appointment is scheduled. This will help us to get everything ready for you and provide the fastest service possible.

Before You Come Inside

One of our staff members will take your temperature once your paperwork is complete. This is to make sure that you’re not running a fever, which is one of the common symptoms of COVID-19. Face masks are also required to enter and exit our locations. Both of these measures are in place to help protect you, future patients, and our staff from COVID-19 infection.

Visitors and Caregivers

Depending on location, we are currently asking anyone who may be with you to wait in your car or outside the office. They will not be able to wait inside or come into the procedure room with you due to limited space. However, we are allowing caregivers to come in if necessary. Just keep in mind that they will have to go through the same screening process as you, including having their temperature checked and wearing a mask when they enter and exit the office.

Changes We’ve Made to Our Offices

We’ve been making changes to our offices and staff protocols to better protect everyone from the coronavirus. Along with requiring our staff to wear face masks, we have installed plexiglass dividers between the waiting area and front desk as an added precautionary measure. We’re also excited to announce that both offices feature a new air filtration system. This system meets clinical office standards and is designed to eliminate up to 99% of viruses and germs in the air.

Canceled Appointments Due to COVID-19

Our staff is currently in the process of reaching out to patients whose appointments were canceled due to COVID-19. We have a lot of catching up to do and we appreciate your patience and flexibility while rescheduling. Please call or email us if you aren’t contacted by someone from our offices in the near future.

Knoxville Dental has offices in West and East Knoxville to better serve you. To schedule for questions or to schedule an appointment with Knoxville West, call us at (865) 691-1121 or shoot us an email at smile@danhthompsondds.com. For Knoxville East, call us (865) 544-1711 or email us at dentacareeastknox@gmail.com.