Stay-At-Home But Keep Your Treatment Moving Forward

Okun Orthodontics remains closed, except for emergencies, until at least April 20, because of Governor Cuomo's executive order for New York State to close non-essential businesses in order to limit the spread of corona virus. We are permitted to see emergencies of pain, trauma and infection. If you are having an emergency, please take a picture of the problem, and email it with a description to Dr. Okun directly at drj@okunortho.com.  We are still returning phone messages, so please feel free to leave messages on our phone answering machine (914) 253-0722.
No one knows how long this state of emergency will last, and how long non-essential businesses need to remain closed.  Please confirm with us that your appointment is still valid before heading out to see us. Please also TAKE THIS STAY-AT- HOME EDICT SERIOUSLY. Even though there are no cases of COVID-19 in children, your children can still bring the virus home to you on their hands and clothes.  The longer that people disregard the social distancing guidelines, the longer our lifestyles and the economy will be held hostage by the spread of the virus.  Today I was speaking with a 90 year old woman who was reminiscing about the polio epidemic of her childhood (causing infantile paralysis.) She remembers the closure of swimming pools, movies, and ball games.  That epidemic came to an end, and so will this one.
Remember that we still have a portal available through our website www.okunortho.com for you to view your appointments, images, and financial information.  You can print out any information you need to submit your healthcare finances for flex plans and tax documents.
Many of you are home schooling your children.  We will be posting home schooling ideas in future posts.  As always, remember to keep your teeth and braces clean, use fluoride rinse, wear your elastics, retainers, guards, and headgears as prescribed.  This current situation may slow down the progress of your treatment because I can't see you monthly, but you can certainly keep your treatment moving forward.
Dr. Okun

Keeping You Safe at Okun Orthodontics during the CoronaVirus Pandemic

We closed our office at Okun Orthodontics, except for urgent care/emergencies, for the last three weeks of March, ending April 5, 2020, at the recommendation of the American Dental Association and the Department of Health because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When we re-open in April we will continue to follow precautions to limit the spread of Corona Virus.  Steps we have incorporated for the foreseeable future include:

Distancing: All patient families will be sent to different room to await their turn.  The goal is that one family does not breathe on another.  If your family group is too large for the treatment room, please have some of your family members wait in the car.  If anyone in your family is sick, please leave them at home. In addition, we will not be greeting anyone with handshakes and hugs.

Hand Washing: Upon entering a treatment room, everyone will wash their hands with antimicrobial soap and water.

High touch areas will be minimized and disinfected: Doors to the stairwells and to our office are propped open so that you do not need to touch doorknobs. Handles of waiting room chairs as well as treatment room surfaces will be disinfected frequently.

Pre-treatment rinsing: We have ordered ioRinse, a natural and organic antiviral mouthwash which does not contain alcohol, for patients to use before treatment. IoRinse has been proven effective at inactivating Coronavirus, Rhinovirus and Norovirus at 25ppm molecular iodine. The ioRinse formula is 4x the experimental strength. By pretreatment rinsing we will minimize generation of airborne virus during our procedures.

UV light: We have six Germguardian UV-C Air Sanitizers to kill airborne pathogens. They are located in all "patient access" rooms of the office.

Air circulation: We are leaving the windows open and are using fans to circulate the air. Before the age of antibiotics Tuberculosis and Influenza were treated with fresh air and sunlight. Patients in open air tents did significantly better than patients in closed barracks.

During difficult times it is important to work together. I have always stressed the team approach to our patient’s treatment and look forward to your participation in the team effort to control this pandemic crisis.
Judith A. Okun DMD
14 Rye Ridge Plaza, Suite 243, Rye Brook, NY 10573 (914) 253-0722

Orthodontic emergencies during the CO""VID-

Dear Patients,

Under normal circumstances, I have always made every effort to see every “emergency patient” in a prompt manor. Unfortunately, we are not living in normal circumstances.  I am following the guidelines of the American Dental Association and The Department of Health in keeping the office “closed” except for urgent or emergency care for the next two weeks to minimize the spread of Corona Virus.

If you are in pain please call.  I will be seeing emergency appointments on Tuesday March 24, Wednesday March 25, Monday March 30 and Wednesday April 1, by appointment only.  We will resume a full schedule starting the week of April 5.

Please read the following guidelines for emergencies:

Loose brackets: While a loose bracket is an emergency that we would like to see within a few days during normal times, during this CoronaVirus pandemic we need to follow a different standard.  If the loose bracket is not causing pain, and is not attached to a chain elastic (that is where the colored circles are connected to each other in an elastic chain), it can wait until after the current ban on elective treatment.  If you have a question as to whether it is an emergency, take a picture of it with your phone and email it to drj@okunortho.com.  Dr. Okun will evaluate if it needs to be seen immediately.

Loose bands: If the metal ring on your back tooth comes loose it should be removed so that you don’t chew on it.  If you can’t remove it from the end of the arch-wire it is an emergency.  If it is attached to a palatal expander it is an emergency. If removing it prevents you from wearing a head-gear we need to evaluate on a case by case basis. Call the office and leave a message.

Arch-wire pokes: If the arch-wire has slid to one side and is poking you please try to push it to the other side using a needle nose plier.  If you cannot, and if wax does not stay on the end, this is an emergency, but may need to wait a few days until we have a cluster of emergencies to see.

If a retainer or guard is broken, wear the larger piece but save the smaller one. Take a picture of it and email it to us to see if you need to be seen immediately. If a retainer is broken and the pieces stay together when it is in your mouth and are held together by the wire when it is out of your mouth, continue to wear it but call so that we can schedule a repair appointment.

I will continue to check the office answering machine (914) 253-0722 so that I can return your calls. If you are having an emergency that can’t wait for a call back please also email me at drj@okunortho.com.

As Mayor Tom Roach (of White Plains) tells us, “We are stronger together when we stand apart.”  Stay at home, stay healthy, and I’ll see you soon.  
Dr. Okun