Covid-19

Serving the Kalamazoo/Portage and surrounding area

You may be wondering what precautions our office is taking to ensure your safety. While the appointment process may look a little different, don’t worry, our office has always been on the front lines of preventing the spread of diseases. From treatment and waiting room disinfection to the strict use of personal protective equipment (PPE), the safety of patients and staff members continues to be of utmost importance.

During the COVID-19 crisis and beyond, the safety of patients and staff continues to be a top priority:

Before, during and after treatment:

When it comes to preventing the spread of disease, rest assured that we have always been strict on universal precautions. Precautions have always included the use of masks, glasses, gloves, sterile instruments and devices as well as clean and disinfected environmental surfaces.

Additionally, frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, chairs, desks and bathrooms are cleaned and disinfected often. Other objects that may be difficult to disinfect, such as magazines, reading material and refreshment stations, may even be removed all together.

The process may look a little different:

While your check-in may involve a few extra steps this will help ensure the safety of patients and staff. For instance, the process may include screening and triage questions, waiting in your vehicle versus the waiting room, checking your temperature or asking that you follow social distancing and infection control etiquette. We may recommend against bringing companions to appointments, unless necessary. If companions do accompany patients, they may also be screened during patient check-in.

During your appointment, you may be asked to use an antiseptic rinse, which just helps bring down the amount of germs and viruses in the mouth to a lower level. There may be less patients in the office at one time to promote social distancing. If you have any questions or concerns, our team is available to provide answers.

Covid-19

In light of the recent events related to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, we want to make sure all patients coming into the office are healthy and symptom free. If you have the following, please contact our office to reschedule your appointment:

  • a respiratory illness, cough, fever
  • returned from a high-risk area within the past 2 weeks
  • been in contact with anyone who has been exposed to the Coronavirus
  • been in contact with anyone who has flu-like or respiratory symptoms

We are committed to taking all precautions to make sure our patients, their families, and our staff are safe.  If you have any questions please call our office first at 382-3125.

PRE-APPOINTMENT ASSESSMENT

We are also asking all patients to fill out the following form prior to their scheduled appointments. If any of the answers are yes, we need you to contact our office to reschedule your appointment.

Covid-19 Questionnaire

/docs/Covid-19.pdf


Patients that a new to our office:
Patient Forms
Please print and fill out these forms so we can expedite your first visit:


In order to view or print these forms you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. Click here to download it.



What To Expect
Being well-prepared for your appointment will ensure that the doctor has all of the needed information to provide the best possible care for you. It also will help relieve any unnecessary anxiety you may be feeling. Educate yourself on your symptoms by reviewing the content on this Web site. Also, take some time to review our staff page and familiarize yourself with the doctors. We look forward to your first visit.


" Mangled Care"

Why Can't I Find Your Name On My List?
We are occasionally asked why we don't participate in a particular insurance plan, or if we would begin to participate in a plan that is cheaper for the patient to purchase.

As you are probably aware, the health care field is undergoing a period of change in the manner in which care is provided to the public. There are many insurance plans that are being promoted that restrict your choice of doctor to those on a specific list of participating offices. The participation agreement between those plans and the providers usually requires the provider to deliver care at a discount to those patients covered by that plan. For some plans the discount is small, for some it is not.

Our orientation has always been to provide quality care. We use those supplies and materials we consider to be the best available. We use excellent laboratories and support services. We have an excellent staff of qualified professionals, and we take the time necessary to provide for quality treatment. We always look for value but we don't compromise quality. Our practice has grown and continues to grow through referrals from our patients. These referrals are indicative of the high level of care and service we strive to provide. Compare that with a referral from an insurance company. Upon what do you think their referral would be based?

We do not participate in any plan that would encourage a more 'retail' philosophy of practice. Dentistry is a service, not a product. For those plans where a filling is a filling and a crown is a crown, it's always possible to find a cheaper way. For us, the manner in which that service is provided and the attention to details makes all the difference. We do not participate in plans that require us to discount our treatment and encourage us to make up the difference in volume. Nor will we make a practice of charging patients different fees for identical services depending on which insurance plan, if any, they belong to.

There is enough diversity in today's dental marketplace for everyone to find a practice whose values they share. I hope this adequately describes our values.


Directions

Local Landmarks: One street east of Moorsbridge, turn at Bronson OB on Corner of Cooley and Centre Ave.