Mask requirements have changed swiftly as new COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations decline across much of California and the nation. The California Department of Public Health on Monday once again updated its guidance on the use of face masks ― this time to closely align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance issued recently.

The updated CDPH guidance states that face masks are still required for everyone, regardless of vaccination status in specified high-risk settings, which include dental offices and all other health care settings as defined by CDPH. That requirement is also consistent with the CDC’s guidance. 

For our patients please note our updated check-in protocol & safety measures:

1) Limited entry: We are still asking that adult patients attend appointments alone if possible, and minors attend either alone or with one responsible party only if at all possible.

2) Please arrive with a mask on. If a mask is not worn by a parent or guardian we will be asking that you wait in the car.

3) Please use the hand sanitizer at the check-in counter when you arrive. Our toothbrushing station will be closed so please remember to brush & floss your teeth at home prior to coming for your visit.

We are hope you are all staying healthy & well. Our doors will remain open as the restrictions announced under California’s new regional stay-at-home order do not include the provision of dental care and other essential health care services. 

We continue to go above and beyond the recommended health & safety guidelines for dental & medical professionals - as the safety of our patients & team is our top priority. We’re tracking any updates from the California Dental Association as well as public health and regulatory authorities including the CDC, CDPH and OSHA for ongoing developments.

Learn more about our health & safety measures here: www.tri-ortho.com/healthandsafety

For the safety of our patients & team we continue to limit the number of appointments per day to allow for social distancing. Please continue to assist us by confirming your appointment within 48 hours receiving your email or text appointment reminder.   We appreciate your understanding of our confirmation policy since it allows us to ensure we're able to see our patients in the safest environment possible.  

 In addition to confirming your appointment, we continue to ask that you complete our online screening form 2-3 days prior to your visit. When you receive your email appointment reminder 3 days prior you'll see a link to complete our online health screening form - please fill this out as soon as possible. If it is not filled out by the time of your appointment, we'll ask you to fill it out prior to checking in for your visit. tri-ortho.com/screeningform

For our patients please continue to follow our check-in protocol & safety measures:

1) Limited entry: We ask that adult patients attend appointments alone if possible, and minors attend either alone or with one responsible party only if at all possible (Our coffee and tea stations are also temporarily closed).

2) Please text us at (925) 272-7868 once you are parked. Once your chair is ready we will text back to notify you to come into the office. Please present to your appointment at the regularly scheduled time.  If you are early or late please first text or call us at (925) 272-7868 to let us know.

3) Please arrive with a mask on. If a mask is not worn by a parent or guardian we will be asking that you wait in the car. We will be taking your temperature (using a touchless point and shoot thermometer) upon entry. Please use the hand sanitizer at the check-in counter when you arrive, and rinse with the provided 1% hydrogen peroxide mouthwash. Our toothbrushing station will be closed so please remember to brush & floss your teeth at home prior to coming for your visit.

4.) After your visit: If you are able to schedule your next visit, please stop by the front desk to do so. If you are a minor and your parent is not present to schedule, please expect a text from our office that same day to schedule your next visit.

Dear Patient Family,

We hope this finds you and your family safe & well! We're happy to announce that we're planning to officially re-open on June 1st. All of us at Tri-Valley Orthodontics are looking forward to seeing you all soon!

As we are now limiting our available appointment slots per day to allow for social distancing it is essential that you confirm your appointment when you receive the appointment reminder email or text message 2-3 days prior.  Any appointments that have not been confirmed by 2 days prior will be cancelled so that the next patient waiting can have this appointment time.  We appreciate your understanding of our confirmation policy since it allows us to ensure we're able to see our patients in the safest environment possible.  

We are working hard to reschedule all cancelled appointments starting from March 17th and onwards - we appreciate your patience and will be reaching out to you shortly. If you have an urgent care need please reach out to us at info@tri-ortho.com so we that can prioritize your visit. 

Please review our check-in protocol changes & additional safety measures detailed in our previous update post below. In addition to confirming your appointment, we ask that you complete our online screening form 2-3 days prior to your visit. Please arrive for your appointment on time. We ask that adult patients attend appointments alone, and minors attend either alone or with one responsible party (for our new patient appointments - both parents/siblings may be present as you will be seated separately in our consultation room).  Additional measures - while we have always complied with strict OSHA-mandated protocols to maintain a highly sterile environment we've taken additional measures to further enhance the safety of our patients & team.

Stay well & we look forward to seeing you soon!

The Tri-Valley Orthodontics Team

Useful Links:

Health Screening form: https://www.tri-ortho.com/screeningform

Contact information: https://www.tri-ortho.com/contact-us

Our Mission Statement: https://www.tri-ortho.com/about-us/our-mission-statement

New Patient Forms Online: https://www.tri-ortho.com/new-patient-forms-online

Emergency Information:https://www.tri-ortho.com/current-patients/emergencies

We hope you all are staying safe & well - we miss seeing our patients and we’re hoping to be able to fully return to the office soon.

(Updated 5/7/20) The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a statement that as dental health care providers we should evaluate the necessity of the dental care based on the urgency of dental problems and prioritize care that was previously scheduled then postponed and for those conditions that are likely to lead to dental emergencies if treatment is not provided in a timely manner. Per the updated CDPH guidelines, dentists can also begin to provide essential preventive care taking measures to minimize aerosol generation.

(4/30 Update) As most of you know the State of CA has extended the shelter in place to May 31st. While in the State of CA, dentists have always been considered essential workers, the CDA & ADA have recommended limiting the scope of care we provide during the pandemic to urgent and emergency care.  Due to the ongoing nature of orthodontic care we have a many patients with active orthodontic appliances requiring monitoring, along with emergency patients who need our care. At this point our patients who originally had March appointments have not been seen for going on 4+ months, due to the extended shelter-in-place. Our local orthodontic associations the California Association of Orthodontists and the American Association of Orthodontists have issued statements that we as orthodontists should use our judgement in providing care for our patients whose treatment has suffered extensive delays, along with providing urgent and emergency care.

In light of this starting on May 11th we are doing a limited opening to provide care for emergency patients as well as those patients whose treatment has suffered extensive delays due to cancelled March appointments.  As we’ve had to cancel all appointments starting from March 16th, we will be rescheduling based on the order in which you were originally scheduled.

Our May schedule will be mostly limited to Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays for urgent & emergency care patients only. We will be seeing 1/3 the volume of our standard schedule to allow for social distancing and for the safety of our team and patients. We will have an expanded schedule with full Tuesdays or Thursdays available starting in June.

To comply with the guidelines set forth by the CDA & ADA recommending against elective procedures which create aerosol (airborne viruses, bacteria and particulate matter) we will not be removing braces until after June 1st for the safety of our team & patients. There will be no exceptions made to this rule so we appreciate your understanding that our top priority is the safety of our patients, our team and our community.

In light of this we are planning to do a very limited opening to provide care for urgent patients only starting on May 11th.  As we’ve had to cancel all appointments starting from March 16th, we will be rescheduling based on the order in which you were originally scheduled.

Our available schedule will be limited to Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 am - 2 pm for urgent & emergency care patients only. We will be seeing 1/3 the volume of our standard schedule to allow for social distancing and for the safety of our team and patients.

To comply with the guidelines set forth by the CDA & ADA recommending against elective procedures which create aerosol (airborne viruses, bacteria and particulate matter) we will not be removing braces until after June 1st for the safety of our team & patients. There will be no exceptions made to this rule so we appreciate your understanding that our top priority is the safety of our patients, our team and our community.

During our limited opening we have implemented the following changes in protocol:

1.) Screening Form: When you receive your email appointment reminder 3 days prior you'll see a link to complete our online health screening form - please fill this out as soon as possible. If it is not filled out by the time of your appointment, we'll ask you to fill it out prior to checking in for your visit. tri-ortho.com/screeningform

2) Limited entry: We ask that adult patients attend appointments alone if possible, and minors attend either alone or with one responsible party only if at all possible (to limit the number of people in the waiting room. (Our coffee and tea stations are also temporarily closed).

2) How to check in: Please text us at (925) 272-7868 once you are parked. Once your chair is ready we will text back to notify you to come into the office. Please present to your appointment at the regularly scheduled time - not early or late.  If you are early or late please first call us at (925) 272-7868 to let us know.

3.) After checking in: Please arrive with a mask on. If a mask is not worn by a parent or guardian we will be asking that you wait in the car. We will be taking your temperature (using a touchless point and shoot thermometer) upon entry. Please use the hand sanitizer at the check-in counter when you arrive, and rinse with a 1% hydrogen peroxide mouthwash at our toothbrush station (which will otherwise be closed). Please remember to brush & floss your teeth at home prior to coming for your visit.

4.) After your visit: If you are able to schedule your next visit, please stop by the front desk to do so. If you are a minor and your parent is not present to schedule, please expect a text from our office that same day to schedule your next visit.

Additional measures we will be taking during this time:

We have always complied with strict OSHA-mandated protocols to maintain a highly sterile environment within our office. We've taken additional measures in cooperation with the evolving updates through the CDC, OSHA, CDC & the ADA:

1. Employee Health Screening:  All employees and affiliated providers undergo health history screenings before commencing employment. In addition, we strictly enforce sick policies that require employees suffering from communicable illnesses to stay home from work until they have clearance by a physician to return and have received supervisor approval. Employees who have traveled to a country with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Level 3 Travel Health Notice are required to self-quarantine for 14 days prior to returning to work. At this time, employees are required to wear masks at all times. Employees are also having their temperatures monitored daily prior to starting their shift.

2. Patient Health Screening: Due to concerns about patient and employee safety, we ask that all patients experiencing flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and difficulty breathing) to reschedule their appointments. Patients will be asked to complete a digital COVID-19 screening form a few days prior to their appointment and a temperature check prior to all visits in accordance with CDC and American Dental Association recommended guidelines.

3. Sterilization & Safety Procedures: The foundation of our infection control procedures have always been based on requirements established by the CDC that state that all body fluids are treated as infectious because patients with bloodborne infections can be asymptomatic or unaware that they are infected. This includes body fluids in airborne droplets from coughs or sneezes. 

   Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) used in our office which includes disposable gowns, eye-protective wear with side protection, full face shields, surgical masks and N95 or KN95 respirators and latex-free gloves are designed to ensure that no fluids can be passed between staff and patients. 

   Strict surface sterilization procedures are followed to clean and disinfect all operatory surfaces between patients and, after each use, all dental instruments are disinfected and heat sterilized in medical steam autoclave machines in individual sterile pouches.

4. Common Area Disinfecting: As a result of the current coronavirus concern, we have taken added precautions in the common areas.  All office areas are disinfected every hour. This includes a thorough wipe down of all hard surfaces, such as door handles, door knobs, tables, chairs and front office counters with a disinfectant wipe. In addition, patients are being advised to practice social distancing in our lobby area or wait in their cars if preferred. Our coffee & tea stations will be temporarily closed as well.

   According to the CDC, the most important steps we all can take to avoid infection from airborne diseases are frequent hand washing with soap and water and regular cleansing of highly-used surfaces with disinfectant. We recommend that all our patients take these basic precautions.

5. Multiple hand sanitizing stations have been placed throughout the office. And plexiglass sneeze guards have been placed both at our front desk and our oral hygiene instruction desk for the safety of our team & patients.

6. A medical grade HEPA filtration & air purification unit has been placed in both our reception & clinic areas. Our units effectively filter 99.5% of harmful ultrafine particles down to 0.003 microns in size. This is 100 times smaller than what is achieved with ordinary air filtration technology and 10 times smaller than a virus)

   
   

We appreciate your cooperation during this time. We hope to be able to resume our normal scheduling after May 31st and will be in close communication with you as things evolve.  We've added extra work days to accommodate our patients schedules in June and will give you our promise to do everything in our control to maintain a positive, safe environment for everyone during this uncertain time.

The Tri-Valley Orthodontics Team

Dear patient family, as many of you have already heard the shelter-in-place order for the Contra Costa County and much of the Bay Area has been extended to May 4th.  The California Dental Association has also issued updated recommendations for all dental offices in CA suspend nonessential and non-urgent dental care until further notice. In light of these events our office will be extending our temporary closure putting our tentative re-opening date to early May.

We recognize that some of these health precautions may cause a temporary inconvenience in the form of possible delays in the completion of portions of your treatment - but please be assured that your health and the health of all members of our community is our number one priority, and we have carefully thought about these precautions that we will be implementing.  

All appointments scheduled before May 1st will be cancelled - we will be reaching out to you to reschedule your appointment once we're able to confirm a definite re-opening date in line with guidelines from the State of CA and the California Dental Association, American Dental Association & the American Association of Orthodontists.  We will be rescheduling any non-urgent appointments such as retainer checks to after June 1st unless you are having fit issues or discomfort with your retainer(s) - in this case please contact us right away at info@tri-ortho.com so we can best advise you.

These dates are subject to change based on the evolving recommendations and mandates for our state. Please continue to check for updates on our website at www.tri-ortho.com/covid19-update,  Facebook.com/triortho , and via email updates to all active patients.  

We will do our very best to assist you during this time out of the office and will ensure that any questions or emergencies are directed to Dr. Ko or Dr. Yoon right away . If you are an active patient and have a clinical question for Dr. Ko or Dr. Yoon please email us with a photo of the area in question (if applicable) at info@tri-ortho.com and your message will be forwarded to the doctor. 

If you would like to schedule a virtual appointment (via Zoom) with Dr. Ko or Dr. Yoon please submit your appointment request at: https://www.tri-ortho.com/contact-us and we will get you scheduled right away.

If you are an active patient and have an emergency & are in pain which cannot be resolved with the home care guidelines outlined on our website - please email us at info@tri-ortho.com with a photo of what your emergency is so we can assist you either via email, or by phone. We will be available in person only if deemed absolutely necessary.  Please note that no exceptions to these special precautions will be made for any reason, so please plan accordingly.

 If you have a message for our administrative team please email us at admin@tri-ortho.com - due to our office closure there may be a delay in responding to your administrative (financial/insurance related) questions. We apologize for the delay and hope to be back soon.

Dear patient family, the California Dental Association and American Dental Association have issued recommendations for all dental offices in CA to suspend nonessential and non-urgent dental care for the next 2-3 weeks. In light of these events our office will remain closed until April 7th, 2020 or until further notice.

All appointments on or before April 7th will be rescheduled until after this date.  As healthcare professionals we must be proactive to limit the spread of this virus and we appreciate your understanding in this unprecedented situation.  

 We will do our very best to assist you during this time out of the office and will ensure that any clinical questions or emergencies are directed to Dr. Ko or Dr. Yoon right away.

We've reached out to all patients scheduled up to April 6th to reschedule their appointments to after this date. We will be rescheduling all braces removal appointments due to high aerosol (airborne particles/microbes) until after April 13th for the safety of our community & team. 

These dates may change based on continuing guidelines from the CDA, ADA, CDC and the State of California. Please check back on this page, our social media outlets, and in your email inboxes.

If you are an existing patient and need to reschedule your appointment or have an administrative concern please email our Patient Coordinator at admin@tri-ortho.com. Depending on the urgency of the request we will do our best to get back to you in a timely manner, as our administrative hours are currently limited due to the office closure.

If you are a new patient and would like to schedule a complimentary consultation, virtual consultation or a start appointment, please send your request via this contact form on our website - so we can reserve an appointment for you.

If you are an active patient and have a clinical question for Dr. Ko or Dr. Yoon please email us with a photo of the area in question (if applicable) at info@tri-ortho.com and your message will be forwarded to the doctor.

If you are an active patient and have an emergency & are in pain which cannot be resolved with the home care guidelines outlined on our website - please email us at info@tri-ortho.com with a photo of what your emergency is so we can assist you either via email, or by phone. We will be available in person only if absolutely necessary. 

In an abundance of caution and in the best interest of our patients we are kindly asking you to assist us in reducing the potential risk of exposure in our community.

In light of recent developments and inline with recommendations by the CDC, ADA & CDA we will be temporarily adjusting our office schedule & policies to reflect the current situation and to provide a safer environment for our team & patients.  

1.) We love seeing your whole family. However, in the meantime, we ask that adult patients attend appointments alone if possible, and minors attend with one responsible party only if at all possible.

2.) Please present to your appointment at the regularly scheduled time, not early.  If a you are early or late - please first call us at (925) 272-7868 to let us know.  

3.) Our patient check-in iPad will be removed - please sign in verbally by letting Deana or Brittany know at the front desk when you arrive.  Please use the hand sanitizer at the check-in counter when you arrive.

4.) Our coffee stations will be temporarily closed to reduce potential surfaces of contact where cross-contamination can occur.

What we are doing.

“As the COVID-19 situation continues to rapidly evolve, we are closely monitoring the situation and taking actions to safeguard our patients & staff.  We are following the specific guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the American Dental Association (ADA) and other federal, state and local guidelines, and taking steps to maintain a safe environment. “

• We use state-of-the-art hospital grade sterilization & updated OSHA compliant infection control protocols to ensure thorough cleansing and effective sterilization of all instruments.

• All of our brackets, wires & auxilliary appliances such as elastics and all laboratory appliances are made locally and by American manufacturers.

• Both clinical and non-clinical staff wash their hands with soap and water and use hand sanitizer frequently even when working in non-patient treatment areas. 

• Hand sanitizer is being placed on the reception area & consult room counters for patients use. Air purifiers have been placed throughout the office.

• We have instructed staff to stay home and not report to work if they are exhibiting any signs of being sick or have come in contact with someone who is sick, or if they have recently travelled to an area of high infection levels. 

• Patients with flu like symptoms (fever, coughing, shortness of breath) are being asked to reschedule their appointments. According to the CDC, symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, coughing and shortness of breath https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html 

• We are adding additional frequency of sanitizing all doorknobs, handles, railings and other high contact surfaces throughout the office multiple times a day, including entry points to our suite from common areas of the building. 

What you can do.

If you currently feel sick, please reschedule your appointment and call your physician. This is especially true if you have a fever, cough, sneezing, or shortness of breath. The same thing applies if you have had any of these symptoms in the last 48 hours.  

Please also reschedule your appointment if you have traveled outside the United States in the last 30 days to an area affected by the coronavirus disease. This includes China, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, or Vietnam.

Hygiene etiquette involves practices that prevent the spread of illness and disease. A critical time to practice good hygiene etiquette is when you are sick, especially when coughing or sneezing. Serious respiratory illnesses like influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), whooping cough, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) are spread by:

• Coughing or sneezing

• Unclean hands

  • Touching your face after touching contaminated objects

  • Touching objects after contaminating your hands

To help stop the spread of germs:

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.

• Put your used tissue in a waste basket.

• If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.

Remember to wash your hands after coughing or sneezing:

• Wash with soap and water, or

• Keeping hands clean through improved hand hygiene is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Many diseases and conditions are spread by not washing hands with soap and clean, running water. If clean, running water is not accessible, as is common in many parts of the world, use soap and available water. If soap and water are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol to clean hands.